A 7,500 tonnes district that walks
It is a surreal scene that took place in the Zhangyuan district of Shanghai. The Huayanli complex, a set of historic brick buildings dating from the 1920s and weighing in total 7,500 tonnes, has literally “market” to regain its original location.
This trip, which ended a few weeks ago, was at the speed of 10 meters per day. It was the last stage of a titanic project that had already seen the district were moved for the first time in 2023.
Why did you move a whole neighborhood?
The reason for this spectacular operation is simple: the need to build without destroying. Shanghai authorities were to dig a huge three -story underground complex just under the historic district to install shops, parking and especially a new hub connecting three metro lines.
Rather than shaving these 140 -year -old buildings, which are part of the city’s heritage, engineers have therefore made a radical decision: to move them temporarily during the work.
The solution: an army of 432 Fourmis robots
How to move such weight? Not with cranes, impossible to maneuver in the narrow alleys of the neighborhood. The solution came from an army of 432 small “walkers” robots.
These robots, not larger than the hand, are in fact hydraulic cylinders capable of lifting several tens of tonnes each. Piloted by a central AI and guided by 3D scans, they raised the entire complex and moved it in perfect synchronization, such as a colony of ants carrying a sheet.
What do we say?
Beyond the technical feat, which is absolutely fascinating, this project is excellent news. It shows that technology can offer solutions to reconcile two often opposite imperatives: urban development and preservation of heritage. Rather than choosing between the past and the future, Shanghai made both.
Even if this technology has a cost, it opens up interesting perspectives for historic cities around the world that seek to modernize without disfiguring. What do you think?
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