limestone skyscrapers mould into the natural karst terrain

limestone skyscrapers mould into the natural karst terrain
all 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 skyscaper 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 themselve. 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 encourage a different use for the mining sites. 

the hills provide a different take on site exploration beyond the conventional floor plate

find a designated hill site then begin to reinforce the hill with structural support

the structural support would prevent the hill from future collapse

once frame is established, the structure will begin to take form

sectional render showing the building within the hill