Posted on 07/01/2009 11:43:02 PM PDT by SolidWood
This past Saturday, an entire apartment building in Shanghai collapsed. To be fair, the building was under construction and thus unoccupied, but it's still a minor miracle that there was only one fatality.
Sounds like there was a problem with some nearby flood prevention walls at the Dianpu River, but there's no hard evidence as to why this huge building simply fell over. Anyway, here are some sweet pictures of the architectural carnage.
Oops.....
Substandard construction engineering, perhaps?
Or the apartment buildings were not connected to the ground.
I blame the steel
my guess would be substandard construction or material.... it seems to be a bad problem as of late in China.
I blame the schools... ;)
There is some engineer, somewhere in China who is sh1^^1ng bricks as the Chicoms are banging on his door.
Award for most acurate post of the evening!
Does China have illegal alien construction labor from Mexico? Many recent McMansions are built that way. They learn their trade building shanties in Mexico City’s slums.
Monty Python: “El Mystico and Janet”
http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/hypnosis.htm
Mr Verybigliar: Well there is a considerable financial advantage in using the services of El Mystico. A block, like Mystico Point here, (indicating a high-rise block behind him) would normally cost in the region of one-and-a-half million pounds. This was put up for five pounds and thirty bob for Janet.
Voice Over: But the obvious question is are they safe?
Architect: Of course they’re safe. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. They are as strong, solid and as safe as any other building method in this country provided of course people believe in them.
Tenant: Yes, we received a note from the Council saying that if we ceased to believe in this building it would fall down.
Voice Over: You don’t mind living in a figment of another man’s imagination?
Tenant: No, it’s much better than where we used to live.
Voice Over: Where did you used to live?
Tenant: We had an eighteen-roomed villa overlooking Nice.
Voice Over:. Really, that sounds much better.
Tenant: Oh yes - yes you’re right.
(Cut to stock shot of block falling down in slow motion. Cut back to tenant and wife inside. Camera shaking and on the tilt.)
Tenant: No, no, no, of course not.
(Cut to stock film again. The building rights itself. Cut back to interior again. Camera slightly on tilt. They are holding bits of crockery etc.)
Tenant: Phew, that was close.
Gotta be the foundation; the building held together great! Didn’t even break up. Just tumbled over. Bad foundation...
why am i reminded of monty pyton??
hmmm....
Holy moley it really did just tip over.
How’d you like to be living in one of the other two buildings? At least they left enough room between structures to avoid the domino-effect. That’s meritorious engineering.
High lead content?
The building held up remarkably well but it looks like the pilings pulled out of the ground. It’s going to take lots of rope to pull it back up or the occupants will have to learn to live sideways.
13 story building??? Well, there ya go...
Nothing new about shoddy anything in China. When Sears contracted Chinese to make Craftsman tools (which Sears guarantee for life) it was discovered the alloys used were very sub par and the tools were breaking right away. No more Craftsman tools are made in China. When the largest silk screener of tee shirts switched to Chinese cotton shirts it was discovered that half the bulk of the shirts were lost with the first wash due to wood pulp being added just to make it look heavier. The silk screener went back to Hanes for their shirts - never to use Chinese shirts again. Numerous incidents of lead contaminants in all manner of products from edibles to toys have been discovered when made in China. The Chinese culture is rife with dishonesty, lack of cleanliness, and standards. Yet we keep buying their junk because they keep offering the lowest bids. When you have a choice you should NEVER buy anything made in China. You cannot trust them.
Based on my own corporate experience while sourcing components in China - there is a lot of truth in your statement..
During my 20 experience - ending 10 years ago, the ONLY Chinese factories producing high quality and reliable critical components or assemblies - were those managed by Japanese, European or American firms.
During my involvement - the fewer Chinese National managers in the management or decision making matrix --- the more reliable the firm.
Sending ethnic Chinese - raised and educated in America was the same as sending in Americans. Indicating the widespread corruption it's NOT genetic but cultural. The Chinese from Taiwan - were a totally different animal - very competent and professional business people in the style of the Japanese.
Without question - the Japanese managed Chinese factories were the best managed, most productive and reliable suppliers.
I was always heavily biased toward my long term Japanese suppliers.
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