When You're Green, You Grow: Looking up

When thinking of ecological design I am reminded of how important the ground plane is and how water and earth are so drawn to each other. Placing a building on top of the earth is like wrapping a scarf around your mouth. It makes it hard to breath, eat and drink. While working on the design charrette for an eco resort in St Croix the only option for the steep slopes and sustainability was to place the buildings on stilts. Well for this imaginary Aiken village project it is not the only option but I think it is a very interesting option. The site has potential to be something new and innovative for the people of Starkville to see how something as simple as not using a slab foundation can aid in restoring streams south of Starkville and fostering an environment of healthier choices leading to happier living. I found a few interesting sites that featured tree houses and they inspired me to start thinking upward again, there are even whole resorts built above the ground, so why couldn't there be a dorm or apartment designed using the same principles?