19 days to build a 57-storey tower • Hacker News Board

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#51

Post by cordite » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:15 PM UTC

zimpenfish wrote: post #11

19 days to -assemble- a 57 storey tower. Four and a half months constructing the modules for assembly. > Broad Sustainable Building spent four and a half months fabricating the building’s 2,736 modules before construction began. The first 20 floors were completed last year, and the remaining 37 were built from 31 January to 17 February this year, Xiao said. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/30/chinese-constru…

With time and mass production, the module creation time won't matter as much. Sure, you might need some lead time for the parts to arrive or stock up, but your construction crew can still construct new buildings already in the pipeline.

This is sounding awfully like the lifetime of electronics device production now.

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#52

Post by jonknee » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:16 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #46

The new World Trade Center took 8 years and is the most expensive building in the world: http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/may/11/one-world... Everything done is the U.S. takes more time and costs a lot more money. Consider, for example, that China has constructed 10,000 miles of high-speed rail in about a decade. We still have 0.0 miles. Yeah, yeah, we don't need 10k but we need more than 0. Airports, subw…

And yet we can go outside and safely breathe. Some things are priceless.

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#53

Post by sp332 » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:23 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #46

The new World Trade Center took 8 years and is the most expensive building in the world: http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/may/11/one-world... Everything done is the U.S. takes more time and costs a lot more money. Consider, for example, that China has constructed 10,000 miles of high-speed rail in about a decade. We still have 0.0 miles. Yeah, yeah, we don't need 10k but we need more than 0. Airports, subw…

The new WTC is one of the most bomb-proof buildings in the world. It is also one of the tallest (even if you don't count the spire). Everything in the US takes more time and costs more money when we're doing it better than everyone else.

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#54

Post by abakker » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:24 PM UTC

sneak wrote: post #2

Now solve the REAL challenge: how to get one built at 16th and Mission.

Now that is some wishful thinking. Honestly though, I would love to see more towers in SF. As someone who rents a house build in the 50s, it would be worth it for the seismic safety alone. I'm pretty sure the house I live in has NO insulation, single pane glass, and is framed with 2x4s...

SF needs some bigger, better housing and office buildings.

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#55

Post by ori_b » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:25 PM UTC

sp332 wrote: post #53

melling wrote: post #46

The new World Trade Center took 8 years and is the most expensive building in the world: http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/may/11/one-world... Everything done is the U.S. takes more time and costs a lot more money. Consider, for example, that China has constructed 10,000 miles of high-speed rail in about a decade. We still have 0.0 miles. Yeah, yeah, we don't need 10k but we need more than 0. Airports, subw…

The new WTC is one of the most bomb-proof buildings in the world. It is also one of the tallest (even if you don't count the spire). Everything in the US takes more time and costs more money when we're doing it better than everyone else.

Better? Or just more over engineered?

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#56

Post by sp332 » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:29 PM UTC

ori_b wrote: post #55

sp332 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The new WTC is one of the most bomb-proof buildings in the world. It is also one of the tallest (even if you don't count the spire). Everything in the US takes more time and costs more money when we're doing it better than everyone else.

Better? Or just more over engineered?

It put $3.9B into the US economy over 8 years. No other skyscraper has done that ;)

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#57

Post by tenementfunster » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:32 PM UTC

brudgers wrote: post #35

zimpenfish wrote: post #11

19 days to -assemble- a 57 storey tower. Four and a half months constructing the modules for assembly. > Broad Sustainable Building spent four and a half months fabricating the building’s 2,736 modules before construction began. The first 20 floors were completed last year, and the remaining 37 were built from 31 January to 17 February this year, Xiao said. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/30/chinese-constru…

Normally the time it takes to turn clay into brick or timber into lumber is not considered as part of the time of construction. The first order consideration is typically time on site because that's where the owner begins to have liability related to construction activity. By analogy we as outsiders don't count dressing in the dressing room against the 90 minutes of a futbol match despite the Laws of the Game requiri…

futbol

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#58

Post by mikeash » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:33 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #46

The new World Trade Center took 8 years and is the most expensive building in the world: http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/may/11/one-world... Everything done is the U.S. takes more time and costs a lot more money. Consider, for example, that China has constructed 10,000 miles of high-speed rail in about a decade. We still have 0.0 miles. Yeah, yeah, we don't need 10k but we need more than 0. Airports, subw…

I live in the DC area and frequently visit Beijing.

The DC Metro is currently building the Silver Line, an extension out to Dulles airport and a bit beyond. The first segment of the extension, with five stations, was completed last year after five years of construction. The remainder is planned to be complete in 2019 or 2020... assuming there aren't any more delays.

In a similar amount of time, the Beijing subway went from a sad little system with three lines to the second largest system in the world today, with 18 lines and 7 more under construction currently.

Now, Beijing is a substantially larger city, but it's still vastly disproportionate. The contrast between the two metro systems is just shocking.

I don't know what the hell we're doing in the US, but whatever it is, we're doing it wrong. Safety and quality differences aren't adequate to explain it by a long shot.

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#59

Post by pkaye » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:34 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #46

The new World Trade Center took 8 years and is the most expensive building in the world: http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/may/11/one-world... Everything done is the U.S. takes more time and costs a lot more money. Consider, for example, that China has constructed 10,000 miles of high-speed rail in about a decade. We still have 0.0 miles. Yeah, yeah, we don't need 10k but we need more than 0. Airports, subw…

Not sure about the WTC but I know for rail, bridge, etc. there can be lots of environmental regulations to deal with in the US. Finding a butterfly in a field can be enough to stop the work while they do environmental assessments to see how it may impact that butterfly species.

I know a little bit about this because my first job out of engineering college was working at a consultant company doing the drudge work for such an assessment. After 6 months of work, I felt we barely put out anything of value while burning consultant hours. The reports were cookie cutter format from previous contracts with a few facts filled in.

A friend who works for the state transportation engineering agency mentioned finding a native american arrow while expanding a highway triggering another investigation. Then there is eminent domain, noise assessments, impact reviews, etc.

So basically it is not the engineering costs but all the other demands of society that make these a slow and expensive venture.

Re: 19 days to build a 57-storey tower

#60

Post by mikeash » Thu, Jun 11, 2015, 2:38 PM UTC

donkeyd wrote: post #10

> “The biggest problem we face in the world right now isn't terrorism or world war. It's climate change,” he says. I really like seeing this quote from a Chinese business man.

It's probably easier to think that way when the effects of pollution are so apparent. When your boogers turn black after a day outside, you can't deny that something is happening.

On the other hand, if you live in a country where pollution controls have turned it largely invisible, and the worst pollution you experience is smelling a bit of diesel exhaust when you got too close to a bus, it's probably a lot easier to say that human activity is insignificant.