[RRxtar]

China gonna china...

220 stories in 90 days starting in January. will house 30,000 people

http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/sky-city-one-04.jpg?w=940

The 90-day challenge starts in January, when the 220-storey tower will sprout module-by-module from a piece of farmland in the southeastern Chinese city of Changsha. Although Broad and its chairman Zhang Yue have stunned the world before — first in 2010 by building a 15-storey hotel in 48 hours and again a year later by stacking together a 30-storey tower in just 15 days — this latest creation, nicknamed Sky City, is the most audacious and aptly named: After the modules are stacked at a rate of roughly five storeys per day, Sky City will boast a hospital, a school, 17 helipads, and enough apartments to house 30,000.

“If anyone else in the world made such a claim, it would be immediately thought of as crazy,” Mr. Beaudet said. “But China is very strong in engineering and organization.”

The prefabricated tower — “prefab,” as the technique is already dubbed — will rise 10 metres higher than the current tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, and according to Time.com it will rise a whopping 24 times quicker. For all its wonder, though, Sky City is not the culmination of Mr. Zhang’s lofty ambitions.

“Pinned up on his office wall are plans for a project even more audacious — an almost preposterously massive building two kilometres high,” Reuters Magazine recently reported. “When asked to estimate the odds of his 636-floor giganto-scraper ever being built, Mr. Zhang responds without hesitation, ‘100%!’”



Sky City: China’s tower will be the world’s tallest (http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/22/above-the-world-in-90-days-china-building-worlds-tallest-skyscraper-220-storeys-in-just-three-months/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

[Manic!]

Will it be left empty like other buildings in China? but good for them America can learn a lesson or 2. They are still not even close to finishing the new world trade center buildings.

[hypediss]

whenever the chinese boast about how fast they can build something, it will always remind me of this

Amazing : New apartment building tips over in China - YouTube

[mos_skeeto]

I wonder how many safety things they will skip to meet the deadline.

[winson604]

whenever the chinese boast about how fast they can build something, it will always remind me of this

Amazing : New apartment building tips over in China - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktM__i-8IQ)

This was actually the first thing that came to my mind after reading 90 days. I'm not doubting they can't do it but I hope they don't cut too many corners just to meet the deadline.

[RRxtar]

I wonder how many safety things they will skip to meet the deadline.
just a quick guess.... but... all of them

[gilly]

whats the point for having such a fast deadline? just for the WOW factor?

[gilly]

30,000 people is quite impressive though.

[snails]

i could imagine quantity >quality is the case here...

[m!chael]

How long before squatters move into the 25,000 unoccupied units and that whole place becomes a slum?

[drunkrussian]

china and dubai are competing for smallest penis/biggest buildings ratio

[MindBomber]

It wouldn't take more than a Cessna to knock it over when its complete.

They sure don't build worlds tallest buildings like they used to.

[tiger_handheld]

it's pre-fab. imo that shit don't count.

[freakshow]

http://mytimemattersblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/goodidea.jpg

[dinosaur]

whenever the chinese boast about how fast they can build something, it will always remind me of this

Amazing : New apartment building tips over in China - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktM__i-8IQ)

woah.

Imagine living in those other buildings surrounding it? I'd be shitting my pants.

[Lomac]

God damn that's an ugly building. At least the Burj Khalifa's looks are both functional (to combat the wind) and aesthetically pleasing.

[tarobbt]

Will it be left empty like other buildings in China? but good for them America can learn a lesson or 2. They are still not even close to finishing the new world trade center buildings.

:badpokerface:

Will the new skyscraper stand up to an earthquake?

Quality of work is a huge factor over using the right materials. Just because you can build it fast doesn't mean anything if the wind can blow it over.

[PiuYi]

built in 90 days..... but might not last 90 days....

[Presto]

Depends on when they start counting the 90 days. The construction is all modular, so a lot of work can happen offsite. The logistics of moving all that material from supplier to site will take a good chunk of time, already. I don't see it happening in 90 days, unless it's just a shell, but we're not talking about North Korea here.

[inv4zn]

H&S is probably an acronym for a hat and some socks...

Part of me wishes that they prove everyone wrong and this building goes down in history, but another part of me wishes it falls over into the ocean by some wind...:badpokerface:

[FerrariEnzo]

I wonder how many safety things they will skip to meet the deadline.
they have safety regulations in china? :badpokerface:

[Jason00S2000]

The immediate thing that comes to mind is the shape of the building, is it designed to withstand the winds that high up?

I remember someone told me the Dubai building is curved and shaped in a way that it won't rip apart from the constant high winds at that altitude

[Lomac]

An interesting article about this project:

In June, Chinese company Broad Sustainable Building (BSB) stunned the construction industry with its audacious proposal to build the world’s tallest building in a mere 90 days.

