New architectural projects is rare in this economy. It's like a modest CEO or a crowded Catholic Church. Rare.

So, when a project comes up that is HAWT, we pounce on it. This project comes from MAD, a unique architectural design company. Why unique? It's based in Beijing, China... which is the center of global, urban growth. Entire cities are being built in China, popping up like newsstands in any other country. MAD is pushing to make these developments environmentally sound and "healthy"... as opposed to cluttered, concrete slabs we are used to. (In fact, MAD's already made an appearance here. Check out Honeycomb Skyscraper and drool for just a bit. Gorgeous

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Well, last year MAD brought together 11 young, international architects to build a new design for the city of Guiyang, a city in the China. Each participant designed a building or section of the city. The results are light and clean. The results are the opposite of standard urban development, and we at HAWT love it. Let's see some more pics.

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The emphasis is on glass structures, which are the most environmentally intelligent. Glass not only lets in light and heat which cuts on electric usage, but it can be recycled.

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The first thing that catches my eye is the tremendous amount of green (and rice patties?) incorporated in the city. The city seems to be beautifully devoid of vehicles. The other thing that catches my eye is how privacy wouldn't be an option with all that glass

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To get a feeling for how much grow there is in China, here are some statistics from MAD: "In the past 15 years, around 10 billion sqm of built space has been created in the urban areas of China. In 20 years time, another 200 to 400 new cities will be built. Until now, the results of this overwhelming urbanization have been defined by high-density, high-speed and low-quality duplication: the urban space is meaningless, crowded and soulless." That is an outstanding rate of growth, which makes MAD's drive to deviate from concrete cities that much more important. These pictures are much more appealing than Alphabet City. Here's a shot of the whole project

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Here's a few last pics

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Bravo, MAD. Now make projects like these a reality! Post-haste! Influence those "Western" cities you are trying to deviate from