Demolition magazine issue 5 by Mark Anthony

ISSUE 5

DEMOLITION The industry magazine like no other

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The Vocal Minority UK demolition contractors supposedly have the benefit of working on an island that is already pretty much full; where major construction rarely takes place without some form of demolition preceding it. But you wouldn’t know it from news headlines and media reports. When a recent headline screamed “construction tipped to lead the nation out of recession” those in demolition knew that – in truth - it would be them guiding the way. The demolition industry and its contributions to the nation are all too often overlooked. There is no industry that is more environmentally savvy; no other industry sector can match the health and safety leaps made within demolition; it is the sector that facilitates change. And yet, based purely on its comparatively small size, demolition is regularly passed over for praise and consideration. I was reminded of this fact when talking to Dr Terry Quarmby about his pet subject: Design for Deconstruction (see pages 39 to 45). Quarmby has studied this subject more than just about anyone. The views he espouses are good not just for demolition but

for the nation and even the world. He unquestionably has right on his side. And yet his is an almost lone voice that is largely unheard by architects, designers, construction companies and Government. No-one is holding a rock concert in support of Quarmby’s campaign. No-one is sporting rainbow-coloured bootlaces to demonstrate their allegiance. To the best of our knowledge, no-one is planning to throw themselves under the hooves of the King’s horse to draw attention to the industry’s pleas. Maybe the only factor working in Quarmby’s favour is time. In seven years’ time, if all goes according to plan, the UK’s landfill sites will pull down the shutters and demolition waste – most of it caused by construction’s unwillingness to listen to reason now - will have nowhere to go. When that happens, the demolition industry should rise as one behind Dr Quarmby, raise their voices to the sky and - with as much smugness as they can muster - shout: “Told you so!” Mark Anthony

Editorial Mark Anthony - Mark Anthony Publicity markanthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk 07973 456 166

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STUFF

HAVS and Have Nots

There is no doubt that HAVS is affecting the UK on a large scale. It is also clear that the financial consequences of poorly planned vibration monitoring are very serious for all concerned – individuals, employers and the Government.

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Vibration management specialist Reactec estimates that the debilitating condition, Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), could be costing Britain as much as £4.92 billion, based on figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The company’s health and safety consultant, Stewart McNaughton, reports.

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C O N S U LTA N C Y TRAINING DIVISION

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Exposure Monitoring

There are currently around one million users of hand-held or hand-guided power tools who are at increased risk of the disease because they are exposed to HAV above the action level set by the HSE.

Although continuous exposure monitoring is not a mandatory regulatory requirement, health surveillance alone will only identify employees who already have HAVS symptoms, not those at risk of developing it.

Considering that there are clear, simple and costeffective ways of monitoring exposure to vibration levels, HAVS is an unnecessary and preventable disease incurring huge costs at a time when many industries are doing all they can to remain competitive.

With the number of HAV claims rising, health surveillance is not always 100 percent effective and paper-based HAV monitoring can be inaccurate and ineffective against claims. Companies are under more pressure than ever to secure the welfare of their workforce and company from HAVS risk, while simultaneously reducing costs.

It is, therefore, essential that employers assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce risks from vibration exposure. There are simple steps that can be taken to minimise the risk of employees developing HAVS, while protecting profit margins in the process.

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Assess the Risk Employers are required - under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 - to protect workers from the risks associated with vibration exposure. HSE regulations mandate that ‘employers need to assess the risks from vibration and plan how to control them’ and that ‘suitable health surveillance should be carried out where the risk assessment indicates a risk to workers’ health is required.’ Employers therefore need to assess the risks from vibration and plan how to control them. Risk assessments should be reviewed regularly and after any change of circumstance. Assessments should identify where there might be a risk from vibration and who is likely to be affected, contain an accurate recording of your employees’ exposures and identify what employers need to do to comply with the law.

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STUFF

Weigh up the risks to your business of ineffective monitoring. If businesses don’t provide suitable and sufficient safety equipment, training and supervision, they may expose themselves to greater risk, liability and the increased possibility of litigation.

In all cases, it is better to predict and prevent than merely detect the onset of HAVS. Reactec’s HAVmeter system, for example, streamlines HAV management, greatly reducing the guesswork from vibration exposure by automatically measuring tool usage and exposure using the HSE points system. It also removes the operator from the recording process and therefore reduces human error. This tamper proof and auditable system improves workforce efficiency and accurately generates exposure reports instantly.

