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Probe into wobbly Shenzhen skyscraper turns to vibration tests after inquiry fails to find cause

  • Vibration-excitation tests simulate different vibration patterns to test building integrity and identify structural weak points
  • SEG Plaza office and shop residents seeking temporary commercial space face a rising rent market while also suffering loss of business

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Vibration-excitation tests on SEG Plaza in Shenzhen may take some time and is a tedious process because 70 floors must be examined, says a Shenzhen civil engineer attached to the investigation. Photo: Weibo
William Zheng
Investigators in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen have turned to vibration simulations to identify the cause of the mysterious trembling that shook the SEG Plaza, after a nearly two-week probe failed to explain it conclusively.

While waiting for the official verdict, hundreds of shop owners housed in SEG Plaza – a skyscraper over 350 metres (1,150 feet) tall and known as the go-to place for electronics products in Shenzhen – must cope with the double blow of expensive rent and lost sales after they were forced to move out of the swaying building two weeks ago.

The Shenzhen government said on Monday its investigators would carry out new tests, including “vibration-excitation” to identify the cause of the trembling.

Vibration-excitation tests usually involve generators to simulate different vibration patterns to test a building’s integrity and identify parts causing resonance or that are the structural weak points.

“In principle, such tests may cause vibrations but will not affect the safety of the building structure,” the government said, stressing that key safety parameters remained “normal”.

The order to conduct further tests came after the tallest electronics shopping centre in China’s Silicon Valley in southern Guangdong province had a series of shaking episodes resulting in a mass emergency evacuation and the closure of the building.

On May 25, two days after Guangdong Communist Party secretary Li Xi ordered a swift and “scientific” investigation of the SEG Plaza, the investigators said the overall structure of the building “meets requirements”.

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