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This time lapse video of a building called the Ark Hotel in Changsha, Hunan, pretty much says it all about China's development at breakneck speed.
And it's apparently "level 9 earthquake resistant."
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"Film them all, film them all, so many, so many!"
WOW
This is nothing more than a cute video , it is not real, Nice try silly rabbit tricks are for kids.
Are you related to phelosi??
I would have very serious concerns about the quality of the construction.
I know it was a really long article but if you had actually read it this is what came at the end:
"And it's apparently "level 9 earthquake resistant."
You should probably stick to books with pictures only.
tombones - you should stop with the insults and maybe you are the one that should stick to the picture books. There is a big difference between design characteristics - "level 9 earthquake resistant" - and construction quality in executing the design.
...and then Godzilla came and knocked it all down.
So what? They'd just put it up back again in a couple of hours. Godzilla is being seduced right now to knock down something else. I hope for your sake you don't live in Chicago.
No way. Not the Godzilla. It's the Chinese government, or the hired thugs, who will. Buildings like this only last 15 years, if they did not develop any structural problem or burnt down (like the CCTV building, which was declared structurally sound after the fire, and then torn down). And since this building will probably remain empty for years, and the building quality is questionable, it's coming down fast.
Amazing, but I'm a bit skeptical about something. Why does the first night not start until hour 20 and lasts 8 hours. Then there is daylight for 11 hours before a night that lasts only 5 hours. Seems a bit fishy.
They use watches made in China to do the timing.
This is not a difficult task when you have a large committed work force. We used to build things like this in this country. There is a great documentary about New York City by Ken Burns which gives information about the construction of the New York City subway that is astounding. The number of employees, the way it was constructed. and the speed it was built. This was ages ago! The Hoover Dam, The Brooklyn Bridge, The Empire State Building, etc. We need to get back to building things, investing in research and science, teaching our kids the value of hard work and determination instead of the values in video games and those found on the "Jersey Shore". Its much cooler to grow up to be Einstein, Roosevelt, Hemingway, etc. than to grow up to be Snooki, Palin, or Lohan. In Switzerland they are re-creating the big bang, and in America we are defunding NASA. Knowledge is power, education is the silver bullet, and America is falling behind!
love how all the cool ones are guys and all the lame ones are girls....
What you've outlined here is a time & a people with a very, very, different 'MENTALITY'.
I doubt there is anyone now in the U.S. who could 'Conceive or even ever'attempting to 'Construct' the Hoover Dam.
If the Suez, or the Panama Canal had not been Constructed when they were, & anyone today should even mention such an idea, nobody at all would have a clue what it was they were even talking about.
buntyp, i dont understand what your deal is but we are by far more capable at designing and constructing colossal projects such as the Hoover damn or the panama canal. In fact, they're widening the panama canal by creating a third set of locks in a fraction of the time it took to do the same task. Technology and design understanding has expanded exponentially since the Hoover damn. Please dont speak about subjects in which you are obviously ignorant.
And the liberty boats during the WWII. And how many carriers and battle ships did US build in just couple of years for WWII ? China's first carrier is being built now. It will finish in ten years, if it floats.
Unless the "clock" goes down to tenths of seconds, that was forty six days, NOT 46 hours!!!
I agree. Even at 46 days it's still impressive.
What you don't see is all of the prep work that goes into making something like this happen, much like you don't see what takes place for Tiger to play golf or NBA players make the shots they do.
Pre-built components, standardization of structural elements--i.e. floor sections that can be used in most any location, yet have standard bolting points, pre-wiring and plumbing for quick electrical w&ww tie-in, etc--a dedicated workforce out to prove a point (as they were by filming the process) and the ability to get the bureaucracy out of the way (like truck access gets immediate priority).
When you understand pre-fab construction, something like this isn't farfetched. Impressive (damn impressive!), but not outside the realm of believability.
During WW2, the Henry Kaiser's U.S. shipyards could assemble a fully functional Liberty Ship in about two weeks, and even built the Robert E. Peary in 4 days, 15 hours, 29 minutes "as a publicity stunt."
