In a recent development in Ningyuan County, Hunan Province, a residential building has been classified as a D-grade dangerous building, despite being only 15 years old since its completion. The building has been evacuated by all the owners.
On June 5th, Mr. Liu, a resident of Building 1 in the Shenxia Community in Ningyuan County, disclosed that the entire building is tilting and has been deemed a D-grade dangerous building. The construction of the building was finished in 2008, and it has only been in use for 15 years.
Currently, more than forty households in Building 1 have already moved out.
Some commentators have pointed out that in China, land usage rights are typically granted for 70 years, so it is concerning that a building is classified as a D-grade dangerous structure after only 15 years of use, suggesting a relatively short lifespan.
Similar instances of newly constructed buildings tilting have been observed in many places in China.
In March 2022, Building 8 of the Chengxin Jiayuan Community in Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province, received a safety evaluation report from Hunan Huda Civil Engineering Testing Co., Ltd., indicating numerous wall cracks, uneven foundation settlement, and significant lateral displacement. The evaluation rated the building as grade C, requiring remedial measures.
Building 8 of the Chengxin Jiayuan Community was completed in April 2017, and showed signs of structural and safety issues just five years after completion.
In February 2023, Building 3 in the Xueyuan Community in Shanggao County, Jiangxi Province, a building that had been under construction for 15 years, was labeled as a D-grade dangerous building.
According to the Chinese “Identification Standards for Dangerous Buildings,” dangerous buildings are classified into 4 levels, with D-grade indicating that the load-bearing structure can no longer meet normal usage requirements, posing risks to the entire building, typically necessitating complete demolition.