2022 Skyscraper Competition
Editors’ Choice
Xu Yifan, Lan Junkai, Meng Xianyi, Jin Qiu, Lin Lili, Tang Xin
China
The Zhuang nationality is the most populous ethnic minority in China. Their survival is inseparable from the cultivation of rice, but most of them live in karst landform, which is in lack of surface water. The shortage of surface water shaped their beliefs that the stone mountain and the tree growing on the mountain were the source of the water. Therefore, ethnic sacrificial activities such as “Sacrificing the Water Head” were born. But in fact, the lamination formed by the extrusion of rocks and the pumping of groundwater is the scientific principle of the water source.
The karst landform area has serious problems of stony desertification and soil erosion. Over time, the land has become more barren, the terrain has become steeper, and the severely eroded mountains are unable to pump enough water. The Zhuang people are facing serious problems in their survival and development.
The skyscraper is located in the Piaka village, Yunnan, China, which belongs to the karst landform area. The stony desertification and soil erosion in this area are relatively serious. The skyscraper aims to use modern technology to restore the dual meaning of “mountain” in natural principles and national beliefs. At the same time, with the collection, purification, storage, and utilization of water as the core, while satisfying the survival and reproduction of Zhuang villages, it also protects the nature worship of the Zhuang people from generation to generation. The skyscraper broadens the development boundary for the Zhuang villagers whose living space is decreasing. Read the rest of this entry »