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In Shanghai, an old school of 7.6 thousand tons was relocated with mechanical supports, in an operation that combined urban engineering, historical preservation, and new commercial developments in the city center.
An old school in Shanghai, China, underwent an unusual engineering operation by being lifted off the ground, supported on 198 mechanical supports, and moved about 62 meters without being demolished.
The five-story building, constructed in 1935 and known as the former Lagena Primary School, weighed approximately 7.6 thousand tons and needed to be relocated due to a new commercial development in the city’s central area.
The operation was completed on October 15, 2020, after 18 days of relocation.
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According to information released by Chinese media and publications specialized in construction, the building was elevated, supported on a system of mechanical “walkers,” and moved in a curved trajectory, with a rotation of almost 21 degrees until reaching the new point within the site.
The case has resurfaced in recent years in videos and publications about engineering due to the unusual image of an entire building being moved as if it were walking.
Instead of straight-line tracks or disassembly in parts, engineers used a displacement technology that simulates alternating steps, according to the Global Construction Review.
The most concrete update about the surroundings is that the site has become part of the Pacific Xintiandi Commercial Center project, a complex of offices, retail, cultural areas, public parks, and preserved historical buildings.
The Kohn Pedersen Fox office describes the development as a combination of commercial spaces, office towers, cultural areas, and preserved historical buildings at the eastern end of Taipingqiao Park in Shanghai.
Historic School in Shanghai
The former Lagena Primary School was built in 1935, during the period of the former French Concession in Shanghai.
According to information released by the Huangpu district, the building had a T-shaped layout, five stories, and historical value within the area where it was erected.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the building continued to be used as a school space for decades, with name changes over time.
From 1995, it housed the Bile School until the relocation of activities in 2018.
With the advancement of the new shopping center project in 2019, the old school ended up within the area planned for the construction.
The solution chosen by the authorities and technical teams was to preserve the building and move it to another location, instead of demolishing the construction.
This decision is part of an urban context where Chinese cities have begun to combine new developments with actions to preserve old buildings, especially in central areas pressured by modern constructions.
In some projects, relocation, restoration, and reuse are used to maintain constructions considered relevant.
In the case of Lagena, the challenge was greater because the building could not simply be pushed in a straight line.
The construction had an irregular shape, was heavy, and needed to make a curve during the move.
How the mechanical legs worked
The technology used was described as a displacement system by “mechanical walkers”.
In practice, engineers installed supports under the building, lifted the construction, and made these supports move alternately.
According to the Global Construction Review, engineers from Evolution Shift dug under the building to install 198 supports, which were extended to lift the structure and then moved alternately to the new position.
The operation was compared by specialists involved in the project to a coordinated stepping movement.
Lan Wuji, founder of Evolution Shift and technical supervisor of the project, compared the process to giving crutches to the building so it could stand and walk.
The phrase was used to visually explain how the building moved without being dismantled.
“It’s like giving crutches to the building so it can stand up and walk,” said Lan Wuji to CNN, according to a reproduction by the Global Construction Review.
The comparison helps to understand the logic of the system, but the movement was controlled by mechanical equipment and structural calculations.
Instead of wheels or tracks, the bases work in groups, alternating support and advance to allow movement along a curved path.
The challenge of rotating a 7,600-ton building
Moving a heavy building in a straight line already requires load calculations, stability, and vibration control.
In the case of the old school in Shanghai, there was an additional factor: the construction needed to move from the original point towards the northwest, traverse a curve, and rotate almost 21 degrees.
A report reproduced by the Shanghai Construction Group stated that the school had a total depth of about 62 meters and an approximate weight of 7,600 tons.
The T-shaped layout, considered irregular by the technical team, made it difficult to use conventional methods, such as moving by tracks or towing.
After technical studies, the team decided to elevate the building about 70 centimeters and execute the rotation and displacement in a single operation.
The result was a shift of 61.7 meters, with a rotation of 20.97 degrees.
Precision was necessary because the building had to reach a new point within the same urban project, without deformations that could compromise the structure.
As it was a property of local historical value, preserving the integrity of the building was part of the operation’s objectives.
Difference between mechanical supports and tracks
The displacement of buildings is not an absolute novelty.
In different countries, houses, churches, stations, and historical buildings have already been transported on tracks, platforms, or hydraulic systems.
The operation at Lagena school, however, combined high weight, irregular shape, curve, and rotation in the same displacement.
According to the Shanghai Construction Group, traditional methods would be difficult due to the uneven distribution of forces in the T-shaped building.
The solution with “mechanical legs” allowed adapting the advance to the planned path.
The building did not need to follow just a straight line; it could move in small coordinated movements until reaching the new alignment.
According to the Global Construction Review, the Evolution Shift technology had been developed in 2018 and had already been used in another project in Shanghai, in the relocation of the Jade Buddha Temple by 31 meters.
This history shows that the technique had already been applied in specific cases of urban preservation.
In the case of the school, the method was used to allow an old building to remain within an area transformed by a new development.
Pacific Xintiandi Commercial Center
The old school was moved to make way for the Pacific Xintiandi Commercial Center, in the Huangpu district.
The development occupies an area close to Xintiandi, Taipingqiao Park, and Huaihai Road, one of the most well-known commercial regions in Shanghai.
In 2020, the Shanghai Construction Group reported that the project would have a planned built area of about 390,000 square meters, including approximately 200,000 square meters of offices and almost 100,000 square meters designated for retail, restaurants, and cultural uses.
The Kohn Pedersen Fox office page confirms that the CPIC Xintiandi Commercial Center integrates offices, retail, preserved historical buildings, public parks, and cultural facilities.
The project also includes a tower of 250 meters and lower-scale commercial buildings connected to retail streets.
The Skyscraper Center, a database maintained by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, lists the Pacific Xintiandi Commercial Center Tower 1 as completed in 2024, with 249.9 meters in height and 49 floors.
The Xintiandi Dongtaili Mall, part of the area’s commercial development, was published by ArchDaily in May 2026 as a commercial project built in Shanghai.
The publication describes the development as part of the urban development of the Greater Xintiandi region.
