Flat pack skyscrapers could reset thinking for city crisis
THE Great Guide to the Future, a new documentary series fronted by Newstalk presenter Jonathan McCrea, aims at making science well, fun and accessible. This week he explores housing — a subject that may in fact decide the next general election in Ireland.
Personally I’m not the greatest fan of science-based television. I tend to lean towards the Homer Simpson school of life and accept that things work for a reason, so that I don’t have to bother understanding why.
But I have to say, I’m taken with the manner and means by which the host delivers his information.
You could cheapen this show by saying it is science for idiots, but it is far more in-depth than that.
Take housing. We are all aware of the homeless problem, particularly in Dublin, and with Ireland’s housing crisis spiralling out of control, continuing to expand outwards will soon not be an option and alternative building methods are being investigated.
At the very heart of the revolutionary speed-building phenomenon in China is steel. Given the urgency we are now faced with in order to find enough housing for an ever-growing population, the pressures on cities has never been more intense.
Jonathan speaks with Chairman Zhang —what a great name — who has been dubbed the Chinese Steve Jobs; only instead of making iPhones he makes iBuildings.
Think Ikea skyscrapers which come in packs, like Lego, that are flat-pack, recyclable and will take only six months to build in comparison to two years.
ICAUGHT up with Jonathan this week who explained to me that despite the complex futuristic nature of the technology, there’s no reason why we can’t build homes for people in Dublin in less than three weeks.
‘It’s such an oxymoron; Chairman Zhang is a property developer who considers himself an environmentalist. He’s creating these extremely environmentally friendly buildings, which are super earthquake-proof, 90% recyclable and there’s hardly any waste as it’s steel, instead of concrete.
‘J57, is his landmark building and is set on a campus called Broadtown in Changsha, China. The entire company lives and works there.
‘This building is 57 stories tall and was built in three weeks, which is absolutely insane to think about. It’s a proper flat pack skyscraper that was erected in three weeks. The foundations take a few months to lay, but once they are in place, he can put up the building in three weeks. That is just astonishing. Think of the homes you could build in Ireland in that length of time.’
Whatever people think of these flat-pack buildings, they do offer a vision for the future and may be the only sustainable solution to the future needs of cities.
Jonathan is sceptical as to whether this sort of technology will be brought to Ireland to help ease the housing crisis. He’s aware there are many complex issues that contribute to the homeless situation in Dublin. But he believes that if a developer or the Government give science a chance, they could certainly help relieve some of the pressure and make Dublin a prettier, more modern place to live.
‘They can create 800 apartments in an enormous building that can be built in Dublin.
‘They build the pieces on a manufacturing line and then click them together like Lego. All the electrics, piping and plumbing are already factored in. It’s more expensive to make, but not by a huge amount. It’s complicated with the housing in Ireland, I get that, but it could definitely help.
‘This is an incredibly exportable technology and the raw materials are very basic and recyclable.
‘Dublin city is extremely low rise; I think it’s an ugly city without one beautiful building that is not Georgian. We don’t have a lot of beauty in our city and there’s no reason why an area like the Docklands couldn’t bring in this technology and build skyscrapers with apartments and office blocks that are aesthetically pleasing.’
Well if I know developers, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
The Great Guide to the Future is on be3 at 7pm on Sunday.