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/industrialmobilization/p/libertyships.htm
In the 60s, my wife's step-father worked on a hotel that was built on the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas. Each room was pre-built, complete with all electrical, plumbing, furniture and decor. A crane lifted each module into place, guys anchored it and hooked up the systems, and voila!...a ready made hotel room. Straighten the linen, stand up the lamps, and add toiletries.
Right now, here in Austin, there is debate as to whether the Formula 1 track can be finished and ready for the 2012 season. It can be done once the naysayers, the meek, and the bureaucrats are escorted off the property and out of the way so that the big kids can work.
Yes, it can be done--the F1 track and the hotel in the video....but much of America has lost the ability to do it. Many people pay lip service, but precious few have the stainless steel balls to get it done.
As an added note about the hotel built in the 60s...read about it here:
http://www.modular.org/htmlpage.aspx?htmlpageid=400
21 stories, 500 rooms, 202 working days total with 17 modules lifted into place on any given day.
Of course, American hotels are drastically different than the typical hotel in China as far as amenities, access, etc.
I live in China, and in our town, Shenzhen, there is a lot of high rise building going on. The pace is far less than 15 floors in two days, and yes, I would be concerned that this is either faked or a poorly made building. Even a floor a day is very impressive, and I have seen some go up about that fast.
I agree with Homo Erectus, however, that priorities in the USA have changed for the worse. The best and brightest in the USA become doctors, lawyers and investment bankers selling derivative financial instruments that nobody understands. In China, the best and brightest go into engineering, business and government service.
Is it disposable?
No. It is not disposable. It is self destructive.
Let's face up to the fact that we are going to have to do some brain storming on our ways of thinking and doing if we want to keep up with these buzy bodies...
There is no secret how this can be done: lights and mirrors. If you have all the material prep beforehand, and assemble enough people to do the work, it's not that difficult. It is just scheduling and planning. Did you see the number of cranes they used ? And can you imagine how you are going to block all traffic for miles in downtown New York so that you can truck all the lego pieces to the site ? You can, in China.
It appears to me that this is not faked; poor production quality on the clock for sure (it does go down to tenths of a second and does not comport with reality). It would have been better to have a time signature on the time lapse film itself; the clock was superimposed later.
Based on the crane movements, people movements, traffic patterns and shadows I see no reason to believe that the steel skeleton wasn't installed in less than 48 hours. The company behind this video is dramatically demonstrating how quickly they can construct multi-level buildings with fre-fab components. One thing to keep in mind is that this is clearly not a functional building, but a demonstration: there is no duct work, no electricity, no elevator, no plumbing.
It's still an impressive feat, just don't expect to walk into it and get a room any time soon :-).
It actually appears that the rooms are wired. Look at the video at the 1:22 point. Those look like light fixtures in several of the rooms.
Just my observation. You may have a different explanation.
This is exactly what I would say 100% correct Brett...its pre-fab parts like putting a puzzel together. Also as Brett said the interior is not done of course was just a structure demo.
We do it here in the USA put up a house in a day..its called modular homes and look just like a home built from scratch, some even at two stories.
They should have prefab each room, with wiring, lighting, furniture, floor, walls, windows and ceiling, including covering (wall paper, carpet, toilets, basins, etc.) and just pile them up one on each other and save at least a day
how long before WalMart starts selling these beauties??
Walmart is selling them. It's call "LEGO".
Oh my god - you all have way too much time on your hands.
beats working..had that... retired now!
If it has the same quality as the other goods they sell it will fall down a day after the 6 month guarantee is up.
I bet you won't be able to see the falling down part. Videos of that will be banned.
I believe the 2 days, too many people around to dispute it, and the vegetation doesn't change enough for it to be 49 days.
Its amazing. And as for the comments about the clock, the last two numbers appear to only show 00, 08, 16. they do not go from 0-60, only those 3 numbers. Dont know what that means, but I paused the video and slowly went through it and those were the only numbers I could see. And the second timer is going at a higher speed than the first. So it appears that the first 48 hours sorta drag on, and then the last of it is really fast. Same timing, different speeds. If you watch the second timer closely, the sun rises and sets during the proper hours.
