Absolut Towers
‘Marilyn Monroe Towers’

source: anacortesarchitect

Is there any wonder the Architects of these sensuously sculptured towers go by the acronym MAD. Also interesting is the fact that while the world’s architects were flocking to China to practice, the Toronto developer of this apartment complex imported this Chinese firm to put their particular imprint on the City’s skyline.

The first tower (in the foreground) boasts 56 subtly twisting elliptical floor plates, no two of which share the same geometry. The building, nicknamed “MARILYN” for its curvaceous form is part of the projected five-tower, 11-acre Absolute City Centre condominium complex about 16 west of downtown Toronto. Obviously – just like in the Talkies – folks couldn’t get enough of MARILYN. The tower’s 427 units sold out in a matter of days. That led to the commissioning of the second tower currently unnamed but under construction. Says MAD Principal Architect Ma Yansong, “the two are subtly different, but are members of the same family,.” (News to us – didn’t realize until now that Marilyn had a sibling in her closet).

And after MARILYN – an obviously tough act to follow – what’s MAD’s encore? Rumor has it that to satisfy upper level demanding clients, the next tower will be inordinately top-heavy – let’s call it the DOLLYscraper (provided the engineers can structural enhance and seismically brace the cantilevers) ; and in order to accommodate the community’s huge parking demands, further plans call for an enormous, gravity defying, bulbous bottom for Tower Four – no doubt to be dubbed the KARDASHIANScraper.
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source: chinese-architects

MAD’s design embraces the advent of a new era. It reflects the office’s architectural exploration of contemporary art and the transformation of lifestyle and multimedia formats in contemporary Chinese cities. MAD’s research concerning the integration of digital media into architectural design demonstrates a unique approach towards architecture.
Dedicated to understanding and exploring flexibility and new possibilities inherent in simple and traditional functions, MAD enhances these by means of new organizations and logics – analyzing value, desire, culture, and political strength in contemporary China. By treating these vectors as fluid and dynamic presentations of contemporary life, structures are no longer isolated objects as defined in architectural modernity; they become natural and coherent components of human life and the urban environment.
MAD partners with engineers, programmers, artists, landscape designers, energy and structural consultants from China, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States; the firm is committed to continuing and expanding these alliances to address challenges in design and provide ingenious solutions to our clients.