mini sky city china case study

Steel Engineers Malaysia

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Buildmax Engineering Sdn Bhd

• Aug 24, 2021

Steel Structure 57-storey in 19 days Case Study: Mini Sky City, Changsha, Hunan, China

Mini Sky City was built by 1,200 workers working around the clock in Changsha, Hunan province.

The challenge has been met using a total of 10,345 tonnes of beams to build the core of the J57 building also known as Mini Sky City.

It could be built quickly because the steel structure was made of prefabricated parts, and 95 percent of the process took place in plants in advance

Broad Sustainable Building, a prefab construction firm, put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City in the Hunan provincial capital of Changsha, assembling three floors a day using a modular method.

Broad Sustainable Building spent four and a half months fabricating the building’s 2,736 modules before construction began. The first 20 floors were completed the previous year and the remaining 37 were built from 31 January to 17 February of 2015.

The skyscraper is built with factory-produced, LEGO®-like blocks, using a modular construction technique. The process is based on a factory-fabricated steel structure system and on-site installation, using flanges and high strength bolts to join the construction members.

The structure is one of the tallest modular buildings in the world.

It also incorporates integrated, installable floor slabs, light wallboard, and other prefabricated materials.

The rectangular, glass and steel building has 19 atriums, 800 apartments and office space for 4,000 people.

It worked on Mini Sky City in two bursts interrupted by bad weather. Its time-lapse video of the rapid build has become popular on Chinese video sharing sites since it was first uploaded to YouTube.

With the traditional method they have to build a skyscraper brick by brick, but with this method they just need to assemble the blocks.

Modular methods have been used for high-rise apartment blocks elsewhere, including in Britain and the US. Some critics say the method could lead to cityscapes with overly uniform architecture.

But this method is worth developing because it could become a safe and reliable way to build skyscrapers quickly.

Mini Sky City has 19 atriums, 800 apartments and office space for 4,000 people. The structure is safe and can withstand earthquakes.

According to BSB architect Xian Min Zhang, the use of modules in the construction of J57 reduced the use of concrete by 15,000 trucks, which he says almost eliminated the release of dust in the air, an important advantage in pollution-ridden China.

This project used parts assembled at plants for high energy efficiency and environmental friendliness

In fact, BSB’s focus is on green construction, and one of the convincing arguments is that all the beams are made of scrap.

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The Mini Sky City – How architects built a 57-story skyscraper in just 19 days 

In Changsha, China, one of the fastest built buildings is making history. The Broad Sustainable Building Co. – a prefab construction firm – managed to erect a 57-story skyscraper in just 19 working days. This shocking feat was discussed worldwide and took up top headlines in sites like The Guardian and New York Post. Continue reading to find out how a construction company managed to achieve this. 

What was the secret? 

The secret was modular construction. Noted by Xiao Changgeng – the vice-president of the Broad Sustainable Building Co. – the company put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City, assembling three floors a day, using a modular method. “With the traditional method, they have to build a skyscraper brick by brick, but with our method, we just need to assemble the blocks,” company engineer Chen Xiangqian said in an interview with New York Post. Such approach to building and construction are famous for high-rise apartment blocks elsewhere as well, including Britain and the U.S. Some critics even believe that the method could lead to cityscapes with overly uniform architecture. But what is modular construction and how does it work? 

Modular construction – what is it?

Modular construction, also known as prefabricated or off-site construction, is a construction method where buildings are constructed and manufactured in sections or modules off-site using controlled plant conditions before being transported and assembled at a final location. In short terms, it is factory-made components that are assembled on-site. These modules are typically designed to fit together seamlessly to create a complete building. 

Now we’re going to delve into some history as we answer the question of when was it invented? The first recorded instance of modular construction came in the 1830s, when a London carpenter called John Manning made a prefabricated home for his son. This home was made in parts before being shipped from England to Australia where it was then reassembled. This construction method was also popular during the 1840s California Gold Rush in the United States, when it was used to build the ‘Crystal Palace for Britain’s Great Exhibition’ of 1851, and grew in popularity with the creation of prefab structures both during World War Two and for rapid rebuilding of homes following the end of the war. 

Characteristics of modular construction

Factory-based manufacturing:

Modular construction involves the assembly of building components, such as walls, floors, and roof sections, in a factory rather than on the construction site. This controlled environment allows for higher precision and quality control. 

Standardisation: 

Modules are often designed to standard dimensions, which makes them easier to transport and assemble. This standardisation can also lead to cost savings and efficiency.

Speed of construction: 

Modular construction is typically faster than traditional construction methods because many components are manufactured concurrently. This can significantly reduce project timelines, making it a preferred method for projects with tight schedules.

