Are you considering showing off your home or just part of it? Read this first!
Every building has a lifespan and an expiration date. Some can have a lifespan of up to a hundred years. But like any other man-made thing, buildings become unsafe at the end of their life. At this point they have to be torn down. Demo or demolition is the planned and controlled destruction and dismantling of an expired structure. Construction workers find it the most exciting and interesting part of their job, and that's understandable. Most people would agree that watching a building demolish is satisfying. It is noteworthy that demolition is not just about wielding wrecking balls. In a demolition process, trained experts like Bison take into account the weather conditions, mass, materials and debris. The demolition method also varies depending on the type of building. With the construction industry continuing to grow, it is forecast that demolition work will increase by 3.3 percent by 2022.
Process before demolition
Appropriate planning is being demolished. Before getting started, experts perform the following processes to decide which method is best for the task.
1. The first process is to conduct a survey. This investigation is carried out to find out the characteristics of the building to be demolished. They typically include the building materials, construction method, neighborhood, and the current state of the building.
2. After completion of the investigation, hazardous substances such as asbestos, radioactive substances and combustible materials are removed by trained personnel.
3. Next comes the demolition plan, which is drawn up by the commissioned experts. This plan contains the method to be used and the equipment required.
4. Finally, safety measures are taken to protect the construction site workers and all other employees present on the construction site. The safety measures also include obtaining all necessary permits for the work.
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Types of demolition
It is undoubtedly fun to watch the process of building demolition, unfortunately not all demolitions are carried out with explosives. Very often, especially in crowded cities, explosions are rarely used. Let's dig deeper into the different types of building demolition process.
1. Demolition of an excavator
This method is mainly used for smaller structures such as homes and offices. Taller buildings of 60 feet and more that have been bricked up and contain large steel beams are dismantled with the long reach excavator. Demolition work with this high-performance machine is safe and clean, with less noise and less dirt.
This process is carried out with the attachments attached to the excavator. Common excavator attachments are hydraulic hammers, crushers and shears. With the help of the excavator, the operator demolishes the building. The larger pieces are then reduced to rubble by the ground workers.
2. Building implosion
Implosion is the method that people love to see. Unfortunately, it makes up less than 1 percent of demolition projects. The main pillars of a building are blown up with explosives. The building collapses from the inside out.
Implosion is usually performed in two ways, depending on the space available around the marked area for demolition. If there is enough space, either the right or left pillars of the building will be blown up, causing it to fall to one side. This process is often supported by cables attached to the building to ensure a safe fall. If space is limited, however, the lower support and the middle section are blown out.
The implosion method follows five steps. First, blasters (explosives experts) study the building's blueprints to decide which areas to blow up. Second, the site crew prepares the site by weakening the integrity of the pillars and putting up a fence around the area to prevent debris from flying around.
Next, a decision is made on the type of explosive to be used. This decision depends on the type of material from which the building was made. For blasting concrete pillars, dynamites are the best option as they emit powerful shock waves. While RDX explosives do the job for obliterating steel girders and structures.
The fourth step involves placing the explosives in the marked areas. Support pillars are usually the areas that get blown up the most. The fifth and final step is timing the detonation of the explosives. Workers are given enough time to get to safety before the explosives explode.
3. Demolition of wrecking balls
This method uses solid steel attached to a crane. The metal ball can weigh up to 12,000 pounds, making it ideal for smashing and raw destruction. To tear down a building, the steel ball is swiveled into the building, supported by gravity and inertia.
Other methods used in this demolition process include dropping the ball onto the building from a great height or swinging the wrecking ball by rotating a crane. The trick with using the wrecking ball is to create enough momentum to make it hard to crash into the building.
This type of termination has notable advantages and disadvantages. The former is that it is quick and inexpensive, while the former produces a lot of dirt and requires a very skilled operator to use it safely. Read this article to better understand wrecking balls and their uses.
4. Selective demolition
As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, selective demolition is becoming increasingly popular. With this method, the structure of the building to be demolished is retained, as only certain areas are removed. The selective method is perfect for home and office renovation and remodeling.
This method of destruction involves three main steps. You are:
- Construction site preparation: Trained technicians such as electricians, plumbers and mechanics are used for various tasks. Plumbers must seal all pipe openings, while electricians are responsible for turning off all power to the building. Temporary lights are then installed to support further processes.
- Removal of non-structural parts: All unimportant parts are removed, leaving only the building structure.
- Waste recycling: After all irrelevant components have been removed, they are sorted out for recycling.
Final thoughts
Demolition is a very complex process and should never be carried out by untrained personnel. In order to protect human lives, landlords are required to require their buildings to be demolished when their buildings reach the end of their useful life. If you are unsure about the integrity of your building, contact authorized companies that specialize in these areas.
