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Spotted: In a feat that may not seem possible, Chinese company Broad Group has sped up the usual one-year time frame for constructing a 10-floor building to just 29 hours. According to the company, the building, erected in the central city of Changsha, was the world’s fastest construction for a building of this size. 

The building, dubbed Living Building, was assembled from modular units based around stainless steel slabs. The 40-foot long by 8-foot wide units were transported to the building site with all the electric and internal finishes completed. The container-shaped modules were then lifted into place – one wall of each unit folded down to become a floor plate, while windows and balconies folded out to enclose the spaces. 

According to the company, the ease of assembly was partly due to the use of B-core slabs as the base of the modular units. These consist of two stainless steel plates separated by hundreds of stainless steel tubes. The resulting structure is 10 times lighter and 100-times stronger than conventional floor plates. The company also claims that the cost is “lower than that of a carbon steel building” and has very low energy consumption. 

Time lapse footage of the build shows a large group of construction workers assembling the interior and exterior at the same time, aided by three large cranes. The company claims this construction method is also suitable for much larger buildings, saying, “It is perfectly suitable for luxury residences, 200-storey skyscrapers, and also idea for public and residential buildings.” 

New building methods are constantly being developed to improve the cost, sustainability and speed of construction – although it would be hard to see anyone beat 10 floors in under 29 hours. However, we have seen some innovative builds recently at a somewhat slower pace. These include a modular design that brings hotels to where the guests are and a non-profit that combines 3D-printing with traditional building techniques to rapidly build a complete house. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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