Reduced on-site disruption: 

Since much of the construction work is completed in a factory, there is less on-site disruption, noise, and environmental impact. This can be advantageous in densely populated or sensitive areas.

Quality control:

Factory-based construction allows for strict quality control measures to be implemented, reducing the likelihood of errors and defects in the final product. 

Cost-effectiveness:

While the initial manufacturing costs can be higher than traditional construction methods, modular construction can lead to cost savings in terms of labour, reduced construction time, and minimised waste.

Flexibility:

Modular construction is adaptable to various architectural styles and building types, from residential homes and commercial buildings to healthcare facilities and educational institutions.

Sustainability: 

Modular construction is more environmentally friendly than traditional construction because it often generates less waste and reduces energy consumption during the construction phase.

Transportability: 

Modular components are designed to be transported to the construction site, making it feasible to construct buildings in remote or challenging locations.

Scalability: 

Modular construction allows for easy expansion or modification of existing structures by adding or removing modules as needed.

Ultimately, this construction method has gained popularity in recent years due to its efficiency, quality control, sustainability advantages and especially due to the Mini Sky City construction. It will continue to evolve along with advancements in building technology and materials. 

The Mini Sky City construction process 

The construction of the Mini Sky City involved a well-coordinated series of steps and innovations, which had to have been expected, especially from a skyscraper constructed in merely 19 days. It was a highly coordinated effort that leveraged advanced construction techniques, prefabrication and modular construction principles in order to achieve the impressive speed and efficiency. And while this project gave a unique demonstration of rapid construction, it also sparked discussions in the construction industry about the potential for more efficient and sustainable building practices. 

Design and planning phase: 

The project began with the conceptualisation of a skyscraper that could be constructed rapidly using modular construction techniques. Architects and engineers collaborated to design the building – incorporating modular elements and standardised components to streamline construction.  Furthermore, while working on the blue prints and drawings, they were finding ways to make the layout of the building more efficient for such a fast way of construction. 

The selection of materials – including types of steel, concrete, and other building materials – was crucial to ensure structural integrity while minimising weight and cost. Lastly, a factory environment for prefabrication was established near the construction site. This would soon reduce the cost of transport, as the prefabricated parts wouldn’t need to be transported over a long distance to reach the final construction site. 

Prefabrication phase:

During the prefabrication phase, detailed designs for the prefabricated modules were created. These modules typically included walls, floors, and room sections with pre-installed plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. After the initial prototypes and test of materials, the factory then began manufacturing these modules on a larger scale. Precision machinery and skilled labour were employed to ensure the quality and consistency of each module. Rigorous quality control processes were implemented to inspect and verify the quality of each module. This step was critical to ensure that the modules would fit together seamlessly during assembly.

Transportation phase: 

The prefabricated modules were transported to the construction site using specialised transport vehicles, such as flatbed trucks, and detailed logistics planning was also essential for an efficient transport. This involved route planning and scheduling to minimise delays. It was all made simpler as the modules were designed to be transportable without causing damage. 

On-site assembly phase:

The construction site’s foundation and infrastructure, including utilities and support systems were all prepared in advance to the assembly. The modules were assembled in a predetermined sequence, with lower modules laid down first. Heavy lifting equipment and cranes were also used to position and secure each module in place. Furthermore, workers ensured that modules fit together seamlessly and securely – including all types of appliances that went between modules, such as plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. Lastly, strict safety measures were enforced to protect the workers and ensure the stability of the building during construction. 

Quality assurance and testing: 

Continuous quality inspections were carried out during the assembly process to identify and rectify any issues promptly and efficiently. Safety and structural integrity are two of the most important aspects when it comes to building construction in general, therefore structural testing was taken very seriously in this project as well. Structural integrity tests were conducted to ensure the building’s stability and safety. 

Finishing touches: 

After the main structure was assembled, interior and exterior finishes, such as cladding, painting, flooring and fixtures were all installed. Moreover, comprehensive testing of all building systems, including electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, were performed to ensure they functioned correctly.

Final inspections and approval: 

Lastly, the completed building underwent inspections made by relevant authorities to ensure compliance with safety and building codes. And finally, once all inspections were passed, the building received the necessary occupancy permit, therefore allowing people to move in. 