I haven't seen the video, but having worked in the construction industry for many years, I believe a steel structural frame can be built in the time indicated, but I would question the integrity of the structure. This kind of speed almost always results in shortcuts and shoddy workmanship.
I agree that America has lost the edge when it comes to this type of work. The issue isn't our education or capability, it is money. An effort like this takes enormous amounts of money, which as citizens, we are not willing to pay for through taxes. Look at the NY-NJ tunnel recently rejected by the govenor of NJ due to money.
This project was done in China, which is flush with cash (probably ours) and labor is much cheaper.
China also need to boost it's GDP (and employment) through government investments like this project. They will tear it down and rebuild it again soon, so that there is another entry in their GDP. (Did you know that tearing down a building does not affect the GDP ?)
impressive, esp. the coordination of the cranes. Brings to mind more than one that has fallen and crushed a building in NYC in the last yr. or two while on a site (as a comparison). and yes, I'm sure there was LOTS and LOTS of planning to make this happen. That's a very important step, and a lot cheaper that having to change plans in the middle of building or redo later.
This hotel - the third edition of the BSB = The Broad Sustainable Building - is for REAL. I know because I worked on the project in Changsha, lived in the first edition on Broad Town's campus (the location you see towards the end of the film) and worked in the second edition in Shanghai during the 2010 World Expo, which wrapped up late last month. Coming from the USA and from an architectural background where buildings take years/decades to go from concept to completion, in China that is simply not the reality. The BSB was the brainchild of the aftermath of the 2008 earthquakes in Wenchuan, China (the structure was tested in Beijing last year and proved to be resistant to a level 9 earthquake) and was mostly developed in 2009 with construction on the first tow iterations beginning in late 2009 on the campus. The construction is NOT shoddy, as many people here have incorrectly estimated. There is a huge workforce that worked around the clock - several times - to make this wonder possible. If you have ever been to China, especially a Central city like Changsha, where change occurs at lightning speed, then you know how incredible, yet possible this is. There are many more video and articles to explain the magnificence of building in China, and especially about this BSB model at the World Expo. Please do take the time to research those as well as a bit about the company and it's founder. The Chairmen is a driven man who is widely regarded by climate change scientists and environmental leaders. Please refrain from making uneducated comments. The world is changing and unless you can support your guesses about imminent failure. And yes, while perhaps selling out of a Walmart is not the goal (but you should see Walmart in China! WOW!), the intent is to rapidly reproduce these on-site factory manufactured parts so that citizens around the earthquake stricken regions of China can rebuild in a safe, economical way. These modules can easily and are easily fitted for ductwork, plumbing, etc and the basic layout allows for each module to act as a kitchen, an office, a bedroom, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless on the other side of the world if you're open to seeing them! Thanks for reading -Ali
It's hard to see this happening in the USA unless we can get back to the lump sum bid mentality, rather than T&M. Most of the construction companies I am aware of would figure out ways to make this take much longer than necessary (especially in this economy). It looks like China doesn't need technological know how from the US anymore, just our markets.
As an aside, someone mentioned that during WWII we could build a liberty ship in two weeks. With the spirit demonstrated in this video, can we not see that the Chinese military could be expanded dramatically in a short time period? If things get hot over N Korea or Taiwan, this is what we're facing, people. I agree with those previous posters who advocate bringing heavy industry back to the US.
AlitheArchitect - What would it take to get a prefab earthquake/hurricane resistant 2 to 3 story structure to Haiti? Any ideas?
Samantha
I love Haiti, its not a matter of what it would take to make a prefab earthquake\hurricane resistant multistory structure to Haiti. Its a matter of cost. Certainly would have to pay a private shipping company after the fact of buying the prefab structure AFTER having a design firm create the structure. The custom nature of the project, shipment, and logistics would be a nightmare. The only way it would appear to be feasible is if a company or group committed to the project with many identical buildings reducing design to structure cost and receiving a better shipment cost. Please dont allow that to discourage you from attempting such a noble task, i could be wrong and you may be able to find volunteers or funding for such a project. Not all of the rich of the world have forgotten about Haiti.
