Professor Zhang Lin wanted to live in a house on top of a mountain, but without leaving the city. So he built one on top of a 26th-story residential building in the middle of a bustling city.
The neighbors naturally aren’t feeling very zen about it. He didn’t even bother checking with them or the city officials in Beijing. People described him as “eccentric,” but his bizarre project goes a little beyond any endearing eccentricity you’ll ever see.
The Chinese professor has spent the last 6 years completing his own mountain retreat.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
The whole design certainly looks stunning as if it’s carved out from an actual mountain.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
Lin has spent six years creating the structure using artificial rocks but real trees and grass.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
His mountaintop penthouse covers the entire 1000-square-meter roof of the tower. It has a rocky mountain garden, complete with rubble and shrubbery.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
But not everyone is impressed, especially the apartment owners living directly below his mountain getaway.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
They believe the cracks they see on their ceilings are caused by Lin’s construction.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
Several homes get flooded every time it rains. Drains and pipes are also causing problems.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
Apartment owners are complaining about it.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
They fear its weight might cause the entire building to collapse.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
After years of complaints from several apartment owners, city officials finally started to investigate the elaborate construction project.
Photo by Luo Xiaoguang / Rex Features
The professor now has his own mountain villa where he can get away from it all. But unless he can prove to the city officials that the structure is safe, it will soon be demolished.