3 ms·

"those apartments only have an effective 10-20 year lifespan" Economical or political crisis hits, and they'll have to live in those apartments for 50+ years.

"those apartments only have an effective 10-20 year lifespan" Economical or political crisis hits, and they'll have to live in those apartments for 50+ years. We've been there already. How do you build an apartment block these days anyway so it just lasts 20 years? With modern materials it's a bit unexpected. It's a royally crappy idea anyway. Imagine selling one of those apartments to a person aged 40, who then promptly retires and have to live 20 years in a crumbling home or lose one and go homeless. Apartment is supposed to be a solid investment.

ics 11y ago
"Modern materials" doesn't necessarily mean the most durable or well-suited to the task. It typically means cheap to produce (therefore readily available) and visually... acceptable.
- seanmcdirmid 11y ago
  The concrete China uses is pretty cheap actually, and the labor used to put it together is fairly unskilled. They have to build much thicker as a result, which leads to higher maintenance costs (which isn't done) and much quicker degradation.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
seanmcdirmid 11y ago
> How do you build an apartment block these days anyway so it just lasts 20 years? With modern materials it's a bit unexpected. My rented apartment in central Beijing is about 10 years old, considered fairly high end (we pay 7500 RMB/month for a one bedroom), and is already showing signs of deterioration (and our complex is considered "good" and well managed compared to the other ones in our fairly middle class Sanyuan Qiao area). It is a combination of poor construction techniques + poor maintenance + poor planning. The government and development companies "built to build" with little focus on the long term. They are already tearing down developments made 15, 10, or 5 years ago, or even before they are finished* for "re-development." * http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-proudly-demolishing-buildings-completed-pursuit-great-housing-bubble-perpetual-engine http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-proudly-demolishing-b...

ics 11y ago

"Modern materials" doesn't necessarily mean the most durable or well-suited to the task. It typically means cheap to produce (therefore readily available) and visually... acceptable.

seanmcdirmid 11y ago
The concrete China uses is pretty cheap actually, and the labor used to put it together is fairly unskilled. They have to build much thicker as a result, which leads to higher maintenance costs (which isn't done) and much quicker degradation.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

seanmcdirmid 11y ago

> How do you build an apartment block these days anyway so it just lasts 20 years? With modern materials it's a bit unexpected. My rented apartment in central Beijing is about 10 years old, considered fairly high end (we pay 7500 RMB/month for a one bedroom), and is already showing signs of deterioration (and our complex is considered "good" and well managed compared to the other ones in our fairly middle class Sanyuan Qiao area). It is a combination of poor construction techniques + poor maintenance + poor planning. The government and development companies "built to build" with little focus on the long term. They are already tearing down developments made 15, 10, or 5 years ago, or even before they are finished* for "re-development." * http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-proudly-demolishing-buildings-completed-pursuit-great-housing-bubble-perpetual-engine http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-proudly-demolishing-b...