Tofu buildings are structurally unsound buildings that can collapse easily due to hasty construction, substandard materials, and lax inspections. They lack basic safety equipment and are often fraught with other problems. The devastating earthquake in Sichuan in 2008 raised concerns about the rapid construction in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. In contrast, Japan has stringent standards and inspections that prevent the construction of tofu buildings.
Tofu buildings are buildings so structurally unsound that they are likened to wobbly blocks of soft tofu, which will crumble at the slightest provocation. The term originates in China, where a construction boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s led to a proliferation of such structures. The many problems with tofu buildings were brought to the fore in 2008 when a devastating earthquake in Sichuan province killed tens of thousands of Chinese people, many of whom were trapped when such buildings collapsed.
From the outside, Tofu Buildings appear perfectly safe, especially to the casual eye. They have all the components you would expect to see in a building and often the interior is also finished in such a way as to appear safe. The superstructure and foundations of this type of building are not sound and this can lead to serious problems in the event of earthquakes, floods and fires as the unstable building can collapse or be severely damaged.
Obviously, no one sets out to build a structurally inadequate building. Tofu buildings are the result of hasty construction, designed to erect a structure as quickly and cheaply as possible. Hasty construction often involves the use of substandard materials and lax inspections. Builders may also skip important steps or ignore safety protocol in the interest of getting a building quickly, and once the building is built, authorities may be reluctant to order its demolition. Additionally, structural flaws can be hidden from view, making tofu buildings more difficult to spot.
In addition to being structurally unsound, tofu buildings are often fraught with other problems. They may lack basic safety equipment like fire escapes, for example, and many have issues with wiring or plumbing. In communities where human populations are rapidly expanding, people are often willing to overlook problems in the interest of having a roof over their heads, and this choice can be fatal when a building collapses or catches fire.
The extensive earthquake damage in Sichuan in 2008 raised a number of concerns around the world, with critics comparing Sichuan to Japan, a region that has suffered several large earthquakes. In Japan, however, structures are built much more carefully, with stringent standards and inspections that don’t allow tofu buildings to slip through, so the death toll tends to be relatively low in Japan after earthquakes. Some critics were particularly concerned about the rapid construction in Beijing to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, as an influx of humanity was expected to descend upon Beijing and the poorly built structures could cause a catastrophic tragedy of international proportions.
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