Safety and environmental protection should be the chief concerns
of Chinese cities in their race to build more skyscrapers,
architects said recently.
The warning came after work on the 432-meter-high West Tower
began in the capital of Guangdong Province last Friday.
The skyscraper, located on the central axis of Zhujiang New
Town, in Guangzhou's new urban area, will be the tallest building
on the mainland when it is completed some time before 2009,
bypassing the current record-holder, the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai,
by 12 meters.
With an investment of about 6 billion yuan (US$769 million), the
building will redefine Guangzhou's skyline, officials from the
local municipal government said.
However, concerns have also been raised about the high-rise's
safety and its impact on the city's urban environment.
"Safety, whether in terms of fire control or prevention of
terrorist attacks, should be the priority in building the
skyscraper. Otherwise, it will be useless," said Lin Yongxiang,
chief architect at the Architecture and Design School of the South
China University of Technology.
Lin, who is also an engineer on the West Tower's construction
team, added that guaranteeing the high-rise would be safe
represented a "great challenge".
High-tech facilities
"Taking its height into consideration, we have been working
carefully on the construction drawing. We will be relying on
high-tech facilities throughout the lifespan of this project," Lin
said in an interview with China Daily yesterday.
Besides safety, environmental protection should also be a key
concern in the construction of high-rises, Lin said.
"Having a high density of such buildings will, of course,
negatively affect the city's natural landscape, posing a great
threat to the environment," Lin said.
Sources with the local city urban planning bureau said that
after work on the West Tower starts, construction on two other
skyscrapers the East Tower and the Guangzhou TV Tower is due to
begin in Zhujiang New Town.
"It is urgent to work out an effective building blueprint for
this area to control the space between buildings and their
heights," Lin said.
For example, dozens of skyscrapers have risen along the Pearl
River, which runs through city's center, ruining the natural
landscape and reducing the once broad river to a "stone and steel
canyon".
"The natural ventilation along the river will be spoiled if high
density housing projects continue to be built," said Zhao Qinghua,
director of the Guangzhou Urban Development and Environment
Resources Committee.
Zhao added that commercial high-rises near the river and in the
city's center should be subject to strict regulations set by the
government.
He said the local government had not approved any new land use
rights for real estate development in the past three years and had
decided to tear down building projects that negatively affect the
river.
"So we also hope to come up with a healthy layout scheme for
buildings in Zhujiang New Town to avoid high density," Zhao
said.
Such concerns have been raised frequently in recent years as
hundreds of high-rises have been built in fast-developing
metropolises throughout the country.
Shanghai's central business district is one example.
More than just tall buildings, skyscrapers are regarded as
symbols of expertise and prosperity in Shanghai.
And it seems that many residents in the city are used to a life
among towering buildings and show little concern for safety.
"All the facilities here are the most advanced, and we have
regular anti-fire rehearsals," said Qian Zhilei, a young man
working on the 23rd floor of the 420-meter-tall Jin Mao Tower.
(China Daily January 30, 2007)
