Why China decided to limit construction of 'pharaonic' buildings
Some of the tallest buildings in the world are in China
China has banned the construction of super skyscrapers in smaller cities as part of a policy to try to curb pharaonic projects.
The country is known for having some of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Shanghai Tower, which is 128 floors and 632 meters.
The construction of new skyscrapers, however, has been questioned in cities with lower density, where there is no need for vertical integration. Local critics have suggested that the buildings are being built out of vanity and self-promotion rather than out of practical necessity.
The announcement of limiting constructions of this type was positively received by users of the website Weibo, one of the largest social networks in the country. Many comments said that the sky spiders are just an "affection".
We are at a time when people are very eager to build things that will go down in history," Zhang Shangwu, head of the department of architecture and urbanism at Tongji University, told the South China Morning Post.
"They want every building to be a postcard, and contractors and governments end up going to extremes and building strange projects," said the professor.
What do the new rules say?
In an announcement on Tuesday, the Chinese government said that skyscrapers measuring more than 150 meters could not be built in cities with populations of less than three million people.
Larger cities may have buildings up to 250 meters.
The government clarified that it is possible to request exceptional permits for constructions over 150 meters in smaller cities. However, under no circumstances will cities with less than three million inhabitants be allowed to build above 250 meters.
Likewise, larger cities will be able to request authorization to build above 250 meters, but under no circumstances will they be able to have new buildings with more than 500 meters.
Cities that approve the construction of buildings that violate the new rules "will have to be held accountable," the country's government said.
No comments:
Post a Comment