Picture credit score: SCMP
Shanghai’s Zhangyuan neighborhood, a 140-year-old maze of tight alleys and Shikumen-style properties, simply pulled off an engineering stunt for the ages. The Huayanli complicated—7,500 tons of century-old buildings—was hoisted and shuffled throughout the town by 432 tiny robots, every sufficiently small to slot in your hand, in a jaw-dropping technological dance.
Huayanli, born within the Nineteen Twenties and ‘30s, is a slice of Shanghai’s soul. These three brick-and-wood constructions, nestled within the vibrant Zhangyuan cultural district, as soon as teemed with middle-class life. With so few Shikumen neighborhoods left, tearing them down wasn’t an choice. However Shanghai wanted room for an enormous three-story underground complicated, which consists of roughly 570,000 sq. toes of outlets, cultural areas, a parking storage, and a hub tying collectively Metro Strains 2, 12, and 13. The repair? Make the buildings take a stroll.
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What made this all potential? Effectively, 432 crawler-type robots. Regardless of their measurement, these palm-sized bots can every carry dozens of tons, they usually labored collectively to maneuver the 43,400-square-foot complicated alongside at 33 toes a day. How lengthy did it take? The venture started on Might 19 after which concluded on June 7, 2025, gently returning Huayanli to its authentic spot after a 2023 detour for underground work. Guided by 3D scans, AI algorithms, and exact dial gauges, not a single brick was misplaced.
Why robots? Zhangyuan’s slim alleys and delicate historic constructions couldn’t deal with conventional strategies. Plus, cranes couldn’t squeeze in, and rollers risked harming the 1928 “nice corridor,” a former night time college within the complicated. Crafted by Shanghai Development No. 2 (Group) Co. Ltd., these robots teamed up with nimble drilling bots that squeezed by means of 1.2-meter gaps to deal with basis work. They used deep-learning AI to kind by means of clay from robust obstacles, whereas conveyor belts zipped away grime.
The underground hub will hyperlink skyscrapers, outlets, and neighborhoods. Above floor, Huayanli’s restored facades and courtyards will stand as a residing piece of Shanghai’s previous. Town’s no stranger to shifting buildings, however Huayanli, China’s greatest relocation but, raises the bar to say the least.
Shifting a 7,500-ton complicated with out breaking it aside flips the concept progress and preservation can’t coexist. It’s not low cost, however Shanghai’s daring transfer may spark cities in all places to rethink how they honor their roots whereas nonetheless managing to develop.
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