Bibliography

• “China: Building a 57-Storey Skyscraper in 19 Days Thanks to HISTAR®.” Luxembourg.arcelormittal.com , https://luxembourg.arcelormittal.com/press/91/160/language/EN#:~:text=Customer%20Broad%20Sustainable%20Building%20recently .
• “Chinese Construction Firm Erects 57-Storey Skyscraper in 19 Days.” The Guardian , The Guardian, 30 Apr. 2015, www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/30/chinese-construction-firm-erects-57-storey-skyscraper-in-19-days .
• Press, Associated. “Chinese Builders Erect 57-Story Skyscraper in 19 Days.” New York Post , 30 Apr. 2015, https://nypost.com/2015/04/30/chinese-builders-erect-57-story-skyscraper-in-19-days/

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Currently Reading

Asia’s modular miracle.

A prefab construction company in China built a 57-story tower in 19 days. Here’s how they did it.  

A 230,000-sm factory in China’s Hunan province spent several months producing modules for the 57-story J57 Mini Sky City tower, in Changsha. Using advanced prefabrication techniques, China-based contractor Broad Sustainable Building erected the tower in less than three weeks. Photos courtesy Broad Sustainable Building

Early this year, a 57-story building known as J57 Mini Sky City, with 800 apartments and office space for 4,000 workers, will start receiving its occupants. That wouldn’t be news except for the fact that more than 90% of the components for this building, located in Changsha, the capital of China’s Hunan province, were fabricated in the 230,000-sm factory of Broad Sustainable Building (BSB), a seven-year-old construction firm that assembled Mini Sky City in a jaw-dropping 19 working days.

It would have taken two years to construct a similar building using conventional methods, Xiao Changgeng, BSB’s Vice GM, told the Guardian. BSB claims prefab reduces construction costs by 20% to 40%. The 180,000-sm Mini Sky City cost US$700/sm to build, confirms BSB Chairman and CEO Zhang Yue, in an email to BD+C.

BSB, a subsidiary of Broad Group, which makes central AC non-electric chillers powered by natural gas and waste heat, is poised to expand by developing 50 franchises in China, plus 100 overseas, with the goal of capturing 20% of the global construction market. So it’s worth taking a closer look at how BSB gets buildings up so fast.

Prior to starting construction on Mini Sky City in January 2014, BSB had completed 30 pilot and commercial projects, including a 15-story hotel it constructed in a week, and a 30-story hotel it built in 15 days.

BSB’s 1,800-worker factory, in Xiangyin, Hunan, spent 4½ months fabricating 2,736 modules that comprise Mini Sky City’s structure, exterior walls, interiors, and MEP components. It took BSB five months to prepare and complete the building’s foundation, and another 30 days to prep the job site and move in cranes, which are critical to a construction process whose goal is to assemble three stories per day.

The firm erected the first 20 floors in seven working days. The job site ran three shifts, each with 400 workers and 10 superintendents. Supplier contracts enforced delivery times to prevent bottlenecks and delays.

Then, construction stopped for a year, as BSB found itself in a dispute over the height of the building, which originally was slated to be 97 stories. BSB had to accept fewer floors because of the building’s proximity to an airport 15 km away.

Construction resumed on January 31, 2015, and was completed on February 17, with some weather-related interruptions. BSB required 580,000 alloy screws to assemble the modules. The company confirms that it needed another four months to install lighting and interior finishes to make the steel-and-glass building habitable.

The first 10 floors of the 200-meter-tall tower are offices, and the rest are apartments in 20 sizes that range from 90 to 600 sm. The building includes a kindergarten, education center, organic farm, and restaurant. Running through the building’s interior is a 3.6-km “sky street,” which accommodates bicyclists. The tower’s 19 atriums include tennis courts, theaters and cinemas, and a botanic garden.

BSB says the tower is 80% more energy efficient than comparable structures in China. Its walls are fortified by 20-cm-thick thermal insulation, and three- and four-pane windows. Its HVAC system includes fresh-air heat exchange. The building can withstand a 9-magnitude earthquake, according to independent testing by the China Academy of Building Research. BSB’s construction process uses as little concrete as possible; this project eliminated an estimated 15,000 truck deliveries of that material.

The next big project BSB plans to tackle is a 202-story tower, also in Changsha, for which it has received government approval. BSB thinks it can complete this building in three months.

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Chinese construction firm erects 57-storey skyscraper in 19 days

Company claims to be world’s fastest builder after assembling Mini Sky City at a pace of three floors a day

A Chinese construction company is claiming to be the world’s fastest builder after erecting a 57-storey skyscraper in 19 working days in central China .

Broad Sustainable Building, a prefab construction firm, put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City in the Hunan provincial capital of Changsha, assembling three floors a day using a modular method, the vice-president, Xiao Changgeng, said.

The company now has ambitions to assemble the world’s tallest skyscraper, at 220 floors, in only three months.

