Demolition of rooftop villa begins
Print Edition
An apartment owner, who illegally built an elaborate garden villa on top of a 26-story building in downtown Beijing, began dismantling the structure yesterday, two days after local urban management officials gave him a 15-day deadline to clear the roof.
Zhang Biqing, owner of the 800-square-meter rooftop oasis, said he has hired workers who built the villa for him six years ago to carry out the demolition, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Workers were pulling down grape trellis yesterday morning. A sun room was the next to be dismantled and artificial rocks were scheduled to be sawed and removed, an initial plan showed.
Local urban management officials provided technical guidance at the site to ensure the building structure remained sound and to prevent water and electricity leakage, a municipal urban management bureau official told Xinhua news agency.
The officers ordered workers to erect a protective fence around the building to prevent falling objects hitting passersby and vehicles.
If the workers fail to finish the job within the deadline, the structure will be forcibly demolished, authorities said.
Local residents have been visiting the site since photos showing the top of the 26-story building covered in a man-made mound dotted with rocks, greenery and a swimming pool went viral online after they were published on Monday.
Neighbors have long complained that the construction of the landscape, which began in 2007, has caused gas and water leaks that affected several apartments on lower floors. They are also concerned about safety hazards brought on by the construction, including damage to the building’s structural integrity and pipe system.
But Zhang claimed that the rockery, made from resin, was built to keep the building cool and deflect smoke emitted from chimneys on the rooftop. The artificial rocks were so light and cost him 900,000 yuan (US$147,240), he said.
Also, he claimed to have compensated his neighbors. As a self-proclaimed acupuncture master, he said he treated his neighbors free of charge and had even offered 100,000 yuan to a neighbor who claimed to have developed neurasthenia.
Local media have identified Zhang as a wealthy traditional Chinese medicine practitioner known for his therapies for treating difficult illnesses, such as cervical spondylosis.
Meanwhile, a similar sight has been discovered in the eastern part of Suzhou.
A classic Suzhou-style garden has been built atop an 18-floor building in the Jiangsu Province city. Construction for the 150-square-meter complex, with pavilions and corridors, also began six years ago.
Local urban management officials drew a blank when they visited the owner on Wednesday; he was not at home.
But considering the complaints from neighbors the officials suspect the garden has been built illegally, Yangtze Evening News reported.
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