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."
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
What’s good for our forests and planet can also be good for our jobs, communities, and the economy. That’s why we’re writing this together—an ex-Democratic political operative and an ex-Republican staff member who want to see mass timber flourish.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
