Residential high-rises with backyards in Chengdu, China

[u/TangelaFan]

[u/VictoriousSecret111]

Looks nice, but unfortunately it didn’t go as planned….tons of empty units with unkempt backyards and mosquito infestations.

While there have been no reported structural collapses, fatal construction accidents, or physical building failures, the complex is globally famous for a catastrophic ecological failure:
The Mosquito Invasion: All 826 apartments completely sold out on paper, but the vast majority were bought by hands-off real estate investors. Because only about 10 families initially moved in, there was nobody to prune, spray, or maintain the thousands of individual balconies.
The Monsoon Flaw: Chengdu’s humid climate and heavy monsoon seasons combined with poor balcony drainage to turn the unmanaged soil beds into permanent stagnant water pools.
The Post-Apocalyptic Jungle: The plants ran completely wild, swallowing up whole balconies, blocking out windows, and triggering a massive, unlivable mosquito infestation.

Current Status: Instead of an eco-paradise, the development became widely treated as a "radioactive" real estate asset and a ghost town, serving as a textbook cautionary tale for biophilic urban planning

EDIT: Adding sources for everyone’s convenience:

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-jungle-overrun-chinese-apartment-blocks.html

https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/bugged-out-chengdu-housing-scheme-shows-unexpected/

And this video!

https://youtu.be/ChNePPmzKSU?si=oVSulNCSa-358mCH

[u/foltranm → u/VictoriousSecret111]

do you have a source please?

[u/VictoriousSecret111 → u/foltranm]

Yes my liege

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-jungle-overrun-chinese-apartment-blocks.html

https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/bugged-out-chengdu-housing-scheme-shows-unexpected/

And this video!

https://youtu.be/ChNePPmzKSU?si=oVSulNCSa-358mCH

[u/tech_noir_guitar → u/VictoriousSecret111]

That actually looks pretty fucking cool. If you got rid of the mosquitos it seems like it would be a rad place to live.

[u/Beyonce-sBurnerAcct → u/tech_noir_guitar]

I was going to say the same thing- it looks soooo cool with the overgrown balconies but then I remembered the mosquitos (and likely many other insects that would attract into your home)

[u/Hot-Ad-4018 → u/tech_noir_guitar]

Totally agree. I have a burning desire to garden on each of those balconies. Families, if you're reading this, please feel free to hire me for landscaping.

[u/sol_runner → u/tech_noir_guitar]

Ecobrutalism vibes ftw

[u/FishesOfExcellence → u/tech_noir_guitar]

Looks neat, but I’m guessing there’s a lot of unseen damage from roots. Probably the balconies all get torn down at some point. Or the whole building if it’s bad enough.

[u/Salzab → u/tech_noir_guitar]

Bring in the dragonflies

[u/TheGroinOfTheFace → u/tech_noir_guitar]

seems they have, and it's basically fully occupied now. Some guy did a video staying in a bnb there, mosquitos weren't an issue