One of the towers of the Lotus Riverside residential complex in Shanghai he collapsed on his sidecausing the tragic death of a worker. A tragic and completely unexpected event occurred during the construction of the complex, at 5.40am on 27 June 2009. Developed by Shanghai Meidu Real Estate Development in the context of a large urban redevelopment project in the peripheral district of Minhang, Lotus Riverside included 11 towers of 13 floors intended for homes and offices. At the time of the collapse of block 7 the construction site was now close to completion and around 500 units had already been sold.
The investigations launched after the tragedy have highlighted a serious critical issue linked to the foundation design. According to the investigators, the workers were building a garage on the south side of the building and, proceeding with excavations, had removed large quantities of earth. The resulting material was then stacked on the north side of the tower, forming a mound about ten meters high. The combination between the strong pressure exerted by this accumulation of soil on one side, and the void produced by the excavations on the opposite side, compromised the overall stability of the structure.
Added to this condition was the structural problem that was decisive in determining the particular collapse: the foundation piles had not been designed according to adequate criteria nor were they driven to a sufficient depth to counteract lateral movements of this magnitude, as would be the practice for a 13-storey building. Block 7 was thus unable to oppose and counteract the thrusts generated by the horizontal loads, ending up collapse on one side.
After the accident, the real estate giant Vankeknown for its innovative projects and state-of-the-art facilities, has taken over management of the completion of the works, sales and refunds to buyers affected by the collapse.
