Engineers in China have come up with an innovative way of moving an 85-year-old building. Rather than demolish and rebuild the structure, they attached it to 198 robotic/hydraulic legs and “walked” it to its new destination. The 7,600-ton structure took 18 days to move itself over 200 feet to its new location in Shanghai.
The building—Lagena Primary School—needed to be moved to make way for a new commercial center. The school will be transformed into a cultural education and heritage center at its new location.
Construction technology company Shanghai Evolution Shift are responsible for the engineering feat. The hydraulic lifts were reportedly split into two groups, alternately rising up and down in order to “walk” the building. The project marks the first time the “walking machine” technology has been used in Shanghai.
"It’s like giving the building crutches so it can stand up and then walk," said Lan Wuji, who’s company developed the technology in 2018.
In a video posted by South China Morning Post, the hydraulic legs can be seen moving, walking the building a few inches at a time. Project engineers said the legs “mimic human feet” and that their walking function saves 20 percent more time than alternative methods.
The legs also helped engineers change the building’s orientation by about 20 degrees.
Source: The Urban Developer, Metro News, & My Joy Online
