Construction resumes on Shanghai Planetarium
Construction of the Shanghai Planetarium, set to be the largest in the world, has resumed.
On Wednesday, 22 workers were back on the worksite, bringing the resumption rate to 15 percent, according to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, which is in charge of the planetarium.
Construction of the planetarium started in November 2016. To date, the civil construction, steelwork and mechanical installations have finished. As planned, the planetarium will open next year, the museum said.
One major concern in the resumption of work, according to the museum, is the safety of personnel. The planetarium has implemented strict measures to prevent infection during the epidemic.
Migrant workers are required to undergo 14-day quarantine. Masks, bottled disinfectant and thermometers have also been prepared for workers.
Only one entrance is open, and everyone entering or leaving the site is required to have their temperature taken, footwear disinfected and personal information recorded. Those with abnormal temperatures will be sent to newly built isolation rooms to be quarantined.
The construction site is thoroughly disinfected twice a day, and key areas such as elevators and toilets are disinfected three times a day. Litter bins especially for used masks have been added.
The planetarium's design consists of three sections: the Oculus, the Inverted Dome and the Sphere. Called the three "celestial bodies," they are cleverly connected to form a giant astronomical instrument that displays time based on the changes of light and shadow.
Shanghai Planetarium is one of the five world-class cultural facilities soon to be completed in Pudong as part of local government efforts to create a cluster of cultural venues. The other four are Expo Culture Park, Pudong Art Museum, the east branch of the Shanghai Museum and the east branch of the Shanghai Library.
This week, machines also started to roar again on the construction site of the east branch of the Shanghai Museum.
More than 100 workers have returned to work, while others were staying in nearby dorms to wait for the end of the 14-day quarantine period. In the coming 10 days, nearly 400 workers are expected to resume work, with the resumption rate reaching 90 percent.
High-tech equipment, such as facial recognition devices and infrared thermal imagers, are used to ensure everyone on the site is healthy.
At present, workers are dealing with the steelwork and working to build the basement. The structure is expected to “emerge from the ground” in the middle of this year.
Under the plan, the museum will have two floors underground and six floors above. It will be more than twice the size of the Puxi address which opened in 1996 in People’s Square.
Once completed, it will be just 300 meters away from the east branch of the Shanghai Library.