The Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building, took three years to build. The Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world, took nearly six.
But a new 57-storey tower in the Chinese city of Changshan, while not quite as tall as these monoliths, was just completed in only 19 days. That breaks down to exactly three floors a day. Which is quite an achievement.
The tower contains 800 apartments, office space for 4,500 people, 19 large atriums to be used as public squares, and a ramp system in addition elevators, so residents can walk or ride bikes to and from their homes and offices. The building’s ventilation system will also pump out pollution-free air.
It’s the work of construction firm Broad Sustainable Building. The company, which specialises in eco-friendly, pre-fabricated builds, managed the amazing speed of construction by pre-building blocks in factories, then stacking and screwing them together on site – a bit like giant Lego blocks.