Construction of China’s tallest building stopped because of corrosive salt in concrete
Scheduled to be the tallest tower in China and the second tallest building in the world by 2015, Kohn Pedersen Fox’s 660-meter-high Ping’an International Finance Center has received a major unexpected set back.
Following an industry wide inspection conducted last week, Shenzhen government officials have discovered a low-quality sea sand has been used by developers to create substandard concrete for KPF’s supertall skyscraper and at least 15 other buildings under construction.
Although sea sand lures contractors by costing much less than standard river sand, it has a deadly mixture of salt and chloride that corrodes steel in concrete and threatens the structural integrity of a building over time.
According to Bloomberg, Shenzhen’s Housing and Construction Bureau found 31 companies violated industry rules and ordered eight of them to suspend business for one year in the city for using substandard sea sand to make concrete.
Like many Chinese cities, Shenzhen is undergoing a frenzy of construction activity, with architects including OMA and Mecanoo working in the city.
OMA recently won a competition to design a financial office tower, the firm’s second building in the city after the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Mecanoo are woking on a cultural complex in the Longgang district, while the Futian District – an area that’s larger than Manhattan – is being redesigned by SWA Group to create pedestrian areas and green spaces.Source: Arch Daily – “Construction of China’s Tallest Building On Hold Due to Concrete Scandal”
Related Articles
- China plans to build the world’s largest skyscraper in just 90 days (chinadailymail.com)
- Corrosive concrete halts construction of China’s tallest building (dezeen.com)
- Sand Scandal Places China’s Tallest Building on Hold (theepochtimes.com)
- Poor-quality Chinese concrete could lead to skyscrapers collapsing (wired.co.uk)
- Poor-Quality Chinese Concrete Could Lead to Skyscraper Collapses (wired.com)
- China’s Tallest Tower Builder Assures Quality Amid Sand Scandal – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- THE HELLO TOMORROW SERIES: Way to get really high on the world’s tallest building (lostateminor.com)
- Sea sand claims halt construction of Ping An tower in Shenzhen (wantchinatimes.com)
- Mindblowing: Here’s a Look Straight Down From the World’s Tallest Tower (curbed.com)
Tony Simon
