Design Inspiration

I was born and raised in Sichuan Province, China, which is famous for its mountainous landscape. I remember one of my high school teachers used to complain that a house-sized rock dropped just next to his house in the mountains after a rainstorm. When I look out from my room, I can see the mountains up close. In my hometown, the mountainous terrain has become an important factor in city planning and in choosing where to live. The mountain that I can see from my window has been developed into the main park in the town. When my parents discussed the new apartments planned to the west of the mountain, they both agreed that the location was not ideal for "Fengshui" and daylighting reasons.

Currently, I reside in Menlo Park, and my apartment is situated at the top of a hill. This location made a deep impression on me when I had to drag my 45-pound luggage from the bus station (downhill) to my apartment. When I visited San Francisco, I was surprised by the mountainous terrain and the buildings. I remembered Lombard Street, where some houses had almost a 45-degree angle with the street.

So, in this quarter, I want to explore the development of solutions for mountainous terrains and how people can utilize these areas in urban settings more efficiently. Given the continued population growth and the strain on resources, there may still be cause for concern in the foreseeable future. Exploring ways to develop mountainous areas should be meaningful.

Also, people dwelled in the mountains were on average poorer due to various reasons like “rugged terrain, poor communications systems and inadequate roads” (UN). Education was an important method to improve the situation. However, mountainous area may also related to a higher frequency of seismic activities. In the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, more than 10 thousand schools were badly damaged(UNICEF). Better designed buildings may be more resilient to natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides, and thus save lives and reach sustainability goals such as eliminating poverty and providing quality education.

Big Idea

Design buildings adapting the mountainous terrain!

An extreme example of mountainous terrain building: Hanging Temple in the Shanxi Province, China

Chongqing, also called “Mountain City”, famous for its complicated buildings

San Francisco

What factors should we consider?

Slope Stability:

I still remember my high school teacher’s complaining, and landslide risk can be a real threat for people live in mountains. Although this may be beyond the topic of building design, slope stability measures may still be considered in later design stages.

Supplementary Reading Material: https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/slope-stabilization-methods-classification-construction/47087/

Measures that can improve slope stability:

Rock bolts & Concrete

Extreme Weather:

Living in mountains may mean heavy load of snow, large amount of precipitation, and high winds. Design measures should be implemented for these conditions.

Heavy Snow Design Measure

Source: https://www.linwoodhomes.com/learn/building-homes-for-a-heavy-snow-load/