10kdemountableflatsbuiltinamonth

From: Shenzhen Daily

Updated: 2008-06-23 00:06

SHENZHEN builders have again proved to the nation their amazing "Shenzhen speed" when they completed the first batch of 10,000 portable apartments for Sichuan quake victims in one month, five days ahead of schedule.

They were also the first of the quake relief teams arriving in Deyang to complete the task.

All 16 housing compounds in Shifang, Deyang City, are named after Shenzhen real estate firms who donated a total of 44.7 million yuan (US$5.96m) toward the cost. The units were ready for occupation Friday.

Alhough not planned to used permamently, the demountable apartments are well-designed and speed was not a tradeoff for quality, according to Zhang Wen, senior Shenzhen official in charge of the project. Zhang, vice secretary to the Shenzhen Municipal Government, heads the quake relief mission. He left for Shifang on May 30.

A pilot team had arrived in Deyang on May 22 to carry out initial survey work to prepare for construction.

"The apartments will endure for three to five years. We not only focus on the safety aspects like being quakeproof, fireproof and waterproof, we also look to the future needs for the precious arable land to be returned to locals for farming," Zhang was quoted by the Chinese media as saying yesterday.

With that need in mind, the Shenzhen builders took painstaking efforts to protect the environment surrounding construction sites by producing as little permanent waste as possible.

Each housing compound consists of no more than 50 apartments, where every 10 apartments share a kitchen and every 50 share toilets and a shower unit. Lights and electricity sockets are installed and sewage gutters have been dug in front of and behind the apartments.

The conditions may appear miserable compared with the luxury apartments in Shenzhen, but it is what can be put up in such a short period of time, given the tight budget. More than 4,000 Shenzhen builders had spent many sleepless nights, working on shifts around the clock to finish the work.

Among the workers of Kingon Real Estate Co. Ltd. were some veterans who had built Shenzhen in their 20s. "Already in their 50s, these guys worked as hard as young people, taking turns to have a nap and relying on cookies and instant noodles for food," said Wang Dejing, vice general manager of the Shenzhen No. 1 Construction Company.

The builders also built a temporary school with 42 classrooms in three days, which was originally not included in the rebuilding plan. In total, Shenzhen will help build 40,000 demountable apartments for Deyang.

Shenzhen Daily