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Living on the Edge: entire cities carved into coastal cliffs

The "Living on the Edge" project envisions future cities as sprawling communities carved into coastal cliffs across the world.

Instead of adding land to existing urban areas, the designers proposed the possibility of using coastlines and cliffs to form future urban environments. The project won first prize at this year's d3 Housing Tomorrow international competition which challenges designers to explore and rethink the concept of residential architecture.

The competition brief called for transformative solutions that combine sustainability, performance, and social interaction. The participants were encouraged to rethink residential design strategies. The winning project, “Living on the Edge”, proposes alternative sites for future urban communities.

Existing cities expand by slowly encompassing surrounding areas of land. Global population density is becoming a major issue, which is why the designers of “Living on the Edge” looked at unexpected locations where future cities could form. Their analysis showed that cliffs account for around 20 percent of the surface of the planet. Taking this information as a starting point, they formulated a prototype solution as a large network of interconnected, modular living units carved into a steep cliff side. While this solution may be problematic for those suffering from acrophobia, most occupants can count on fantastic views.

Living on the Edge: entire cities carved into coastal cliffs

Details

  • United States
  • d3 Housing Tomorrow