Ever see a 12 story building just fall over?

A 12-story building in China, laying on the ground.

A 12-story building in China, laying on the ground.

12 Story Building

(1) An underground garage was being dug on the south side, to a depth of 4.6 meters.
(2) The excavated dirt was being piled up on the north side, to a height of 10 meters.
(3) The building experienced uneven lateral pressure from south and north.
(4) This resulted in a lateral pressure of 3,000 tonnes, which was greater than what the pilings could tolerate. Thus the building toppled over in the southerly direction.

12 Story Building

First, the apartment building was constructed.

12 Story Building

Then the plan called for an underground garage to be dug out. The excavated soil was piled up on the other side of the building.

12 Story Building

Heavy rains resulted in water seeping into the ground.

12 Story Building

The building began to shift and the hollow concrete pilings were snapped due to the uneven lateral pressures.

The building began to tilt.

12 Story Building

Not a pretty picture here but it does give a whole new meaning to horizontal construction.

12 Story Building

If the buildings were closer together could there have also been a domino effect?

12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building
12 Story Building