With their dramatic limestone cliffs, the Huangshan mountains of eastern China are the kind of landscape people write poems about. Huangshan Mountain Village, a suite of residential buildings by MAD Architects, blends in perfectly with these surroundings.

The structures’ profiles resemble mounds of sediment, like stalagmites or hoodoos; on each level, the rounded, irregularly shaped floor plates extend past wraparound windows, creating 360-degree balconies. Taken together, the sculptural peaks form a balanced composition that’s as stunning to look at as it is to look out from.

Project: Huangshan Mountain Village

Location: Huangshan, China

Firm: MAD Architects, China

Team: Yosuke Hayano, Dang Qun and Ma Yansong with Jakob Beer, Philippe Brysse, Tiffany Dahlen, Andrea D’Antrassi, Augustus Chan, Wang Deyuan, Jeong-Eun Lee, Geraldine Lo, Luke Lu, Achille Tortini and Zhao Wei