In 2011, a Chinese construction company built a 30-story hotel in just 15 days. The T30 was constructed by Broad Sustainable Building (BSB) in the city of Hunan. BSB’s speedy construction methods may sound like a bad thing, but the T30 boasts impressive features that make it safer and more sustainable than many other buildings.
Building the T30
The T30 was constructed using prefabricated modules, which are far quicker to use than traditional construction methods.
These modules are quite energy-efficient, with features like double-glazed windows and insulation to help reduce the building’s energy consumption.
T30 operates as a hotel – and one that people seek out for its excellent air quality. The hotel’s state-of-the-art air purification system reportedly delivers air that is 20 times cleaner than the air outside. This makes it attractive for travelers with respiratory issues (and those who simply understand the role of clean air on human health!).
In addition to its energy efficiency and air purification system, the T30 was designed to be earthquake-resistant. The building can reportedly withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9.
A guest from the TreeHugger website (cited below) stayed at the hotel and reported:
“Compared to normally built hotel, the T30 is using a fifth of the energy, a quarter of the water, with air that is 20 times as clean as outdoor air. You can feel it; I have been in so-called green hotels in New York with noisy through-wall heat pumps that are inefficient and loud and ruin the whole experience. This is different. The square plan of the T30 may be efficient to build, but it generally feels just a bit too tight. But again, it doesn’t feel like a place that was built in 14 days, it is solid, it is quiet, and it works.
Broad Chairman Zhang Yue’s preoccupations do not include architectural design; they are all about energy efficiency, standardization, mass production, air quality, health.”
BSB’s other construction
The T30 is one of the many impressive buildings constructed by BSB. The company also built Mini Sky City in Changsha in just 19 days. It is currently the tallest prefabricated building in the world. The Mini Sky City is 57 stories high and 204 meters tall.
BSB has also developed modular kitchens and modular bathrooms designed to be energy-efficient.
BSB’s commitment to sustainable and innovative construction has earned them awards like the Energy Globe Award. And they’ve been recognized by the United Nations for their contributions to sustainable development.
Source: “A Closer Look at Broad’s Hotels That Were Built in Days, Not Months” — TreeHugger