A method for optimizing the volume of earthwork in the design of mountain building

There have a lot of earthwork during the construction of mountain buildings. The minor earthwork and cut and fill balance can not only reduce the construction works and lower the cost, but also lessen carbon emission which is produced in the process of construction. However, it's hard to get the accurate volume of earthwork with AutoCAD or SketchUp, especially in the case of complex mountainous terrain. Based on GIS, the paper proposed an earthwork calculation model which can calculate the volume of earthwork quickly and accurately. The application of the model can effectively optimize the design of mountain building to minimize and balance the earthwork. The model is also a significant exploration to apply the GIS technology into the architectural design.