It worked on Mini Sky City in two bursts interrupted by bad weather. Its time-lapse video of the rapid build has become popular on Chinese video sharing sites since it was first uploaded to YouTube.

“With the traditional method they have to build a skyscraper brick by brick, but with our method we just need to assemble the blocks,” the company engineer Chen Xiangqian said.

Modular methods have been used for high-rise apartment blocks elsewhere, including in Britain and the US. Some critics say the method could lead to cityscapes with overly uniform architecture.

Liu Peng, the associate director of the engineering consulting firm Arup Beijing, said the method was worth developing because it could become a safe and reliable way to build skyscrapers quickly.

“But it is not perfect, and it does not meet all kinds of personalised demands,” Liu said. “People nowadays want more personalised architecture.”

Mini Sky City has 19 atriums, 800 apartments and office space for 4,000 people, with space in the building going on sale in May. The structure is safe and can withstand earthquakes, according to Xiao.

Broad Sustainable Building spent four and a half months fabricating the building’s 2,736 modules before construction began. The first 20 floors were completed last year, and the remaining 37 were built from 31 January to 17 February this year, Xiao said.

The company had honed its technology to speed up its construction from two floors to three floors a day, he added. “This is definitely the fastest speed in our industry.”

The company is awaiting approval for its 220-floor building, called Sky City, which will also be in Changsha.

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• Cover Story

57-floor building goes up in 19 days

Editor's note: In recent years, China has witnessed the largest growth in building construction in the world, around 2 billion square meters of floor space added annually, with the associated huge amount of waste generated during the building work. Prefabrication may offer a solution to the waste problem, as well as creating green buildings.

Changsha company Broad Sustainable Building has built a 57-floor building in only 19 days in Februday, handling the construction as if working with Lego blocks, as many netizens commented after seeing an online video of the work.

Mini Sky City was built by 1,200 workers working around the clock in Changsha, Hunan province. The 200-meter structure contains 800 homes and working spaces for 4,000 people, said Xiao Changgeng, the company's manager. All that remains is the interior decoration.

"It could be built quickly because the steel structure was made of prefabricated parts, and 95 percent of the process took place in plants in advance," Xiao said.

The building is more earthquake-resistant than other buildings and also more energy efficient. Moreover, it is 80 percent more energy efficient than a regular building with steel and concrete, cutting carbon dioxide emission by 12,000 metric tons annually, he said.

Prefabricated steel structure buildings have been widely adopted for commercial buildings in China for their better energy efficiency and shorter construction period, said Liu Dongwei, chief architect of the China Institute of Building Standard Design & Research at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

A steel building has a metal structure for internal support and exterior cladding, as opposed to regular steel and concrete buildings, Liu said.

"They could be a good solution to promote green construction, considering the huge amount of waste produced in the whole process of building," he said.

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Mini sky city: 57-story chinese skyscraper built in 19 days.

Article by Urbanist , filed under Offices & Commercial in the Architecture category

The world’s tallest prefab building has just been constructed at a rate of 3 stories per day, showcasing the power of modular design and industrial prefabrication operating at scale. Located in Changsha, China, the record-breaking building is designed to be connected by sky bridges to a larger Sky City complex yet to be completed.

This first step in the grand scheme is this mixed-use structure featuring 800 apartments and office space for 4,000 workers with a total of over 2,000,000 square feet as well as 19 giant atrium spaces.

Producing many of the component parts in advance in factories, including entire truss systems, saves time and energy on site and also reduces pollution associated with busy construction sites and cast-on-site concrete. Its builders at BSB estimate a reduction in output of carbon dioxide by 12,000 tons thanks to these techniques as well as other environmental benefits, including a decrease in dust and particulates in the air around the building site.

Mini Sky City, as the tower is titled, is to be part of a larger Sky City series of interconnected skyscrapers that will include vertical farming spaces. One of the less-obvious byproducts of building at such speeds: China is able to effectively rapid-prototype urban design experiments at scale, testing novel strategies for vertical interaction and horizontal integration across structures.

The country recently saw the successful completion of the world’s first 3D-printed apartment complex as well as the rapid creation of 10 houses 3D-printed from scrap materials put together in just one day.

If you have ever driven past a skyscraper in progress day after day, you will know from experience just how fast this assembly really is compared to industry standards around the world – the precision of parts and management of contractors involved would be staggering in a situation with less-tight coordination as well.

Whether this will all become part of China’s ultimate bust in real estate , the technologies, techniques and principles on display here can and should be studied by architects from around the world.