BSB’s ‘Sky City’ is a 220-storey, 838m tower in Changsha, Hunan Province, with construction penciled to start in November 2012 and finish in January 2013.

The project has reportedly received backing from the local authorities and is pending ‘final approval from the government’, according to information on the company’s website.

BSB claims the secret to building fast lies in its use of its ‘modular technology’ which features ‘95% factory prefabrication at a five-storey per day construction speed’.
Click here to find out more!

This method was used in the company’s successful construction of a 30-storey hotel in 360 hours in December 2011, following its previous completion of a 15-storey building in six days.

According to Bart Leclercq, head of structures Middle East for WSP - the engineering firm behind The Shard in London - prefabrication is certainly a concept that makes sense. “I absolutely love the idea that they are looking at ways to speed up construction.

“To prefabricate, plan ahead and assemble units before they are hoisted into place and connected together - I think that’s innovative. You can see that happening more and more. I think that’s brilliant and I love the ambition.”

He continues: “From an investor’s point of view they want to build this as quickly as possible. There are always booms and busts, so I imagine they really want to speed things up [before the next downturn].

“BSB has got a lot of people thinking about prefabrication. It’s great because you are able to manufacture everything under good circumstances in factories. You can make sure the conditions are right, which is difficult on site. I think that is definitely the way forward.”

Kevin Brass, public affairs manager and journal editor for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), also notes that prefabrication is a method worth exploring more. “There is a lot of innovation in tall building design. Prefabrication is not new but it is an idea worth examining to create an efficient building in more efficient timelines, with fewer materials and a lower cost. That is really worth taking a look at, especially in China, where there is a huge demand for tall buildings.”

Yet Brass adds that building a super tall is very different from a mid-rise tower. “They [BSB] have certainly shown they can build quickly, but this new proposal is a different scale. The prefabrication process and the sheer quantity of materials necessary is a real challenge. A small building doesn’t prove that they can build at that height.”

Leclercq agrees: “By trial and error they have established that this is quite possible. But don’t forget, this is a 220-storey tower - this is no joke.”

After thoroughly scrutinising the details of the Sky City ‘blueprint’ document on BSB’s website, Leclercq highlights the absence of a wind load strategy. He continues: “What I find strange is they are talking about safety and ‘magnitude nine earthquake resistance’.

“But anyone designing a tall building will know that once you go over 30 or 35 storeys, earthquake is not the governing load - it’s wind. Especially when you are talking about a building this kind of shape.

“You are talking about an enormous wind load. This document makes no mention of wind. There will be an enormous horizontal load all the way to the bottom of the tower.”

CTBUH’s Brass concurs: “There are forces working on a building that tall, including the wind. It is not a minor thing at that height.”

Leclercq continues: “By just using these simple units all put together, you’re not going to get enough stiffness; this building will have an enormous storey drift and it will sway. It would be interesting to see their concept for the structure and how they are going to deal with the stiffness, the strength and the size of the columns.

“As you go down the structure, the building will have to carry the enormous load of an almost one-kilometre high tower on top of it. You need big structural elements to deal with that. If it got built I don’t think I would feel safe in this tower, unless I had a really good understanding of how they put it all together.”

Whereas the Burj Khalifa cost around US$1.5bn, BSB claims its project will only come to $628m. Leclercq asserts: “If you are doing it for half of the cost, it suggests you are only putting half of the materials in there, which means you will only have half the stiffness and half the strength. I think this is not going to fly.

“The Burj Khalifa is all about the stiffness and the strength. The skyscraper is a structural element - it is a pin stuck in the ground. If you are saying you can do it for half the money I don’t believe that is the case. You have to pay for every cubic metre of concrete that goes in there - that’s what your price is based on.”

He continues: “I’m very skeptical about this project and I don’t know how serious it is. It looks like it could be a marketing ploy rather than a real scheme, otherwise there would be much more factual information in there, such as talk about the wind. It doesn’t look right at all. I don’t think an actual architect or structural engineer has looked at it.

“Maybe the blueprint is conceptual and they will hand over to the architect. But when you are doing the design of a skyscraper, the first thing you look at is the stiffness - the structural elements. An architect and a structural engineer are in constant dialogue and working on the floor plans. This is not going to work.”
Click here to find out more!

Brass adds: “ It is hard to get accurate information out of China. A building of this height is such an involved science - it is not a simple thing. Architects like Adrian Smith [architect of the Burj Khalifa] are the foremost experts in this field. It is up to NASA levels [of design and engineering] and is not something that can be handed over a lunch napkin.”

Yet if BSB is working with the architects of Burj Khalifa as claimed in its blueprint, is it technically possible to build a 220-storey tower in three months?

Leclercq believes that the Burj Khalifa’s construction timeframe of five years cannot be beaten at the current time. “I think they did a tremendous job to build the Burj Khalifa in five years,” he opines.

