Expert in Green Building Pathology Treatment: An Interview with Wu Ru Jun, Chairman of Guangzhou Shengte Building Technology Development Co., Ltd.

The term "expert" may be familiar to you, but the field of building reinforcement and restoration, or the treatment of building diseases, might be entirely new. As urban construction becomes increasingly modernized and public transportation networks weave through cities, many old buildings with rich cultural heritage and a history of urban development have inevitably become obstacles to modernization. Setting aside the calls for city conservation, the construction waste produced by the demolition of these old buildings alone could severely harm our ecological environment. The pollution potential of these non-degradable cement and steel is anything but negligible. To better practice the philosophy of green environmental protection, and to ensure that old buildings, which carry the collective memory of the city, continue to shine through the ages, Shengte Technology has tirelessly researched and developed techniques for building reinforcement, restoration, and disease treatment over the years. With its exceptional skills, the company has truly earned its reputation as an expert in the field.

The subway passes directly beneath seven pillars.

Established in 1998, Shengte Technology specializes in building reinforcement and retrofitting, jacking and underpinning, tilt correction, slope stabilization, and other building reinforcement and retrofitting projects. The company has an in-house team of over 80 experts and research professionals. For over a decade, we have been dedicated to the research and development of building retrofitting and jacking technologies, securing over a dozen patents, including "The Coordination Tilt Correction Method for Double Grey Well Piers on Complex Foundations" and "The Tilt Correction Device for Regulating Pier Head Load." Additionally, we have contributed to the compilation of several industry construction standards, such as "Technical Code for Building Displacement and Tilt Correction Retrofitting" and "Technical Code for Concrete Durability." We have been honored with awards like the "2010 National Construction Project Enterprise" and the "Third Guangdong Province Zhan Tianyou Homeland Cup Award." As Chairman Wu Ru Jun puts it, Shengte is not only committed to general building reinforcement and retrofitting projects but also to special, high-end projects that no other industry can achieve. We specialize in solving the complex problems of buildings!

With the widespread development of urban underground space projects, the situation of underground tunnel construction crossing the foundation of buildings is increasingly common. Ensuring the structural safety and normal use of the original buildings during tunnel passage has become a major issue to be addressed in underground engineering. In 2011, Shengte Technology successfully resolved the Nancheng Department Store underpinning project for the Shenzhen Metro Line 5, earning the "Third Guangdong Province Civil Engineering Zhan Tianyou Hometown Cup Award" in the civil engineering specialty from the Guangdong Province Civil Engineering Society. Wu Ru Jun said, the difficulty of this project lies in the fact that the subway must pass directly below the bottom of seven columns at the edge of the Nancheng Department Store! If following traditional methods, to ensure the smooth passage of the tunnel, it would be necessary to dismantle the building or to construct a temporary support structure on the first floor, which would result in significant resource waste. Therefore, after on-site investigation and research, Shengte developed a novel single-side support underpinning scheme. By using a "one-lift-one-hoist" method in the basement, the original load of the building above the tunnel was successfully transferred. It is reported that this technology is a first in the country and has achieved good economic and social effects, saving the owner from over one billion yuan in economic losses!

Green Reinforcement Revitalizes Buildings

In addition to solving the complex issues of various buildings, Shengte Technology has been committed to promoting the "Green Reinforcement" program for the reasonable renovation and utilization of old houses. As introduced by Wu Ru Jun, China is a country with a significant amount of new construction annually, with the new building area reaching 2 billion square meters each year, consuming 40% of the world's cement and steel. However, due to massive demolition or removal of buildings, the average lifespan of buildings is only 25-30 years, far below the intended 70 years. Moreover, the annual demolition waste amounts to 400 million tons, and these construction materials that won't decompose for a century pose what impact on the entire ecological environment? To better protect the ecological environment, Shengte Technology is also vigorously promoting the concept of "Green Reinforcement," extending the lifespan of houses through regular inspections, engineering reinforcement, renovations, and underpinning, reducing demolition, lowering the emission of construction waste, and cutting energy consumption, thereby contributing to green environmental protection.

Wu Rujun said, In the West, Europeans take pride in their old buildings, which are durable and timeless. They are renovated and strengthened to keep up with the times, integrating old structures with urban development and becoming a cultural heritage of the city! In the future, Shengte people will take "Green Reinforcement, Shengte Technology" as a unified thought, striving to promote the innovation and development of reinforcement and renovation technology. (Text/Bishan, Photo/Yuan Haorong)