A Chinese government-run media reported that the average useful life span of public and residential buildings in Beijing is about 30 years. This is well below the expected life of 50 to 70 years. The statistic puts Beijing high on the list of cities with wasteful construction.

China News Agency reported on January 15 that a report submitted to the Beijing Political Consultative Commission stated that as of 2008, there were 590 million square meters of usable space in public and residential buildings. About 400 million square meters of that space can be used for less than 50 years. This relatively short life span is due to an errors such as lack of long-term planning, which has resulted in the demolition of many apartment buildings a mere 15 years after they were built.

The report stated that in developed countries, the average life of a building is 80 years or longer. Some buildings last several hundred years. Buildings that can be used for long a time are not squandering resources and materials.

Mr. Wu Fan, Editor of China Affairs, an internet Chinese-language publication based outside of China, believes that the real estate developers create buildings in Beijing with short life spans on purpose.

“This is how they make a profit in real estate. In 30 years, they are ready to demolish and rebuild. This is a new idea they are pushing. In the United States and Europe, many houses last more than 100 years. A house should last at least a person’s life span, which is 70 or 80 years. Thirty is only half of that.”

The report says that in the 50-plus years since the Communist Party took over China, with the exception of national memorials and important public buildings (such as facilities for the Olympic Games), most buildings were built using an immature approach when handling materials, planning, managing, designing, constructing, inspecting, or following standards and laws.

There is great potential for improving the useful life of public and residential buildings. It should be entirely possible to increase the average life span of a building to 100 years. For example, natural stones should be used in landmark buildings, and concrete should be used in urban residential developments.

The report also stated that the use of concrete in residential buildings is on the rise. Currently, concrete construction is used in 55 percent of all building types. If concrete were more widely used, buildings in Beijing would enjoy a longer life.