People travel far and wide to view one of nature’s most spectacular sights, the waterfall. Somebody at the Chinese construction company Guizhou Ludiya Property Management recognized this and thought, “Hey, why don’t we build a waterfall on the side of our skyscraper?” And so they created the world’s tallest artificial waterfall, and people can’t quite decide if it’s a good idea or not.
There’s no denying that it looks spectacular, creating a glorious rainbow in front of the building when the sun is out. But the artificial waterfall, located in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in Southwest China, requires four large pumps to lift the recycled water 350ft before it cascades down the side of the enormous building. It faced substantial engineering challenges during construction, and the waterfall is only in use for special occasions because of electricity costs, believed to be over $100 an hour.
We spoke to one resident of Guiyang, Tengyu Zhang, to get his take on the unusual new attraction in his city. “I think it’s nice,” he told us. “I think it’s more for showing the tourism of Guizhou province. Since Huangguoshu waterfall is the most famous waterfall in China and it’s located in Guizhou, this one can be like a small ad for that.”
Many people have reacted negatively to what they perceive as a highly wasteful vanity project, but Tengyu disagrees. “Well, it’s not always on. Only if there are some international and important events will it open. Moreover, there are fountains in the park and light decorations in the modern city. Considering the environmental aspect, all those should also be closed.”
Guiyang is experiencing rapid growth as people flock from other parts of the province to take advantage of the building boom. “Five years ago, it was still one of the poorest provinces in China,” Tengyu told us. “But now the government wants to build a big data center in Guiyang. For example, the bases for Apple, Google, and Amazon will be located in Guiyang.” So the economy is developing rapidly.
It seems like there’ll be plenty more creative and crazy skyscrapers to come in Guiyang! Please scroll down to check out the waterfall building for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments! (H/T)
A construction company in Guiyang, China, decided to try something different.
Image credits: IC
They built the world’s largest artificial waterfall onto the side of their skyscraper.
Image credits: IC
But while there’s no denying that it does look spectacular
Image credits: IC
It requires four massive pumps to lift the recycled water 350ft before it cascades down the side of the building.
Image credits: IC
And because of electricity costs, believed to be over $100 an hour, the waterfall is only used for special occasions.
Image credits: IC
Many people have reacted negatively to what they perceive as a wasteful vanity project.
Image credits: IC
While others thought it was a great new tourist attraction for the city
Image credits: IC
“I think it’s nice,” Guiyang resident Tengyu Zhang told us
Image credits: IC
“Since Huangguoshu waterfall is the most famous waterfall in China and it’s located nearby, this one can be like a small ad for that.”
Image credits: IC
Some commenters also loved the idea
While others found things to critique
What do you think?
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