Watch: 10-storey building constructed in China in just 24 hours, here's how

After hitting the headline in 2011 for construction of a 15 story Ark Hotel in Changsha in just 46.5 hours, a privately owned manufacturing enterprise in China, Broad Group, has done it again. This time, it has developed a 10-story apartment building in just 28 hours and 45 minutes in Changsha, China. The firm, Broad Sustainable Building has been expanding the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry by using the installations of the prefabricated, factory-built structures that are mostly shipped in the 3D forms as foldouts. Even then, to construct the 10-story residential high-rise in such a short span of the timeframe required the company ample manpower, at least three cranes, and a large number of builders on the site to get the structure standing. 

In time-lapse footage that the company shared on its website as well as social media handles, its on-site crew is seen cutting a new edge in the age of industrial innovation by constructing a 10-story steel apartment building in just over a day. This obviously was made possible after the China-based enterprise bolt-together modular units known as “Living Building System”. 

The broad group used pre-manufactured components, including the walls, kitchen, bath, and floors that are folded out to a span of 39.3 feet by 15.75 feet by 9 feet high and are then able to fit into a standard shipping container to be transported to the construction site where it is assembled. Although, assembling a building this tall, even when the 3D components of the buildings and the mechanical systems are all in place can be a tough feat, as can be seen in the nearly 5-minute footage shared by the group. 

Board explains the technology on-site, saying that ahead of the construction, the floors, walls, windows, and glass; electrical and mechanical equipment; AC and DC power, lighting, water supply, and drainage; as well as sanitary facilities, are all completed in the factory using the pre-construction and conceptual design process. The company’s 5D Macro-BIM helps preassemble at least 95 percent component reducing the work at the construction site to “minimal.”

In the factory, the engineers connect the bolts, pre-ready the water supply, drainage, and electrical systems so that the structure can be occupied immediately. Broad constructs walls out of the CTS Slab panels, which are stainless steel with bending rigidity. The parametric building components are also cost-effective.

'Extremely simple onsite installation..' says company

In the video, the Chinese-based group explains, “extremely simple onsite installation” — just tighten bolts and connect water and electricity”. The company also claims that it has tested its construction methods to withstand earthquakes that measure 9.0 on the Richter Scale despite its speedy build time. The components carry a longer life span and recyclability. The panels can last thousands of years and the building itself can be "disestablished" and moved or taken somewhere else. In 2010, Broad group used its innovative construction methods and environmental-friendly techniques to build the pavilion for the massive Shanghai World Expo.