Throughout this semester we explored traditional Chinese underground houses of Shilipu Village in Xianyang, Shaanxi. Collective spaces within these dug outs are organised around an open introverted courtyard, whereas individual spaces are allocated to equal sized rooms around it. Villagers have adapted to the intense farming and deforestation by creating aboveground dwellings which are linked to the rhythm of seasons. Through investigating their spatial dimensions we were able to reimagine the relationship between human and nature, individual and collective, enclosed and open. Drawing inspiration from nature we redesigned our given plots above and below ground whilst incorporating extraction and recycling of materials within our new construction system.