New Building Works in China - Will they stand the test of time?

New Building Works in China - Will they stand the test of time?
Apr 15, 2007 11:19
TRAVELLERMIKE Points: Join Date: Mar 15, 2007 Status: offline	I read in my British newspaper this morning that next week a delegation of Chinese Ministers and officials will be visiting London to talk about 'low carbon' buildings and other 'sustainable' developments. It is reported in the article that construction in China is growing at 20% per year, and that over the next decade more than half the worlds construction projects will be taking place in China. Having seen the building work in progress a couple of years ago when visiting Beijing, I can only admire the level of industry being put into this task. What are the reactions in China to the quality of the buildings? Will the design quality stand the test of time? or do people think that in twenty years these new buildings will be having to be replaced?

Apr 15, 2007 11:19

TRAVELLERMIKE
Points:
Join Date: Mar 15, 2007
Status: offline

I read in my British newspaper this morning that next week a delegation of Chinese Ministers and officials will be visiting London to talk about 'low carbon' buildings and other 'sustainable' developments.

It is reported in the article that construction in China is growing at 20% per year, and that over the next decade more than half the worlds construction projects will be taking place in China.

Having seen the building work in progress a couple of years ago when visiting Beijing, I can only admire the level of industry being put into this task.

What are the reactions in China to the quality of the buildings? Will the design quality stand the test of time? or do people think that in twenty years these new buildings will be having to be replaced?

May 2, 2007 07:19	#1
JOANNEL Points: Join Date: Jun 13, 2004 Status: Offline	Hi traveller Mike, having visited china four times in the last three years and having seen a fair bit of the west only, i believe that there are three problems- one is the attention to detail another is the quality of products used and thirdly, the lack of ongoing maintenance.

May 2, 2007 09:08

APAULT
Points:
Join Date: Mar 11, 2006
Status: Offline

Jaonnel has said it exactly.

I guess the problem is the difficulty of training enough workers. From my experience, most painters are farmers with minima training, more paint goes on them and the floor than the wall. It took a second team longer to clean the mess than the painters took 'painting'!

I was in a new hotel and things were falling apart.

This is all a great shame when we can see some of the quality from old China. I guess it is the way to fast deleopment, and then to maintaining it when they have to be replaced after 20 years. China is making great strides and some bad side effects will occur. Pity.

May 6, 2007 13:05

JABAROOTOO
Points:
Join Date: Jul 4, 2005
Status: Offline

Yes, this is so true. I live in a building that is barely five years old and already looks mush older and bits and peices of the interior are coming unstuck. Of course the interior is not the responsibility of the builders but the quaility of the workers employed by the owners to completer the 'decorating', term used lightly here in most instances. One of my other apartments had a curious plumbing issue and when I was introduced to the 'master' plumber I could hardly surpress my laughter at not only his title but the quaility of his workmanship and what he was intending to do to alleviate the problem.

I also visited Fengdu, one of the Three Gorges casualties, in 2003 and was suprised to learn that most of the city I could then see was only two years old at that time but it looked much older and just as tired as buildings ten times that age.

Unskilled labour, lack of suitable equipment, attention to detail and maintenance are just some of the drawbacks to this speedy push towards modernization.

Jul 16, 2007 06:50	#4
PETERPINSON Points: Join Date: Jul 15, 2007 Status: Offline	We know many man made buildings, monuments,temples tombs & terricotta warriors, have stood the test of time in china.But these structures were never built with the mighty RMB in mind.If money can be made by taking short cuts I`m sure the great wall will outlast the apartments now being built.

Post a Reply to: New Building Works in China - Will they stand the test of time?