A Chinese company needed just five days to erect a 26-story apartment building in Xiangyin county, Hunan province.
The 14,000-square-meter structure known as the Jingdu Holon Building was built by Broad Group Holon, a company based in Xiangyin, from Jan 7 to 11. The apartment building will house people who have been hired through a special talent introduction program in Xiangyin. They do not have to pay rent for the first two years.
Zhang Yanwei, a manager at Broad Group Holon Jianan Co, a subsidiary of Broad Group Holon, said each floor consists of eight 68-square-meter apartments and four elevators. The company is also furnishing the apartments, Zhang said.
In 2021, Broad Group erected an 11-story apartment building in Changsha, the provincial capital, in 28 hours and 45 minutes. The rapid construction of the building was made possible by the company’s Holon building method, which was designed to make it easier to transport and install materials.
The apartments are prefabricated in a factory as modular units that are 12 meters long, 3 meters high and 2.4 meters wide. Wiring and ductwork are also installed.
The stainless-steel units are then arranged on trucks and carried to the construction sites, where they can be stacked on top of each other like building blocks to facilitate rapid assembly.
Once the units are all in place, the electricity and water are turned on.
Li Shun, general manager of Broad Group Holon, said the apartment building is also resistant to earthquakes, as the stainless-steel structure is more durable than concrete.
The building is also equipped with staircases, he said.
Thanks to their design and their equipment, the well-insulated apartments can reduce the cost of air-conditioning by as much as 90 percent.
The exterior walls of the building can reduce noise levels and preserve heat, while the four-paned windows are made to keep heat from sunlight out during sunny days, he said.
According to the company, the building should last for more than 1,000 years.
When necessary, the entire building can be dismantled and built somewhere else, the company said.
Tony Frost, a modular building expert from New Zealand, stayed in an apartment in the 11-story Holon building in Changsha for a week late last year. He said the building is very strong, clean and contains lots of high technology, including a world-class water filtration system that makes drinking tap water enjoyable.
“When you walk around the building, it feels sturdy, almost like a concrete structure,” he said. A little bit of small changes, such as the color and texture of the interior design will make it better.”