Residents of Shanghai, passing through the eastern district of the city of Huangpu in October, could stumble upon an unusual sight: a “walking” building.
The 85-year-old elementary school was completely lifted off the ground and relocated using a new technology dubbed the “walking machine”.
As part of the city’s latest effort to preserve historic buildings, engineers have installed about 200 mobile towers under the five-story building, according to Lan Wuji, chief technical officer for the project.
The legs act like robotic legs. They are divided into two groups, which alternately rise and fall, imitating a human step. Attached sensors help control how the building moves forward, said Lan, whose company Shanghai Evolution Shift developed the new technology in 2018.
“It’s like giving a building crutches so it can stand up and then walk,” he said.
The company’s slow motion footage shows the school struggling to move forward, step by step.
According to the Huangpu District Government, Lagen Primary School was built in 1935. the municipal council of the former French concession of Shanghai. It was moved to make way for a new retail and office complex, which will be completed by 2023.
Workers had to first dig up the building to install 198 mobile supports in the space below, Lan said. After the building’s legs were truncated, the robotic “legs” were extended upward, lifting the building before moving forward.
Within 18 days, the building rotated 21 degrees and moved 62 meters (203 feet) to its new location. The move was completed on 15 October and the old school building was to become a center for heritage protection and cultural education.
The government said in a statement that the project marks the first time the “walking car” method has been used in Shanghai to move a historic building.
Decades of destruction
In recent decades, as a result of China’s rapid modernization, many historic buildings have been demolished to make way for gleaming skyscrapers and office buildings. But concern is growing over architectural heritage lost in demolition across the country.
Some cities have launched new conservation and conservation campaigns, including, in some cases, the use of advanced technology that allows old buildings to be moved rather than demolished.
Official indifference to historic architecture dates back to the reign of Communist Party leader Mao Zedong. During during the disastrous Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, countless historic buildings and monuments were destroyed as part of his war with the “Old Four” (old customs, culture, habits, and ideas).
After Mao’s death in 1976, calls for architectural preservation were revived, with the Chinese government granting protected status to a number of structures before passing a heritage preservation law in the 1980s. In subsequent years, buildings, quarters and even entire cities received state support to preserve their historical appearance.
Nevertheless, the ongoing urbanization still poses a serious threat to the architectural heritage. Land sales are also a key source of income for local governments, meaning buildings of architectural value are often sold to developers for whom conservation is not a priority.
“Relocation is not the best choice, but it’s better than demolition,” said Lan, project manager for the Shanghai Primary School. “I’d rather not touch historic buildings at all.”
He added that in order to move the monument, companies and developers must go through strict rules, such as obtaining government approval at various levels.
Still, he says, moving into buildings is a “viable option.” “The central government is paying more attention to the protection of historic buildings. I’m glad to see progress in recent years.”
Moving monuments
Shanghai may have been China’s most progressive city when it comes to heritage preservation. Surviving buildings from the 1930s in the famous Bund area and 19th-century “shikumen” (or “stone gate”) houses in the restored Cintiandi area are examples of how to give old buildings new life, despite some criticism of how remodeling has been carried out.
There are several ways to move a building: for example, it can slide on rails or be pulled by vehicles.
An aerial view of the Shanghai Lagen Elementary School building. Credit: Shanghai Change Evolution Project
The building also had to be rotated and followed a curved path to where it was moved, rather than just moving in a straight line—another problem requiring a new method.
“In my 23 years in this field, I have not seen any other company that could move structures along a curve,” he added.
Experts and technicians met to discuss possibilities and test a range of different technologies before deciding on a “walking car,” Xinhua said.
Lan told CNN he couldn’t give an exact cost for the project, and that relocation costs will vary on a case-by-case basis.
“It cannot be used as a guide because we must preserve the historic building no matter what,” he said. “But in general it’s cheaper than demolishing and then building something in a new location.”
