Shanghai residents passing through the city’s eastern Huangpu district earlier this month might have stumbled upon an unusual sight: a “walking” building.
A 5-storey building in Shanghai ‘walks’ to a new location [Video]
Workers had to first dig around the building to install the 198 mobile supports in the spaces underneath, Lan explained. After the pillars of the building were truncated, the robotic “legs” were then extended upward, lifting the building before moving forward.
Over the course of 18 days, the building was rotated 21 degrees and moved 62 meters (203 feet) away to its new location. The relocation was completed on October 15, with the old school building set to become a centre for heritage protection and cultural education.
The project marks the first time this “walking machine” method has been used in Shanghai to relocate a historical building, the government statement said.
The city also has a track record of relocating old buildings. In 2003, the Shanghai Concert Hall, built-in 1930, was moved over 66 metes (217 feet) to make way for an elevated highway. The Zhengguanghe Building a six-story warehouse, also from the 1930s — was then shifted 125 feet (38 meters) as part of a local redevelopment in 2013.