Posted on 06/28/2009 8:51:02 AM PDT by traumer
A newly built 13-storey residential building collapsed in Shanghai yesterday, killing one worker. The block of high-rise flats toppled onto its side in the muddy construction site raising concerns that building safety standards are being overlooked in favour of fast construction in China's rush to modernise.
The building appeared to be almost complete with fitted windows and a finished, tiled facade. Other similar-looking blocks in the same property development were still standing nearby.
Shoddy construction and the use of sub-standard materials is a concern in China's construction sector as the country scrambles to build out cities and finish massive infrastructure projects to keep pace with fast economic growth. Construction-related accidents last year included the collapse of a steel arch on a new railway bridge, which killed at least seven and a crane which fell on a nursery school killing five. The collapse of dozens of schools during last year's Sichuan earthquake also led to a wave of public outrage about corrupt officials and construction firms.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Chinese and their engineering magic.
A proper soil test and foundation would have helped? /sarcasm
I betting on substandard pilings and a bribed inspector.
Am I wrong, or do buildings seem to topple more frequently in Asia?
Tumbling tower of China: Amazing pictures of 13-storey block of flats that toppled over
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Ummmm... does “made in China” give you a clue? LOL...
It’s amazing that the structure fell over yet stayed (largely) intact.
I’ll bet someone is going to be concerned about those other buildings in the pic that look identical to the one that fell.
I was noticing that myself.
True. It probably could have withstood a 140 knot typhoon if the basement were adequate.
Wow - incredible that the building stayed intact. Other than the foundation, it was built like a brick outhouse.
He better be out of the country or there is a 7.62X39 with his name on it. The Chinese have no humor regarding these types of screw ups.
Future cheap rental rates predicted.
“Apartments for rent at bargain prices! Flexibility a must...
But Bob Costas and Keith Olbermann told us during the Olympics that the Chinese built brilliant buildings far and wide that have stood for centuries!
Slight understatement here. Raises concerns? Not shows that the builders totally disregarded sound construction methods and built a death trap that luckily fell before being occupied, but simply raises concerns they may have built shoddily?
ROR!
You misunderstood, those buildings were built by the Chinese, this POS was built by communist, coming soon to a construction site near you, courtesy of Bozo the WH clown.
If you look at the globe they are clearly more prone to buildings falling over. I want to know how they manage to keep them from falling into the sky.
Chinese officials are incredibly corrupt. If I’m correct, this one just lost his bet. It should be a straightforward matter to test the pilings. If they are substandard, he’ll get the scapegoat’s two in the hat, as you predict.
BTW, the photos seem to indicate that the design was a bit sporty, the pilings are pretty sparse for construction on what appears to be a mud flat. But that’s mere surmise.
RAFF OUT ROUD
Give them time, give them time.
You can see the piles pulled completely out of the soil when the building toppled. That must be one of the worst foundation jobs I have seen in modern times. Something like what happened to this building is what should have happened to the Tower of Pisa.
Maybe the great wall was once the great tower?
Structures apparently went down rather gently. Looks more like the ground underneath collapsed (dontcha hate when that happens?)
Location, location...drainage!
Depends on how well-connected the inspector is. If his brother is high enough in the central government, then someone else will get that bullet.
whoa! that looks like a slightly different method of structural construction than we use.
It looks like the complex was still under construction. Didn’t even last until the landscapers showed up. Yep, someone’s family is going to get a bill for the bullets.
*ouch* Well played.
What we know today, we learned from pioneers like the medieval Pisanos.
The fact that the pilings pulled up isn't alarming, they are strictly compression members. The problem appears to be much more rapid settling on one side than the other. When they were driving the piles, they should have noticed that the ones on the side of the collapse went in a lot more easily than the ones on the other side. They should have driven them in until they resisted the pile driver with about equal force and that force should have been much greater than the anticipated load. (You can judge the force by the change in momentum per unit distance. The piles should only budge neglibly on each strike when they are in deep enough.)
I agree wholeheartedly (I’m working on that chapter of my Lindeburg book for the Civil PE test in October.)
Personally I think they should have made a wider foundation, to distribute the load better. Seeing piles pull out of one side of the building tells me the soil must have been too soft. I sure as heck wouldn’t want to live in any of those buildings.
Ping for later...
A new marketing brochure can advertise:
"Anybody can put you in a vertical high-rise.
We offer unobstructed sky views from our new 'wide-rise' luxury units. Our units let you live close to Earth and sky in close communion with nature.
Our newest units are organic in the truest 'green environment' you'll ever find.
They have unprecedented strength with both floors and ceilings made of brick to last a lifetime."
OOOOOPS.
Somewhere else I read that a nearby floodwall collapsed recently, flooding the soil.
I think you two are closer than many of the other commenters. As I noted in the earlier post on this subject, Shanghai has a very high water table (the Pudong section was a rice paddie in the 1970s). The failure of the flood wall seemed to accelerate the failure.
I don’t think the political philosophy of the government had much to do with this (I remember a Seoul department store leaning over and collapsing a number of years ago) as some have speculated.
Actually, Shanghai’s new building code is based upon the International Building Code. A number of structures built since 1987 are still in excellent shape, including hotels and office buildings. The corruption you and others alluded to is more likely the prime culprit.
My Shanghai-based cousin, who used to live in Chicago, said that China has capitalism without moral structure where it’s everybody for themselves. Chicago to him is downright angelic by comparison (his sister works for the city).
If those steel anchor bars were the only thing holding the building up, no wonder it fell!!!
ROR... hilarious, patton!
The building on the left also has a bit of a list to it as well.
;)
Pic reminds me of the Holy Cross hospital that came down in the 1971 Los Angeles earthquake.
too funny
The ladies on the word-for-the-day thread coined the acronymn years ago - I simply stole it.
Plagerism is a sincere form of flattery, you know?
I hope no one has agreed to move into the neighboring buildings.
It may have worked had they made a square out of 4 buildings forming its sides.. Looks like the foundation needed a much much higher set of Compression numbers.
Quick! Butresses!
Built on plain mud. See the last picture in the article for a more detailed view of the “foundation”. Notice that all the pilings have a cone at the bottom. I believe these were drilled and poured not driven, this is the mound of dirt or mud in the bottom of the pile hole when the concrete was poured.
I also suggest that they were having trouble keeping the pile holes open because the mud was flowing into the hole. Note how close the river is. This building, and others, appear to be founded on alluvial material and they didn’t find the bottom of it.
Why bother finding bedrock? (sarcasm off)
First thing I wondered if there was anyone inside they probably would survive the fall. I would think their chances would be better on the lower floors if they stayed intact.
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