Following the launch of the Beijing International Trade Center's
330-meter-high phase III project last week, Beijing's urban
planning authority said it would not sanction further construction
of high-rise buildings.
China has been building skyscrapers since its opening-up in
1978. More and more buildings are being constructed every year, and
they are becoming higher and higher. This has given rise to major
safety concerns, in particular, safety in the event of fire.
In an experiment conducted by the city's urban security
department, it took a strong able-bodied fire fighter?10
minutes to run down from the 33rd to the ground floor of a
high-rise building. An average person would take far longer, not to
mention the old and infirm or weak. In addition, a typical fire can
spread from the ground floor to the 33rd in approximately 30
seconds, giving people trapped in skyscrapers little hope of escape
in emergencies.
Apart from safety, there are also economic concerns the
authorities have considered. For example, a high-rise building
costs a lot of money not just to build, but also to maintain.
The presence of high-rise buildings has also been blamed for the
negative impact on the eco-environment. Because Beijing has not
developed specific rules relating to the construction of
skyscrapers, whether in relation to their design or location, their
construction has been fairly random and uncontrolled.
A problem that has been highlighted is that of wind tunnels.
Depending on the design of the skyscrapers, having two side by side
can give rise to a gale effect in the space in between. Local media
has previously reported cases of pedestrians battling with and even
being knocked to the ground by strong winds near the 200-meter-high
Jingguang Center along the East Third Ring Road in Chaoyang
District.
High-rise buildings can also accentuate a city's "heat island"
effect. Air conditioning and illuminating facilities consume huge
amounts of energy, which in turn generate massive heat emissions
thereby breaking a city's heat balance.
Skyscrapers also block out sunlight and obstruct a person's view
of the sky. These do have a psychological impact on people living
in cities dotted with skyscrapers.
As most of Beijing's high-rise buildings are in the downtown
area, it is very crucial to study their impact on the surrounding
eco-environment to ensure sustainable urban development.
In recent years, people have gradually come to realize that
urbanization is more than just increasing the number of
skyscrapers.
The protection and promotion of a city's unique cultural
heritage is equally important. A Beijing without the Forbidden City
is inconceivable; so, too,?is a New York without the Statue of
Liberty or a Paris without the Eiffel Tower. If "skyscrapers" equal
"urbanization," it must then mean that urbanization equals the
cultural death of a city.
In the last 20-odd years, China's urban development has been
characterized by rapid construction. Buildings got bigger, better
and higher. But this latest announcement from Beijing's urban
planning authority shows that "height" doesn't always matter.
(China.org.cn by Wind Gu, July 11, 2005)