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Chinese prefab company builds a 57-story skyscraper in just 19 days

A Chinese construction company is claiming to be the world’s fastest builder after erecting a 57-storey skyscraper in 19 working days in central China. Broad Sustainable Building, a prefab construction firm, put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City in the Hunan provincial capital of Changsha, assembling three floors a day using a modular method [...]. The company now has ambitions to assemble the world’s tallest skyscraper, at 220 floors, in only three months. — The Guardian

Similar articles on Archinect that may interest you...

Chinese prefab company did NOT build a 57-story skyscraper in 19 days...

Nice clickbait title. In fact, the first twenty floors were built LAST YEAR, and the remaining 37 floors were built in the 19 day timeframe between January 30th and February 17th, 2015. The building's prefabricated elements took four and a half months to build offsite, so therefore this entire process or physical production took about a calendar year. Maybe that's still impressive, but whatever.

" The company now has ambitions to assemble the world’s tallest skyscraper, at 220 floors [838m; 2,749ft], in only three months"  - LOL, yeah, okay...

Just what we need, ways to produce more shit faster and cheaper than ever before.  

Good, they should make it the new HQ of the Communist Party.

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J57 Mini Sky City

© BROAD Group

© BROAD

© Dario Trabucco

© Broad Group

You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.

Official Name

Other names.

J57, J57 SkyTown

No.3 Broad Road

Structural Material

207.8 m / 682 ft

Floors Above Ground

Floors below ground, # of apartments, # of parking spaces, top elevator speed.

179,600 m² / 1,933,198 ft²

• By Location

Construction Schedule

Construction Start

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Broad Sustainable Building Co., Ltd

Material supplier material supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc)., arcelormittal, owner/developer, sky city investment co., ltd., structural engineer.

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

RBS Architectural Engineering Design Associates

Mep engineer, great earth architects & engineers international, project manager the ctbuh lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. when the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted., sky city investment co., ltd.; china construction fifth engineering division corp., ltd..

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

National engineering research center for fire protection, central southern geotechnical design institute co., ltd..

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• Market Data

Broad Sustainable constructs 57-storey skyscraper in China in 19 days

Following a survey of adult sleep patterns, UK hotel chain Travelodge is trialling guest pyjamas purported to aid sleep. Travelodge says a survey of 3,000 adults showed a quarter of people's sleep is disrupted by itchy bedclothes, with two thirds disturbed by temperature fluctuations.

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Construction company Broad Sustainable Building has built a 57-storey skyscraper in central China in just 19 days.

The new rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City skyscraper, which had an estimated cost of RMB9bn ($1.46bn), was erected by the Chinese company in the Hunan provincial capital of Changsha.

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Broad sustainable building co ltd.

Broad Sustainable vice-president Xiao Changgeng told Associated Press in Changsha that the company used a modular method to assemble three floors a day.

The skyscraper, which has the capacity to withstand earthquakes, comprises 19 atriums, 800 apartments and office space to accommodate 4,000 peoplem, is said to be put up for sale in May.

Prior to fabricating the building’s 2,736 modules, Broad Sustainable Building spent four and a half months on the project.

The company completed the initial 20 floors in 2014, while the remaining 37 were built from 31 January to 17 February in 2015.

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For transportation, 104 high-speed elevators have been installed in the building, and the four-layered glass used for the building’s windows will keep the temperature of the building constant.

Air inside the structure is measured to be 20 times cleaner than the air outside, and the lamps used in the building will be made of LEDs.

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China Just Built a 57-Story Skyscraper in 19 Days

Nineteen atriums, office space for 4,000 workers, and 800 apartments are all housed in the new Mini Sky City in China's Hunan province—a 57-story architectural feat that took its builder just 19 working days to erect, the AP reports. The glass-and-steel structure was put up by Broad Sustainable Building Co. using a modular process that allowed construction workers to put together three floors a day like they were building a Lego house. "With the traditional method, they have to build a skyscraper brick by brick, but with our method, we just need to assemble the blocks," a company engineer says. The 2,700-plus modules were created over nearly five months; the actual construction was split up into two separate building periods that worked around wintry conditions.

There have been detractors, but not regarding how well the building is constructed (a company VP tells the AP that the skyscraper is safe and earthquake-ready). Instead, some don't like the cookie-cutter design that could lead to boring city skylines if everyone starts building the modular way. "It is not perfect," an engineering consultant tells the AP. "People nowadays want more personalized architecture." Now that this project is under its belt, Broad Sustainable has loftier goals in mind: building a 220-story skyscraper (the world's tallest) in three months. (Meanwhile, South Korea's "invisible" skyscraper hasn't gotten off the ground yet.)

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