In this environmentally-friendly age we’re often urged to consider the needs of Mother Nature before our own comforts; however, one Guangzhou resident had an ulterior motive to “thinking green” when he used foliage and trees to allegedly hide two illegally-built floors atop his penthouse apartment.

A rooftop villa on Guangzhou Linhe East Road in the Haitangge neighborhood is suspected of trying to camouflage its illegal structures by completely covering them with green paint, vines and shrubbery.

Chengguan that visited the exterior of the structure said the additional floors may cause cracking of the structure below.

The reporting of illegal rooftop structures in China have shown a pent-up desire for residential expansion. Twelve illegal rooftop buildings have been reported in Guiyang, Guizhou province of which four can be seen here and includes one that looks like a castle.

Shenzhen has had its own case of penthouse growing pains when local media reported that a Nanshan District penthouse apartment had constructed a temple on its roof and was being investigated by city authorities.

The most widely reported case would be the illegal rooftop terrace in Beijing that was recently demolished. Extensively decorated with trees, shrubbery and fake rock over 800 square meters, owner Zhang Biqing was initially given the order to dismantle it within 15 days, but required four months before demolition was complete.

Zhang said he became ill after his “garden” was exposed and remains in poor health. Stating he often has nightmares, Zhang said,

“My family members prevent me from reading news and don’t even allow me to watch TV. I am not coming back to Beijing in the near future because I am worried that I couldn’t bear to see that my garden is gone.”

With such an adverse effect upon inspired rooftop enthusiasts, it appears there is a literal ceiling that caps all dreamers from reaching out to the stars, one floor at a time. Hopefully these cases do not signify a real estate grab that would prematurely end Shenzhen’s plans for rooftop gardening.

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