Shanghai has finished the homecoming project of the 7,500-tonne "Huayanli" Shikumen complex in Zhangyuan, completing the delicate preservation project on Saturday, as part of Shanghai's innovative endeavor to harmonize historic conservation with urban modernization.
The 140-year-old Zhangyuan cultural and historical block, celebrated as "Shanghai's Premier Garden," constitutes the largest and most well-preserved collection of the city’s representative Shikumen (stone-gate) architecture.
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Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
In 2018, the Shanghai government launched a protective restoration project for Zhangyuan. To avoid damages caused by underground constructions, the city temperately relocated some of the Shikumen structures.
On May 19, Shanghai initiated the lay-back of the 4,000-square-meter Huayanli complex, comprising three distinctive Shikumen buildings. Supported by hundreds of robotic devices, the structures "walked" as a whole at an average pace of 10 meters per day, and have moved back to the original location on Saturday.
To accomplish this unprecedented move, engineers deployed 432 miniature robotic walkers beneath the buildings' foundations. These synchronized devices operated in pairs, with one stabilizing while the other advanced, creating a reciprocating motion that gently transported the whole historic structure complex without damaging their intricate decorative structures and connecting corridors.
"We specially developed high-capacity walking devices for this project, with an astonishing installation quantity of 432 units. These devices, paired with 216 power stations, form a highly complex integrated control system, that can monitor real-time abnormal building deformation, ensuring uniform force distribution between the mechanical equipment and the structure at all times," said Zhang Yi, General Manager of Urban Renewal Construction Cooperation of Shanghai Construction No. 2 Group, who is responsible for the project.
After the Huayanli complex returns to its position, another round of underground construction will be launched. Given the high density of buildings in the area, engineers have to adopt a top-down approach to expand new underground spaces.
"We have to first relocate the floor slabs in different zones, and thus shell we free up space on-site, allowing for the expansion of underground areas," said Zhang.
Aimed to preserve the Shikumen neighborhood's legacy amid the city's dynamic growth, the project plans to revitalize the historical Huayanli buildings into a new commercial district in the future.
"After the construction of the eastern section of Zhangyuan is completed, the ground level will feature an art center, a luxury hotel, and a performing arts center. Combined with the commercial functions of the western section, it will form a high-end commercial space," said Chen Rujian, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Jing'an Real Estate Group.
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
Historic Shikumen building complex fully restored to original site in Shanghai
