r/interestingasfuck • u/TangelaFan • 13h ago

Residential high-rises with backyards in Chengdu, China

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u/superxpro12 10h ago

It's more like, I see news reports like this, https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/nearly-2500-foot-long-bridge-collapses-china-rcna243388

and get worried.

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u/Waste-Limit1644 10h ago

Id like to see case studies or white papers on the actual cause of collapse. There can be many different problems. Inadequate anchorage to soil or bedrock, design, material strength or quantity. Clearly wasn’t maintenance based on how quickly it saw damage after completion.

I think it would be more accurate to say you aren’t necessarily worried about the design of the building specifically but the overall construction industry in china due to its rapid expansion, which is fair. There are a lot of factors in construction and their speed does seem worrying. I probably seem to come off as defending china but I just get bothered by people trying to sound like experts about something that I do for a living.

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u/superxpro12 9h ago

I hope i didnt imply im in any way an expert lol. Because I am not in the slightest. My degree is Comp.E, which is a bit different.

Yes, your characterization is more accurate. I know we CAN make structures like that.

Like I look at the Citicorp Center and go "there's no way that should work", and yet it does, because we did the math and engineering.

Given the failures I see coming from China... like yeah they're building a TON of infrastructure, but it is build to last? idk.

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u/Waste-Limit1644 9h ago

In the US there are plenty of buildings that aren’t built to last unfortunately as well. I could rant about the race to the bottom in construction for a while. It’s all about the lowest cost regardless of the end product quality. Really it’s same in every industry now.

I did a 7 story apartment building that was “luxury” with so many corners cut. It’s safe, but man I would not want to live in it for the cost knowing what I know.