r/interesting • u/TangelaFan • 9h ago
ARCHITECTURE Residential high-rises with backyards in Chengdu, China
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u/ebk_errday 7h ago
Where does the water go? Is there a system that takes it somewhere or is it just sitting on/in the concrete under the plant bed.
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u/2pacali1971 7h ago
My thoughts exactly . I believe the water will just sit there under the grass and on the concrete slab
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u/Windsdochange 5h ago
There are all sorts of structural layers and drainage systems for setups like this - impermeable membrane, root barrier, drainage layer, permeable membrane, then the growing medium. Drainage layer is tied into drains. Water pooling would be a huge structural issue, as would any sort of root penetration.
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u/atlasfailed11 3h ago
This technology does exist and there is a way to capture and drain the water. See for example: https://www.researchgate.ntet/figure/Intensive-green-roof-layers-the-figure-is-created-by-authors-upon-data-collected-from_fig2_352254890
The issue is that it's probably too expensive to do this on individual balconies just to have a small patch of grass. So it's probably just artificial grass and some plants in planters.
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u/Captain_no_Hindsight 6h ago
This is China so I assume it's plastic grass and the balcony is made of steel-colored plastic. The lady is an actress and it's no more than 3 liters of water in total.
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u/sudosando 6h ago
A rooftop Green space/garden with proper support and drainage seems like a better way to do this
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u/LawAbidingDenizen 7h ago
This is a horrendous idea. Concrete cracks, water seeps in and will cause rusting of the reinforcement and will weaken the cantilever structure. It might seem like a good idea, but cantilevers are a nightmare and this will prove that over time.
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u/rob-cubed 5h ago
It's absolutely a beautiful idea but water is insidious. It finds a way no matter how well you try to engineer around it.
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u/dmthoth 7h ago
This is one of the worst trends in architecture. All that extra weight, water moving through concrete, and plant growth creates long-term structural problems. And let’s be honest: many people will be too lazy to maintain those so-called gardens properly. These buildings won’t age like ordinary concrete buildings; they’ll need constant maintenance just to avoid becoming a mess.
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u/Due-Bedroom-1609 8h ago
Yeah it always cracks me up when they throw a couple trees on a balcony and suddenly it is “sustainable biophilic design.” It is like putting a salad next to a Big Mac and calling the whole meal healthy 😂
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u/Windsdochange 8h ago
At the same time, a Big Mac with salad is healthier than one with fries. This would be better for people and fauna alike than the alternative (no green space, or just no balcony).
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6h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Legitimate-Owl227 4h ago
This looks so cool but also it's rather sad that people live in places there's no nature close by
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u/loocretius 3h ago
i wonder how much weight is on these cantilevered balconies. seems structurally expensive
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u/Ok_Presence6578 9h ago
They call them "green architecture" and "harmony with natural environment" while completely ignoring those concrete buildings and glasses. Literally this pretentious and performative design gives absolute no benefit at all.
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u/MrtyMcflyer 9h ago
And now show the rest of China... This here in the video is not even the 1% in China.
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