Wenchuan Earthquake Reconstruction Projects

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

In June 2008 the governments of British Columbia and Canada announced an $8 million project to help rebuild Wenchuan (Sichuan Province,) the area of China devastated by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake on May 12, 2008. The earthquake killed or injured more than 450,000 people and left another 4.8 million people homeless.

In partnership with Chinese agencies, the Canadian-B.C. project is building new schools, senior citizen homes, and other public facilities. All will be earthquake resistant based on Canadian engineering and B.C. wood products that are considered world-leading in seismic performance and energy efficiency.

For more information of BC-Canada Sichuan earthquake reconstruction projects, please visit:
www.canada-bc-512quakereconstruction.org

Project 1: Xiang’E Primary School in Dujiangyan

Following the May 12 Wenchuan Earthquake, the Government of the People’s Republic of China assigned responsibility to major cities and provinces around the country to support reconstruction efforts. Shanghai, as  designated reconstruction partner of Dujiangyan, was assigned responsibility for a number of public projects  including the Xiang’E Primary School.  Located in a rural area of the city,  the school was virtually destroyed during  the earthquake, taking the lives of many students and rescuers. It has captured the attention of the entire country and was personally selected by Mayor Han of Shanghai to be part of Shanghai’s phase one reconstruction initiatives.

Shanghai was interested in using seismically safe new technology. The long standing cooperative relationship between the Shanghai Ministry of Construction, Tongji University and the Canadian wood community in China (FII China and Canada Wood Group) provided them the confidence to consider seismically stable wood frame construction.

On August 1, FII China and Shanghai Tongji University signed a memorandum of understanding to collaboratively proceed with this reconstruction project. Under this partnership, Tongji is responsible for design and construction coordination (as appointed by Shanghai MOC) and the Canada/BC initiative will contribute Canadian wood materials, design support and technical supervision of the construction.  Cooperation with Tongji and Shanghai MOC will raise the profile of this project and lend significant credibility to the use of modern WFC in schools, where the concern for safety is a primary issue. Cooperation on the Xiang’E project will also provide a platform to further existing relationships and cooperation with these partners in the Yangtze Delta.

FII China’s General Manager Mike Hogan and the Director of Tongji University’s Earthquake Reconstruction Steering Committee WU Guangming were signatories of this MOU. Tongji University’s Executive Vice President and Deputy Director of Earthquake Reconstruction Steering Committee LI Yongsheng, Consul General of Canada in Shanghai Susan Gregson, and Canada Wood Group’s Managing Director Fred Spoke also attended the ceremony.

The MOU stressed that construction of the Xiang’E Primary School Project will use modern wood frame construction technology and high quality Canadian wood materials that will demonstrate the benefits of wood frame construction including seismic stability, energy efficiency, reduced environmental impact, flexible design and fast construction.

The design of this school provides for nearly 5,300m2 of structures including a mixture of multi-storey classrooms, dormitories and administrative/common area facilities. Preparation work has already begun for the school’s construction, and it is scheduled for completion by spring 2009.

Project2：Beichuan County Leigu Town Elderly Care Centre

China’s rural elderly rely heavily on their children for support when they can no longer care for themselves. The Ministry of Civil Affairs provides basic social assistance, such as food, clothing, housing, medical care, or other financial means for those without children.

Beichuan County, located approximately one hour from Mianyang City, was one of the areas hit hardest by the Earthquake. The Leigu Town Elderly Care Centre in Beichuan County that previously housed 75 elderly was completely destroyed by the earthquake. An additional 127 elderly are in need of care after the quake, leaving over 200 elderly without proper care facilities. Beichuan County Government has given high priority to the reconstruction of the elderly care centre, which is included in the County’s first round of construction projects.

The completed structure will include residential buildings, public service facilities such as clinic, cafeteria, leisure rooms, offices, meeting rooms, as well as garden and outdoor recreation facilities. The Mianyang Municipal Government has proposed to craft a design that reflects the cooperative nature of this project combining Canadian style wood-frame construction with elements of the Qiang Minority traditional wood-frame structures. This project is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Project3：Mianyang Rehabilitation Centre and School for the Disabled

The earthquake had a dire impact on Mianyang Municipality claiming the lives of more than 20,000 people, injuring almost 180,000, and leaving nearly 8,000 still missing. More than 13,000 children and adults have been left disabled by the quake.

To help those devastated the earthquake, the Mianyang Government is planning the construction of a comprehensive facility that will include: recovery and rehabilitation centre for children and adults, special needs school for disabled students, and a vocational training centre for disabled adults. The total proposed construction area of this project is almost 20,000 m2 however due to the overall scale of this project our involvement in its construction will be limited to only some of the facilities. The construction of this facility will demonstrate Canada’s strengths in public accessibility design and construction. This project is scheduled for completion in 2009.