Comparison of construction practices in China, the US, and India
Buildings are a crucial part of our lives because they fall into the basic needs category. The methods of construction have boundlessly improved compared to ancient times. The demand in need for more buildings has led to the invention of innovative techniques and models in construction practices. The construction practice differs from country to country in various ways depending on factors like technology, construction law, labor law, economy, materials used, and the geographical nature of the country.
Similarities and Dissimilarities in Construction Practice
| INDIA
Materials used for construction are plastic, glass, metal, cement, brick, blocks, fly ash and bricks, concrete, etc
|
USA
Materials used are wood, concrete, steel, cement, aggregates, bricks, clay, metal, etc. |
CHINA
The main materials that are used for construction are soil, timber, stone, tiles, and so on. |
| Constructing a building of around 1000 square feet house takes around 8 to 12 months In India | For the US it requires 7 to 12 months to construct a 1000 square feet house. | Chinese can build 10000 square feet building in four months. |
| Types of structural buildings in India are detached buildings, semi-detached buildings, and multi-story buildings | In America, the types of building structures are the Load bearing structure, Framed structure, Truss structure, Shell structure, Pre-engineered structure, and Mass structure. | The types of building structures of China are imperial palaces, defensive walls, pagodas, altars and temples, and mausoleums |
| Labor laws in the construction industry in India are The Payment of Wages Act 1936, The Minimum Wages Act 1948, The Equal Remuneration Act 1976and The Maternity Benefits Act 1961 | The labor laws of the US are the Code Wages, Industrial Relations Code, Social Security Code, and the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Condition Code | In China, employees should not work more than eight hours a day and not more than 44 hours a week. |
The need for the construction industry will never cease as long as the human race exists. We need homes and offices to live in as well as work. The buildings that are built around the world vary in shape and structure depending on various factors like climate, culture, tradition, and lifestyle of the people. The common shapes of buildings in India and the United States are rectangles, arches, and triangles whereas in China the buildings are shaped as circular with conical roofs, and square buildings with pyramid roofs. The oriental traditional Chinese building is called the Pagoda.
The construction industry is of two types Residential and Non-Residential. Residential buildings are where people live. Industries and commercial buildings come under non-residential buildings. The construction practice in the US concentrates more on modern high-rise buildings rather than traditional buildings. China’s construction practices still lean more toward the traditional pattern although modern buildings are taking shape in various places. India still chooses the blend of both modern and traditional construction practices.
The oldest building in the USA is said to be the James Town Church in Virginia built in 1639. The small main hall of the Nanchan Temple on Mount Wutai in Shanxi province built around 782 is supposedly the first building in China. In India, the Sanchi Stupa is considered the oldest stone structure. Post and lintel were the oldest and simplest methods of construction practice. Modern construction practice or smart construction is the non-traditional method of constructing a building. The involvement of technology has completely changed construction practice worldwide. The possibility of constructing a high-rise building is made easy with the help of technology.
China is the most populated country in the world. India and The US are second and third on the list respectively. The swift population growth widens the requirement for more residential and non-residential buildings. Modern construction practices help to speed up the process of construction. In China, a 10-story building was built in 38 hours and 25 minutes by Broad Group Enterprises. Shelby County in Alabama broke the world record by developing the fastest building construction in the world which is in 3.5 hours. In India when Instacon, Mohali was built by an Indian Construction industry, Synergy Thrislington in 48 hours the construction practice leaped to the next level.
The ancient buildings were built manually by masons, carpenters, and other laborers but nowadays the construction practice has changed and improved with the new inventions in technology as well as the upgraded knowledge about the construction industry. Although the materials used to build are almost the same the construction practice differs depending on various factors. The construction practice for cities in America is completely different from the cities in China and India. In the US most of the buildings in the cities are high-rise buildings whereas in China high-rise buildings are not much entertained yet. Most of the buildings in China don’t have more than 10 stories. Meanwhile, in Indian cities both high-rise and low-rise buildings are common. So the construction practice changes based on the building to be constructed and the materials available in the country.
The safety of the employees is a very important factor to be contemplated when it comes to construction practice because even though the technology is of immense use it cannot be replaced by humans. The US and Indian construction practices are very keen on the safety of the employees working in the construction field on the other hand in China the safety of the employees is overlooked and many accidents take place during the construction of a building.
The construction practice in the US, China, and India may vary but the bottom line is that buildings should be constructed in a manner that provides shelter to the people living in a particular area taking into consideration the conditions such as the weather, seasons, soil, the economy of the country and so on. The construction practice has marked a new beginning with the help of technology all over the globe which in turn makes constructing a building much easier in many ways compared to ancient times.
