Professor builds dream mountain villa where he can get away from it all. Only problem is, it's on top of a Beijing apartment block (and the people underneath aren't too happy)

• Professor Zhang Lin has spent six years shifting rocks and rubble to the roof to create this mountaintop penthouse
• The property has a rocky mountain garden, complete with rubble and shrubbery
• But residents have described him as a 'menace' after cracks and leaks appeared throughout the apartment block
• Mr Lin did not have planning permission for the 'extension' and it will be demolished if deemed unsafe

By Helen Collis

A Chinese man has spent six years building his dream mountaintop villa - on top of a Beijing apartment block. 
Eccentric Professor Zhang Lin shifted tons of rubble and rock onto the roof of the building to construct the outrageous home which looks like it has been carved from a mountainside.
The property even has a rocky mountain garden, complete with rubble and shrubbery. 

Room with a view: Professor Zhang Lin has spent six years shifting rocks and rubble to the roof of this apartment block to build his dream 'mountaintop' penthouse

Crazy: The home was built by Professor Zhang Lin but it has emerged he never had planning permission

Precarious: The mountaintop villa appears to be supported by steel struts added to the side of the building

But his distraught neighbours are less than impressed with the project and fear the building is about to collapse.
The rooftop home, which never received planning approval, has caused cracks to appear in his neighbours' ceilings and walls while some have had to put up with leaks from broken pipes and drains.

 

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They have also been forced to live with the noise and disturbance caused from the building work.
One resident said their apartment is constantly flooded while another described the academic as a 'menace'.
'This was originally a small attic when he bought it. But he tore that down and built this mountain on top of us,' said one.
'He's broken drains so we're always being flooded when it rains and there are huge structural cracks in our ceiling and walls,' they added.

Grand design: Neighbours have complained the house which has been built on top of an apartment could collapse

Penthouse living: Mr Lin could be ordered to tear down penthouse if it is deemed as unsafe

Hitting the slopes: Professor Zhang Lin wanted to bring a touch of the mountainside to Beijing but his neighbours below and living in the block next door have not been impressed

'He is a menace as a neighbour and he didn't get any permission to build this monstrosity,' said another.
Mr Lin could now be ordered to tear down his mountain penthouse if it is deemed unsafe.
'It has come to our attention that Professor Zhang did not apply for permission for this structure. So unless he can prove it is safe, it will have to come down,' explained an city official.

The eccentric professor appears to have incorporated ornaments and plants into his enormous rooftop extension

The mountaintop home even has walkways and a wooden trellis for climbing plants for the owner to enjoy

Distraught residents living beneath the man-made mountain have complained of structural cracks appearing in their ceilings and walls

Some neighbours say water and drainage pipes have broken because of the enormous rocky structure above them and their apartments are regularly flooded

China is known for its crazy design and architecture.
The Tianducheng development in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is filled with grand European buildings and wide walkways. Ornate fountains and statues also line the streets of the town.
During its construction in 2007, a replica of the Eiffel Tower standing at 108 metres was even built.
There is also a replica of a fountain from the Luxemburg Gardens in a main square called Champs Elysées.

This is a view of the Tianducheng development in Hangzhou, China. Despite being built as a replica of Paris, the town has not proved popular and is virtually empty

Plush: This resident stands on the balcony of his apartment at the development, admiring the empty streets below

Last year developers began building 39 Palladian mansions in a Beijing suburb at a cost of £10m to create the country's most expensive housing estate.
The Western-style mansions with tall columns and impressive entrances wont look out of place on a sprawling English estate.
Last month China unveiled a gigantic glowing doughnut-shaped hotel in Huzhou, near Shanghai.

In a suburb of Beijing developers are building 39 Western inspired Palladian mansions costing a minimum of £10m to create the country's most expensive housing estate

China's newest tallest building, the 2,073ft Shanghai Tower, has just been completed in the city's financial district

The 27-storey Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort, looms over the skyline offering 321 spacious guest rooms, including 44 suites and 39 villas.
It also unveiled plans to build sky-high farms - towers in Tai Po, Hong Kong, that would grow rice, fruit and vegetables on each of the levels.
The country has also laid claim to the title of the world's largest building - the The New Century Global Center in Chengdu, Sichuan province, which could 20 Sydney Opera Houses inside.
The country's new tallest building - the 2,073ft Shanghai Tower, has also just been completed in the city's financial district.