OOPS! your apartment block just fell over!

[justashooter 430]

http://gizmodo.com/5304233/entire-new-13+s...er-in-shanghai/

"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".

this is typical chinese construction, with just enough rebar in place to hold the masonry together, a poured in situ floor by floor concrete floors and structural framing, with parged brick infill for walls. i watched hundreds of these structures built in luoyang.

the first pix is of the top of the building. later pix show the "pilings" that "anchored" the building. they look to be sonotube style pilings no more than 10 feet into topsoil that is prolly 50-60 feet deep in the shanghai delta, and a bit sandy. no way in hell this would pass inspection in USA, but there is no inspection in china if you buy hookers and gambling trips to macao for the right people in local gov't.

[BishopMnA 0]

http://gizmodo.com/5304233/entire-new-13+s...er-in-shanghai/

"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".

this is typical chinese construction, with just enough rebar in place to hold the masonry together, a poured in situ floor by floor concrete floors and structural framing, with parged brick infill for walls. i watched hundreds of these structures built in luoyang.

the first pix is of the top of the building. later pix show the "pilings" that "anchored" the building. they look to be sonotube style pilings no more than 10 feet into topsoil that is prolly 50-60 feet deep in the shanghai delta, and a bit sandy. no way in hell this would pass inspection in USA, but there is no inspection in china if you buy hookers and gambling trips to macao for the right people in local gov't.

Whoa! I spent a few months in Shanghai and that does 'look' like their standard apartment building...but...I'm surprised at this!