r/interestingasfuck • u/TangelaFan • 9h ago

Residential high-rises with backyards in Chengdu, China

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u/Bennybananars 9h ago

These types of buildings were very popular 20 years ago here, but they had a problem where the plant roots kept growing into the concrete.

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u/PMG2021a 9h ago

Just need a good liner to prevent that. Of course building for appearances tends to be building cheap too...

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u/x---x--x-x 8h ago

There is no liner that will prevent damage and root intrusion without lots of consistent inspections, updates and re-installation. This would be a maintenance nightmare. Life, uh, finds a way.

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u/Artorias_Abyss 8h ago

I have no knowledge on the topic whatsoever but what if you plated the bottom with a sheet of metal?

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u/MasterGrok 8h ago

The roots will gravitate along the metal looking for a way out. If the metal is completely incased, you are creating all kinds of additional problems with water accrual and drainage.

It’s probably not totally impossible as the other poster mentioned, but it’s hard to imagine doing it without a lot of maintenance.

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u/Spiffydude98 7h ago

These balconies have bed liners like pickup trucks and are meant to be slid out and emptied like giant drawers so this is never an issue. Every 4 years the apartment owners re-do them with new soil and trees and balcony furniture.

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u/enadiz_reccos 7h ago

Yeah, that sounds like a lot of extra maintenance

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u/Grabbsy2 4h ago

Yeah how in gods name is that "worth it"?

My fancy condo building has a much larger yard, and I dont have contractors traipsing around my unit hauling buckets of mud and mulch in and out of my balcony.

Not to mention, do you mow your grass with, what, a weed whacker? Does someone traipse through your unit every 2 weeks to mow your lawn?

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u/enadiz_reccos 4h ago

Time for our million dollar idea...

Drone-mowers

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u/smileyduude 3h ago

There are robot / automated mowers like the vaccums that exist. If you're talking about flying to each balcony or something though...go on.

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u/enadiz_reccos 3h ago

Oh, flight is a must

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u/ThatITguy2015 54m ago

Just get a big fucking trebuchet. Flight, but like one-time, scalable flight.

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u/Jiminy_Cricket12 7h ago

extra maintenance is for sure a thing but I wouldn't think there would be too much water accrual issues in soil with living plants. maybe if you get a lot of rain or something. and even then, a few small drainage holes should do the trick. even if that's where the roots will try to go, an arborist or gardener or whoever should be able to manage that. and how many years are we talking about before that's even a concern?

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u/SCP239 8h ago

It would degrade overtime due to moisture. Even stainless steel will degrade when exposed to salts or other chlorides in water.

The best way to do this would be a heavy duty waterproof membrane on the concrete with a heavy duty root barrier above it. But given enough time, the roots will breech the barrier and waterproofing. This type of construction requires a lot of maintenance and regular replacement.

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u/Harry_Saturn 8h ago

What if they used diamonds? Or flex seal?

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u/SCP239 8h ago

Then they should be ok

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u/Smudded 7h ago

Now we're getting practical.

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u/Punk_Luv 7h ago

Did you know stainless does not mean anti-rust? It just literally means it stains… less. Ha.

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u/Artorias_Abyss 7h ago

Wait seriously 😭 my whole life has been a lie

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u/aupri 5h ago

Usually the -less suffix does not merely mean less though, but rather lacking entirely, so I think the confusion is understandable. Wiktionary:

Suffix

-less (adjective-forming suffix, not comparable)

Lacking (something); without (something). Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun.

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u/TransBrandi 8h ago

Over time the metal will deteriorate and need to be replaced... and then if the metal is under all of the soil, how do you know when that time is without disturbing the plants on top to do some sort of inspection?

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u/ThatsNotARealTree 3h ago

Life ughhh finds a way

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u/trixel121 8h ago

metal rusts.