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Leading by example- Ark Hotel Construction shows How Prefabrication can Change the Face of Construction Industry

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By Vishal Porwal
This video titled "Ark Hotel Construction time lapse building 15 storeys in 2 days" surfaced only last month on the internet and it was seen more than 3.8 million times on Youtube alone.




And there is a reason for that. It took just six days to build the Ark Hotel in Changsha, China. According to the video, no stationary cranes were used in construction and there wasn't single injury among the site's workers.

The 15-story sustainable hotel already had its foundation but using pre-fabricated columns and modules as well as modern construction techniques, construction workers took just 46 hours to finish the main structural components and another 90 hours to finish the building enclosure.

Construction Details:

Level 9 Earthquake Resistance: diagonal bracing structure, light weight, steel construction, passed level 9 earthquake resistance testing

6x Less Material: even though the construction materials are much lighter(250kg/m2) than the traditional materials(over 1500kg/m2), the floors and walls are solid with surefootedness, airtight and sound-proofing

5x Energy Efficient: 150mm thermal insulation for walls and roofs, triple glazed plastic windows, external solar shading, heat insulation, fresh air heat recovery, LED lighting, yearly HAVC A/C energy consumption equivalent to 7 liters oil.

20x Purification: after 3 levels of purification, the purification efficiency for fresh air reaches 95%-99.9%; air exchanged 1-2.5 times per hour, and indoor air is 20x cleaner than out door air

1% Construction Waste: all components are factory made, construction waste, mainly package materials, result from on site set-up only and amount to 1% of the total weight of the building

(source: http://www.youtube.com/user/differentenergy)

If we believe the sources on the internet, this hotel construction caused only 1% material waste as compared to the building industry average of 10% for in-place steel and concrete construction. Clearly, this well planned, coordinated and executed project sets a perfect example for lean construction community and for the construction industry as a whole to understand the value of eliminating waste from the projects.


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Comments

  1. Vishal PorwalDecember 27, 2010 at 4:42 AM

    There is an interesting discussion going on about the same building on LinkedIn's - Lean Construction Network Group - http://tinyurl.com/2fe3k3u

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vishal PorwalDecember 27, 2010 at 4:42 AM

    From LinkedIn, I also got hold of another interesting video of similar kind - "Timelapse Construction Video of 2010 Shanghai World Expo Broad Pavilion"

    http://vimeo.com/13727829

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vishal PorwalDecember 27, 2010 at 6:18 AM

    Here is a link to the news about Expo Broad Pavilion Construction in China Daily - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-03/15/content_9588476.htm

    ReplyDelete
  4. hotel constructionNovember 25, 2011 at 6:09 AM

    That was indeed impressive! In building this kind of infrastructure everything should be accurate.

    ReplyDelete

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