“With all the construction methods we have and the knowledge we have, they managed to squeeze the maximum speed on that particular project. I really believe they did it as quickly as was technically possible. I don’t see any other way they could build it faster.”

He continues: “In order to get stiffness in your building you need lots of area of concrete and steel. And in order to get that all in place, you need an enormous amount of time to bring it up, put it in place, put it all together, pour the concrete and put the reinforcement in place.

“You need high-strength concrete for a building like this and to make sure you can work with it you put plasticisers so it takes longer to harden. The really high-strength concrete goes off really quickly and you can’t pour it in place any more. For the concrete to harden you can only take the shuttering away after several days. You can only pour a few metres height metres each time. So, no I don’t think it’s possible to build a 220-storey tower as quickly as the company claims.

“If they manage to build this structure in three months then I will give up structural engineering. I will hang my hat and retire. I will be eating humble pie as well.”

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/can-china-build-its-burj-beater-in-90-days--469055.html

[Jason00S2000]

I'm excited for the future, what if they actually pull it off?

[ApePee2]

The immediate thing that comes to mind is the shape of the building, is it designed to withstand the winds that high up?

I remember someone told me the Dubai building is curved and shaped in a way that it won't rip apart from the constant high winds at that altitude

Exactly what I was thinking. Building something that high you definitely need good aerodynamics.
Posted via RS Mobile

[i-vtecyo]

imagine 30,000 people trying to evacuate the building due to fire, earthquake or bomb threat.

[4444]

imagine 30,000 people trying to evacuate the building due to fire, earthquake or bomb threat.

And running down 220 flights of stairs, 10 is tough enough!

[flagella]

meh.. I'm pretty excited contrary to some others here. I usually laugh when it comes to China building some random apartments or bridges that will probably collapse within a year, but when it comes to something as big of a scale as this, they are going to spend tons to hire the best engineers in the world out there. When it comes to showing the whole world what they are capable of, they usually execute successfully.

[Excelsis]

And running down 220 flights of stairs, 10 is tough enough!

:fuckthatshit:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/04SHANG4963.jpg/800px-04SHANG4963.jpg

[asian_XL]

China makes all our iphones and galaxy phones lol. enough said.

[ajax]

China makes all our iphones and galaxy phones lol. enough said.

Which have strict quality control restrictions set by the manufacturers because they will be sold in other markets. They have to meet regulations and even legal guidelines. This building will be made by China in China. And in 90 days. Do you really think it will check off every safety regulation?
Posted via RS Mobile

[smoothie.]

I can't wait to see this building fall

[SkinnyPupp]

meh.. I'm pretty excited contrary to some others here. I usually laugh when it comes to China building some random apartments or bridges that will probably collapse within a year, but when it comes to something as big of a scale as this, they are going to spend tons to hire the best engineers in the world out there. When it comes to showing the whole world what they are capable of, they usually execute successfully.
Just like they did with their bullet train right?

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20110724/800_china_bullet_train_wreck_aerial_ap_110724.jpg

[pastarocket]

Build quality is definitely a question when it comes to a big building in China.

-wonder if Las Vegas bookies can accept bets on the amount of time it will take for this building to fall. What are the odds of the building collapsing in 90, 120, 180 days?

This Lego building that was at Aberdeen mall a few months ago might last longer than this prefab:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjSqygSPSbc/UErmsZv7_QI/AAAAAAAABnc/f9pHlP2l3xw/s1600/Lego+building+Hong+Kong+3.JPG

[FerrariEnzo]

And running down 220 flights of stairs, 10 is tough enough!

who said anything about running.. they will tumble their asses down.. haha..

meh.. I'm pretty excited contrary to some others here. I usually laugh when it comes to China building some random apartments or bridges that will probably collapse within a year, but when it comes to something as big of a scale as this, they are going to spend tons to hire the best engineers in the world out there. When it comes to showing the whole world what they are capable of, they usually execute successfully.

china doesnt care about quality.. they just want to make something bigger but its not better..

sure they can hire 50000 workers... but most of them arent even qualified.. why because they dont want to spend the money to hire the right people..

we will just have to wait and see HOW long it will last..

[MoBettah]

Hate Hate HAte - YouTube

[snails]

.... so im assuming there will be a MASSIVE underground or many level parking structure... imagine the hit an runs that will take place... or even just the amount of accedents with such a busy area... in china :suspicious:

[LiquidTurbo]

I didn't know RS was full of structural engineers
Posted via RS Mobile

[kunoman1]

Imagine the view from the Penthouse at 220 stories

[Lomac]

I didn't know RS was full of structural engineers
Posted via RS Mobile

You don't have to be a structural engineer to understand the concept of a square building being extended that high up into the sky and how wind affects it.

