Poor Construction Causes Big Mess in China

Construction issues linger in China with many at risk.

(Please note this article was written before the recent earthquake in China). China has been gobbling up a large amount of the world’s resources for some time now, putting a pinch on natural resources throughout the world. It has been uncovered recently that China’s building accounts for 40% of the world’s steel and cement output and unfortunately, their buildings only last 25-30 years on average versus 74 years here in the US. It seems as if China is growing faster than it can build and besides the massive waste caused, many of these buildings are unsafe.

 

One such example of the faultiness of the countrys’ buildings was in 2009, when a 13 floor building fell over killing a worker. Later, it was discovered the foundation of the building was comprised of 10 meters of soil piled on one side, with the other side supported by an underground car garage. Similar incidents occurred with residential steel buildings, prompting the country to begin investigating housing construction which revealed that the majority of homes were in safe condition. It still worries many of the residents who report unsafe conditions in their homes.

 

The safety of the buildings is overshadowed by the large amount of waste created by the low lifespan of these homes. The waste produced by Chinese construction comprises 30 to 40% of the total urban waste of the country. Shorter lived buildings end up producing more waste over the long-term which is putting added pressure on our environment.

China may have fallen into this building rut due to its explosive population growth but regardless, there is no excuse for building unsafe steel building homes. The country needs to work on this mounting issue to help not only its people, but its environment.

Zack is a writer based in San Diego, California. He writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as phone systems & voip service at Resource Nation.