Lauren Hilgers profiles Zhang Yue, founder and chairman of Broad Sustainable Building (Broad), the Chinese company behind plans to construct the world's tallest building in seven months.
Even though Broad documented building a 30-story building in only 15 days in 2011, when its plans to build Sky City, a 220-story mega-building in the provincial capital of Hunan Province, were announced earlier this year most readers (including yours truly) likely dashed it off as pure fantasy.
Well, it turns out we underestimated Zhang Yue, founder and chairman of Broad, a company whose core business is in manufacturing industrial air-conditioning units, and is now revolutionizing how skyscrapers are built. "So far," notes Hilgers, "Broad has built 16 structures in China, plus another in Cancun...The
company is in the process of franchising this technology to partners in
India, Brazil, and Russia. What it's selling is the world's first
standardized skyscraper, and with it, Zhang aims to turn Broad into the
McDonald's of the sustainable building industry."
Read the full story: Meet the Man Who Built a 30-Story Building in 15 Days
Chinese Developer Reaches for the Heavens, Captures Hostility
Efforts to erect the world’s tallest building in Changsha are emblematic of a country that's constructing mega-towers like it's going out of style. But the backlash that the Sky City project has inspired may signal that tastes are actually changing.
Can China Erect the World's Tallest Building in 90 Days?
A company renowned for its high speed construction accomplishments has announced plans to build Sky City, a 220-story mega-building in Changsha.
A Bipartisan Case for Mass Timber—Combating Wildfires and Developing Local Economies
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
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The Architects Foundation
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Montrose County
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