Construction began on the China Sports Museum in 1990 even
before designs were finalized. As a result, structural defects
forced authorities to close the museum in 2003, a director of the
museum said on Monday.
Substandard materials and a faulty design contributed to an
unstable foundation and caused museum walls to sink into the
ground, said Qin Yanqing, office director with the Cultural and
Historical Work Commission of the General Administration of Sport
(GAS), who prepared a report for the GAS.
That report led to an investigation by the Construction Research
Center of Tsinghua
University in 2001.
"The foundation of the venue is sinking, and more than 80
percent of the floor is separating from the walls," Qin wrote.
Directors closed the museum in anticipation of the construction
of a new facility. Plans for the new building have been drawn up,
and construction on the same site will begin at the end of this
year, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.
Staff first found out about the defects five years after the
museum, the only one in the country dedicated to sports, opened in
1990 when the Asian Games were held in Beijing.
"There was a 1-meter-long slight crack on the outside wall," Qin
told the Beijing Times. "The major pillar that supports
the whole building in the middle also had 1-meter-long cracks in
it."
"We had to obtain an iron box to store sports relics that were
in the basement. There were maybe 4,000 to 5,000 relics," Qin
added.
It would seem that the construction crew was under pressure to
finish the museum in time for the Asian Games. There was added
pressure on them because construction on the museum was the last to
commence.
Museum files documenting the construction process show that the
designs were not entirely ready before construction began. In
addition, design plans had to be amended many times. But
authorities eventually certified the building's safety upon
completion.
Ironically, the project received the Special Lu Ban Award in
1991, one of the most prestigious construction awards in China.
But the Construction Industry Association of China, which gives
the award, explained that it does not necessarily present awards on
the basis of quality. The museum received the award because it was
the year's key project.
Museum directors say there is no point in assigning blame for
the building's problems. They are more concerned now with the new
facility, which will be larger and more high-tech.
About 395 million yuan (US$48 million) will be spent on the
project, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2008
Olympic Games, Qin said.
The new venue will occupy 30,000 square meters of space, and
house 13 display rooms, including a section devoted to China's
ancient and ethnic sports.
(China Daily June 1, 2005)