Limestone skyscrapers moulded into the natural karst terrain
Skyscraper Competition encourages new construction habits for karst terrains
A project by Ethro Koi Lik Wai and Quah Zheng Wei
#Design
img.0All images by Jethro Koi Lik Wai and Quah Zheng Wei (Malaysia) - Courtesy of eVolo
Proposed by Malaysian designers Jethro Koi Lik Wai and Quah Zheng Wei, Limestone Skyscrapers won an honorable mention in this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition. Going against the human destruction of the karst topography seen in places such as Vietnam and China, the design strategy seeks to intervene with the process of mining and destruction of these natural monuments by constructing the building into the hills themselves. The architecture would use the blasted shell of the limestone hill by reinforcing it with a steel frame and installing the envelope - allowing the natural and constructed forms to sit against each other. The idea of moulding the faceted glass structures into the landscape hopes to serve as a compliment to the monolithic beauty in its natural state and encouraging a different use and outlook to the mining sites.
img.1The hills provide a different take on site exploration beyond the conventional floor plate
img.2Find a designated hill site then begin to reinforce the hill with structural support
img.3The structural support would prevent the hill from future collapse
img.4Once frame is established, the structure will begin to take form
img.5Sectional render showing the building within the hill