The Pearl RiverTower
Just like I said ealier on how the urban development in china is rapidly growing. Right in the center city of Guangzhou the pearl river tower was constructed to be a very green initiated building, with a Gold star in LEED. The building is very fascinating, and this shows that the world is moving towards an energy savings stand point.
The building was completed in April 2013. it has 71 stories with 3 office sections. The elevators are double decker. It has a ceiling sandwich with an SOM design. Curved ceilings with radiant panel system that have slab to slab finish of 3.7m that help the building's interior height seem taller and more inviting. The building is concave on the south side and convex on the west side.
The solar panels system and wind turbines are excellent, with the wind turbine on the 25th floor which operates wind speed between 4.5 - 16 meters per second. And above 16 meters per second that wind speed is considered a typhoon, so the wind turbine reduces its efficiency.
The solar panels system and wind turbines are excellent, with the wind turbine on the 25th floor which operates wind speed between 4.5 - 16 meters per second. And above 16 meters per second that wind speed is considered a typhoon, so the wind turbine reduces its efficiency.
The Guangzhou Museum
Walking around the building was great because the structure is more than what meets the eye. There are huge cantilever floors right at the front of the building and the columns in the interior don't go all the way to the foundation. Typically we have a structured column from the floor holding up the floors all the way down to the foundation. But in this case the building structural support is the reverse.
So looking at the columns I can't say if it is in tension or compression but it looks like the columns have enhanced reinforcement so 'in compression' they support the floor above and transfer all the forces to the next floor slab that is connect to the big outside column and the four corners.
But when the columns are working in 'tension' which they naturally work best at, they support the floor level below and transfer the forces to the beams above which then transfers all that weight to the four huge columns at the corners of the building. With this system the ground floor is an open space without any 'column interruption'.
I see this whole structural system like a table with multiple legs, four legs at each corner longer than the others, placed on the ground firmly or on the ceiling firmly.
So looking at the columns I can't say if it is in tension or compression but it looks like the columns have enhanced reinforcement so 'in compression' they support the floor above and transfer all the forces to the next floor slab that is connect to the big outside column and the four corners.
But when the columns are working in 'tension' which they naturally work best at, they support the floor level below and transfer the forces to the beams above which then transfers all that weight to the four huge columns at the corners of the building. With this system the ground floor is an open space without any 'column interruption'.
I see this whole structural system like a table with multiple legs, four legs at each corner longer than the others, placed on the ground firmly or on the ceiling firmly.
The Opera House, Guangzhou
Zaha Hadid who is a well renowned Architect and first female to win the pretzel prize, has always been very artistic with shapes forms in her designs. The opera house in Guangzhou isa beautiful just look from afar but the detailing is bad.
I was speaking to a renowned Construction manager from the USA who now works in chin mainly shanghai andguangzhou hesays china is actually getting better with working on shop drawings. I believe that the problem with her designs not being as detailed as they be might be the fault of the local companies. They actually don’t reform the drawings to its full detail and in the case of the opera house, the construction wasrushed and now the building looks like its been standing there for over 10 years.
I was speaking to a renowned Construction manager from the USA who now works in chin mainly shanghai andguangzhou hesays china is actually getting better with working on shop drawings. I believe that the problem with her designs not being as detailed as they be might be the fault of the local companies. They actually don’t reform the drawings to its full detail and in the case of the opera house, the construction wasrushed and now the building looks like its been standing there for over 10 years.