In China, buildings are. Literally. No matter how heavy and large that they are or if it is delicate brick and wood constructions raised a century ago. When it is necessary, the country’s engineers manage so that their houses are “lifted” and begin to “walk” slowly through the streets. It sounds crazy, but it is a technique that has been polishing and allows them something key: respecting their heritage without stopping the development of parkings or commercial areas.
The last example has been left by Shanghai, who has managed to start a group of buildings that occupies 4,030 m2 and round the 7,500 metric tons.
Open step to the building. Chinese media, like People Daily, China Daily Or Xinhua, have been publishing these days a video and photos at least curious: in them it can be seen how a group of buildings, almost an apple, moves in block throughout several meters, just like in a huge game of tetris. Moveing buildings is nothing new. In Spain it is also done. But the usual thing is that the architects are responsible for listing, disassembling and re -assembling the facades, do not displace entire buildings as if they were on a tape.
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A figure: 7,500 tons. The block in question is formed by old Shikumen buildings raised in Shanghai a century ago and its data give an idea of the enormous logistics and technical challenge that involves displacing them in a piece: according to the Chinese press, the complex, known as “Huayanli” and that is composed of three brick and wood structures, measures 4,030 m2 and weighs 7,500 tons. The construction is found in Zhangyuan, in the Jing´an district, Shanghai.
What have they moved for? To build under the ground. The Chinese authorities decided to relocate that mole to facilitate the works of an underground complex of three floors under Zhangyuan, an ambitious project, of just over 53,000 m2, which will include commercial and cultural areas, a parking lot with a hundred parking spaces and connections with several Shanghai metro lines.
It is not the first time that China moves large buildings from one point to another. In 2024 we were already telling you that I was moving Shikumen housing raised at the beginning of the 20th century in Jing´an. One of those blocks came to “travel” the fry of 230 m, much more than other similar operations carried out before in the country, such as the temple of the Jade Buddha of Shanghai, which moved 30.6 m, or the building of the Hankau Yiyong Fire Association, which slid 90 m on rails.
But … why move them? That is the million dollar question. If the objective is to look for new locations or temporarily comply with the buildings while the operators work in the area, as is the case of the houses of Jing´an, why move them from a piece? Why don’t they disassemble stone by stone?
Logistic, preservation and time separate issues, there is a fundamental element: Huayanli is built with brick and wood, in the line of Shijumen buildings, an architectural style that emerged around the 1860s, closely associated with Shanghai and combines Western and Chinese elements. The idea of engineers is to “lift it” without causing damage, move it and then return it to its original location, an operation that is about to be completed.
The key: 430 small robots. At this point the question is obvious … How have Chinese engineers manage to move a block of 7,500 tons houses? The key is 432 small robots. The company responsible for the work resorted to drilling devices that can be handled at a distance and move through narrow spaces, which facilitates work in the foundations.
To avoid scares with collision points or structural problems, the equipment also handed hand in construction technologies (BIM) and scan of clouds of points, which allowed it to work based on 3D planes.
I walk slowly, walk safe. Another of their resources was to use robots designed for the movement of land and endowed with folding mechanical arms that allow them to work in very small spaces, less than 1.2 m wide, also distinguishing clay or different obstacles. When it comes to displacing the constructions, the experts designed different routes. The task, of course, is not suitable for impatient: since May 19 Huayanli has mode 10 m per day.
Imagen | Xinhua
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