This is how America used to do things

[r3020]

Now we can't even go to the doctor unless the government is there to hold our hand. This is our competition, we better take notice. 10 years and still working at ground zero. What a world wide embarrassment.

snip-

As the United States and China battle over the finer points of currency manipulation at the G-20 summit, American negotiators may want to take note of this startling testimonial to the productivity of Chinese workers: A construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha has completed a 15-story hotel in just six days. If nothing else, this remarkable achievement will stoke further complaints from American economic pundits that China's economy is far more accomplished than ours in tending to such basics as construction.

Meanwhile, it's easy to imagine the disorientation of Changsha residents who'd gone away, or who just hadn't recently ventured into the downtown neighborhood of the new Ark Hotel: "Honey, I don't remember a hotel there, do you?"

 The work crew erected the hotel -- a soundproofed, thermal-insulated structure reportedly built to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake -- with all prefabricated materials. In other words, a crew of off-site factory workers built the sections, and their on-site counterparts arranged them on the foundation for the Ark project.

Despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured -- and thanks to the prefab nature of the process, the builders wasted very few construction materials. Below is a time-lapse video that shows the hotel being built from the ground up in less than a week:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101112/bs_yblog_upshot/chinese-workers-build-15-story-hotel-i...

2 minute video at the link shows how it was done.

[tomtoolbag]

  No, they were never done like that. It's comical that with all your incessant whining about freedom and other right wingerisms that you want us here to mimic the practices of a communist country and their strict application of forced labor, and basically non-capitalistic ways.

  Pre-fab construction is widely used here, but that 15 story building was built in a factory type of setting, where time must be factored in. The skill level and pay accordingly is factored into price here, but not there. The amount of risk involved for pre-fab where it is minimized in the factory setting, is more than offset on-site because of the pace. That's what makes that type of project, and the pace of it, only accomplished in China. You pay for risk in many forms, but not when the government has forced labor and tramples over risk and the cost of it because they are the owner/builder/money source.

  Concrete cures at the same rate here as it does there, but are you advocating forced labor, and long shifts of it at prices that aren't susceptible to market forces, along with excluding other things such as investment capital, that aren't market based?

  You can't have it both ways, unless you're now advocating communism!!!!!!

[bruce MN]

Great reply Tom...I was reading his post and wondering if he even suspected what he was walking into by what he was saying.

I didn't think so much of the communist government/labor thing but wondered instead if maybe he was thinking of the glorious days of slavery, or of the disposable (ironicly) Chinese labor that built our western railways?

But no matter, its becoming more and more evident by the day that it is a perverse middle class elitism that drives these folks who've had their religious and racial views finally sancitifed and molded into something "institutional" through this Palinist, driven by big money populism of the teabagger movement. They've finally found others who share their irrational fears and superstitions and loyalty to fabricated cultural legends, and it drives them to such blindlness that they can actually hold up a communist govt. who did things that true freedom and liberty loing people woud never stand for..partiulcarily in this example by.taking of property by fiat (see how the mortgage crisis is being addressed by the banks and unfortunately many of our courts without so much as a peep from the baggers) by fiat as exemplary of how "we used to do things>"

What is it you suppose he really wants?

[GreaTOne_654018744]

Here's something more to add to his misery! Open mouth insert foot, chew lightly!

 A HOW TO DO IT CHINESE STYLE

OR

MAYBE CHEAP LABOR IS NOT SO CHEAP!

YES, IT IS A 12 STORY   BUILDING  LYING ON THE GROUND.  
Anybody who bought a condo here sure has a problem. 
Talk about a collapsed market!  YES, IT'S A 12 STORY BUILDING
IN CHINA LYING ON THE GROUND.   


(1)  An underground garage was being dug on the south side,
To a depth of 4.6 meters.
(2)  The excavated dirt was being piled up on the north side,
To a height of 10 meters.

(3)  The building experienced uneven lateral pressure from south
And north.

(4)  This resulted in a lateral pressure of 3,000 tonnes, which was
Greater than what the pilings could tolerate.
Thus the building toppled over in the southerly direction.




 *First, the apartment building was constructed.*


Then the plan called  for an underground garage to be dug out.
The  excavated soil was piled up on the other side of the  building.




     *Heavy rains resulted in water seeping into the ground.*



The building began to tilt.

Then it began to shift and the  "hollow" concrete pilings were
Snapped due to the uneven lateral pressures

And thus was born the eighth wonder of the world.

If the buildings were closer together it would have resulted in a domino
Effect.













They built 13 stories on grade, with no basement, and tied it all down to
Hollow pilings with no rebar.

Brought to you by the same folks that make your kids' toys and want to
Build your car.
Now that, folks, is a snafu.  Don't you feel better now, that these are the
Folks manufacturing nearly EVERYTHING we buy and use today? 

[tomtoolbag]

  LOL, he won't know what he wants until one of the Limbaugh, Beck, or Palin morons tells him. He can't see the forest because of that blasted tree in front of him.

  You're right about how the insanity has converged and even multiplied, driven along by the internet. But, that same internet also exposes people like him to opposing views that weren't ever heard before, and that hopefully makes them think(doubtful) about things a lot more and alters their rigid bigotry and narrow minded thought processes.

  People like him want to have their cake and eat it too, and he isn't in the position economically, socially, or any other way to have that, unless he basically lives in a box.

  I'd give anything to play poker with him and BA, and quite a few others, but I would probably feel guilty afterwards for taking all their money (because I'm actually capable of feeling that way).

[tomtoolbag]

  They have a knack for doing things their own way, right or wrong. The pesky things such as grounded circuits and sprinkler systems were probably left out of the equation also.

  The Chinese have poisoned what we call "man's best friend" or our dogs, and our baby formula, and yet people can't seem to buy enough of their junk at WalMart.

  That hotel is a modern day version of the pyramids. It was said that no workers were injured, which is very doubtful, but with the government in control of everything, why would they admit it if there were any accidents that resulted in injury or death.

[r3020]

It says in the article the building is designed to with stand mag 9 earthquake. May or may not happen. I know I will not buy any China made tires in the near future. I don't take anything away from the Chinese people. They are intelligent, industrious, and hard working. Their government sucks. I would like to know the cost of the hotel. I don't think this is the same China of 30 years ago where every body wore a gray suit and lived on a bowl of rice and a fish head. They are a competitive people that we will have to compete against if we want to supply the world with the products they want and need.

[GreaTOne_654018744]

When I read 3020's glowing testament to the Chinese, it dawned on me that I had just recieved those pictures in an e-mail! I think that should have a pretty sobering effect on Mr. 20's post.

[GreaTOne_654018744]

It says in the article the building is designed to with stand mag 9 earthquake I would question that statement, when only 4.6 meters of dirt took it down. And if you notice, NO rebar, just cement. Cheap, cheap, design. I wonder how long it took before they excuted the idiot that designed that fiasco?

[r3020]

GTO none of the photos showed up on my computer. Could you post a link. The build in my post was built with steel.