Ali, thanks for the eye opening comment. It's unfortunate that the writer of this article did not bother to go into more research for details. Thanks for filling in the gap.
China has virtually completed the reconstruction at Wenchuan after it was devastated by the earthquake in March 2008. Unlike Hatii, China has the resouces and means to come to immediately aid. First the people in Wenchuan was accommodated in tents and then prefabricated dwellings (similar to those used for construction site office). Then redevelopment was then planned and carried out in the next two years. New earthquake resistant structures including dwellings, schoosl and public buildings were constructed by construction companies from other Chinese provinces who came to the aid, each province provided reconstruction to one particular district. Under this arrangement China was able to utilize the full resources of the nation to aid the devastated areas.
We were not shown the site preparation work. I wonder how long it took for the clearing and foundation?
It looked like work continued at an accelerated pace around the clock. Did anyone observe building inspectors checking the work as it progressed?
I think i speak for everyone when i ask... will it blend?
As a budding engineer this was an amazing video about the possibilities in construction. Technology aside and from a humanitarian perspective. If such buildings can go up in two days,why are there still homeless people in Pakistan after the flood, and people dying in Haiti after the earthquake? Why is man so centered about achieving and building and amassing money but show no concern about those things can be used to help create a better society. Engineering or any science without heart is a frightening reality about where this world is headed.
In any event hats off to the Chinese. I would not mind an internship with the company....
Impressive! Prefab construction usually won't work because of small variations in the individual components which start to add up. The quality control had to be superb, and there must not have been any damage as they were being moved and placed.
I watched the first lift-slab building in the US go up, a 5 story affair on Oregon State's campus, and the broke the second floor. A real mess.
I can't forget that when my duplex was built, and lumber for the 2 decks delivered, they were stolen that very night, in Alberta. Then I read about the furnaces , hot-water tanks, etc. disappearing routinely across the country from construction sites.
That's one reason why we can't build anything without cost over-runs and cost escalator clauses. And warrantees are written with loopholes bigger than the construction projects.
I agree that putting up a structure like this in 2 days is really impressive. However, what has not been shown is all the preplanning and post planning that is also required. Many contracts had to be placed to prepare the foundation, order construction materials and parts with adequate lead time, arrange for all the various disciplines of contractor skills needed to do the assembly, haul off of trash, and finish accompany parking areas and a host of many other activities and function that had to be on standby the day of the assembly. While the actual structural raising took two days, it is highly unlikely that the foundation was prepared in that time as well. Arranging for crane rental, assembling it onsite, and finishing off the interior ammenities took way longer before habitancy was declared good to go. This type of project is typically done in value streaming to enhance a process, however, it is not a guarrantee of assured quality of workmanship. Nor does story clearyt show all the actual time, cost and effort that wes rquired in the entire effort.
NBC News team, can you do a follow up rest of the story on how long it really takes with all the other elements of this project. Nevertheless, I do agree that was a quick setup.
There is another identicle video on this very same MSNBC site that says this hotel was built in 6 days, not 2 days. Somebody is wrong on their reporting.
China usually does not mark around when it comes to construction, and mega projects were all completed in record time well ahead of the schedule. The following examplifies some noted ones:
The Three Gorge Dam was completed in 12 years,2 years ahead. The Beijing airport Ternminal 3 (the largest single building in the world -a single building with over 1 million m2 floor area) completed in record time of 5 years and the new1342 km long Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway will be completed and put into operation on October 1st, 2011, 3 years and 8 months after its construction start (March 2008).
If you have to build a thousand buildings of the same design, all on flat sites, you build your prefab factories first, and do a few trial runs. After that, it's cookie cutter job.
Not just defunding NASA but they now have the MANDATE to make the Muslim nations FEEL GOOD about their scientific heritage...why don't we just give them rocket technology and get it over with while we are at it?!