But don't take our word for it. Read the article I quoted a few posts back. Even engineers that worked on the one in Dubai are stating that there is very little information on how they plan on dealing with wind loads, along with issues about prefab units being able to take the weight. Not to mention that high enough strength foundation concrete to handle everything takes longer to pour than the entire project is planned to take.

[Lomac]

Imagine the view from the Penthouse at 220 stories

Smog, everywhere!

toystory.jpg

[SkinnyPupp]

I'm not worried about the engineers on this project. China has some of the most brilliant engineers in the world.

It's the management that I would be worried about.

[LiquidTurbo]

You don't have to be a structural engineer to understand the concept of a square building being extended that high up into the sky and how wind affects it.

But don't take our word for it. Read the article I quoted a few posts back. Even engineers that worked on the one in Dubai are stating that there is very little information on how they plan on dealing with wind loads, along with issues about prefab units being able to take the weight. Not to mention that high enough strength foundation concrete to handle everything takes longer to pour than the entire project is planned to take.

There's tons of skyscapers that are square. We literally know nothing about the project except a picture and so many people are already knocking it down without the slightest investigation. The following comment sums up how I feel.

It amazes me the type of commentaries being made. Instead of giving some credit and recognition to people taking a different approach to construction, we remain closed minded in our thoughts and comments.

How much time does your average construction development company take to build your condominium? How many times are the project delayed and miss project milestones. What is the result? Still falling glass and weakening structures that people don't know about. Developers seldom tell you everything that is going on. Try working for one of these companies someday to know the truth behind those structures.

How long did it take to build the Scotia Plaza, Xerox Tower / North American Life Centre and how many workers were injured and died on those projects?

Let us not criticize what we do not know.

Take a look at Japanese engineering of underground parking for bikes, transportation payment systems in Hong Kong, German trains, Scandinavian systems. You will find that North American are not always world class. We need to go beyond our own arrogance thinking that we know everything in this world and as such are leaders in everything. We are not. We can be much better at what we do.

The Chinese ambition for this project is what it is. It is a marvel if they could pull it off and something we should watch closely to understand lessons learned that we can import into our own processes.

The modular building concept is not new. This process has been used in limited instances by some companies. However, the execution in a short time frame is of interest. What makes it possible to execute in such a short time frame that we cannot? My bet is they do not waste a lot of time at meetings arguing with one another about pointless issues and beating a dead horse.

I'll give these guys the benefit of the doubt until the thing falls down on itself.

[LiquidTurbo]

I'm not worried about the engineers on this project. China has some of the most brilliant engineers in the world.

It's the management that I would be worried about.

+1. Exactly. The 90 days is really of interest. It seems like just a pretty number to sound good, and insane.

We could have a disaster if someone makes the call that it needs to be delayed etc, and management just ignores it.

[Tapioca]

I didn't know RS was full of structural engineers
Posted via RS Mobile


The reason why people are quick criticize this building is that it's being built by Chinese in China. You know, the country that somehow allowed fake milk and fake eggs to be sold in stores. A country where capitalism has run amok and where anyone will do anything to make money, even if it comes at the expense of others.

[welfare]

i vaguely recall reading an article last year about the connection between building skyscrapers and economic collapse. several examples were given. among them, the empire state building.

[Gridlock]

I'm not worried about the engineers on this project. China has some of the most brilliant engineers in the world.

It's the management that I would be worried about.

You mean that choosing the management based on who is most paid up with the commies that run the joint isn't the best idea?

[SkinnyPupp]

You mean that choosing the management based on who is most paid up with the commies that run the joint isn't the best idea?
Well you saw in my previous post what it did for the bullet train! :lawl:

[Graeme S]

I love the concept. I'm just not so sure it'll work in practice. Logistics would be a bitch.

It's a frakkin' arcology. The number of people who can live in that tower is six times the population of my grandparents' town and that is awesome. Building based hospitals, schools, restaurants, the works? Never take off your slippers again.

[ZordosZZ]

17 helipads... they plan on having flying cars in the near future?

[RRxtar]

With a little luck one day we will never have to go outside! :fuckthatshit:

[Presto]

Has anyone read the Chung Kuo novel series? This big building, and it's future remind me of the setting:
Chung Kuo is primarily set 200 years in the future in mile-high, continent-spanning cities made of a super-plastic called ‘ice’. Housing a global population of 40 billion, the cities are divided into 300 levels and success and prestige is measured by how far above the ground one lives. Some – in the Above – live in great comfort. Others – in the Lowers – live in squalor, whilst at the bottom of the pile is ‘Below the Net’, a place where the criminal element is exiled and left to rot. Beneath the cities lie the ruins of old Earth – the Clay – a lightless, stygian hell in which, astonishingly, humans still exist. These divisions are known as 'the world of levels'.