An employer takes on the responsibility of an employee’s HAV history so it is important to be able to quantify their health status to assess safe tool usage. Education and training is essential and adoption of best working practices is required to minimise vibration exposure. What is more difficult is to maintain and manage these procedures over time to remain compliant to HSE guidelines. It is also not uncommon for operators to be exposing themselves to harmful levels of vibration outside of working hours, which can contribute towards contracting HAVS.

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Measuring tool vibration in real time is also extremely problematic due to the quantity of variables involved, such as the varying vibration levels produced from the same tool over a period of time as a result of wear and tear or frequency of maintenance, the varying health conditions and methodologies of tool operators, carrying tool applications, surface applications and environmental conditions.

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STUFF

Competition Corner Your chance to win a personalised EVOLite® CR2™ hard hat with the branding of your choice, courtesy of JSP Ltd.

Anyone that has witnessed my wardrobe – described variously as quirky, eccentric and utterly preposterous - in all its splendour will know that a standard, runof-the-mill, off-theshelf hard hat was never going to cut the haute couture mustard.

The order process could not have been easier, the turnaround time was fast, and the result is – I think – spectacular. In fact, we are so impressed with our new hard hat that we are offering one lucky reader the chance to win and design a bespoke hard hat of their very own. To enter, all you have to do is identify the three colours that make up the logo in the excellent JSP video here: http://tinyurl.com/nn83u7q.

So when I heard that Oxford-based JSP Ltd was offering a personalisation service on its range of hard hats, protective glasses and ear protectors, I wanted in.

Send your answers to manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk and we will choose a winner at random. The competition closes on 1 November 2013.

I placed an order for one of the company’s EVOLite® CR2™ hard hats complete with the magazine logo emblazoned across the front and our Twitter name across the back, all picked out in a rather fetching hue that would have Prince switching his trademark purple for green with envy.

And if anyone has already used the JSP personalisation service to produce an unusual hard hat, we’d love to see a photo of it.

7 6

stuff

App Happy Calendar Apps No-one ever took a job in demolition for a quiet life. The modern demolition professional is on site one minute, in a meeting the next, on a train, plane or in the car the moment after. And, in amongst all of that, there’s a private and social life to manage too. Thankfully, smart phones ensure that your calendar is always bang up to date. And by using one of a number of apps, you can take your own digitised personal assistant with you wherever you go: Google Calendar but it does a lot more, allowing you to set reminders and manage your time down to the last minute. If you are the kind of person that regularly calls and hosts meetings, the ability to invite attendees from your contact list straight from the app is a useful tool.

Google Calendar – If you’re using Google Calendar (and if you’re not, why not) you might be tempted to use the web app on your phone. This gives you all the functionality you’ve come to expect from the Google Calendar on your computer but with one potentially serious drawback. As it’s a web app, you need an Internet connection to access it. Find yourself in a telecoms black hole and you’re out of luck.

Mynd – The tip-top pick of the bunch as far as we’re concerned. It does everything the others do and so much more. Visually striking, the Mynd app also integrates with LinkedIn (if you are a user) so when you set a meeting with someone from LinkedIn, it automatically populates the entry with their photo and background details. You no longer have an excuse for not recognising that allimportant business contact ever again. It also links to Evernote, allowing you to populate your meeting schedule with any documents or notes you might need. Highly recommended.

Calendar – The native app from Apple is a fine workaday calendar, particularly for those interested primarily in where they need to be and when. Integration with Google Calendar ensures that your colleagues can also see your calendar too, if you choose to allow them to do so. Fantastical – This app also integrates well with

stuff

Demolition TV Demolition TV is sponsored by

Your regular round-up of the good, the bad, and the downright ugly in the world of online demolition videos.

In each edition of Demolition, it is our intention to bring you the very best demolition video footage available on the World Wide Web. We have a great collection for you in this issue so pour yourself a coffee, crank up the volume, and enjoy:

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9 6

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STUFF

QuickFire In honour of our unrequited love of Twitter, in each edition we will bring you a Tweet-style interview with a leading demolition personality. This time around, however, the QuickFire spotlight falls upon brothers Roberto and Stefano Panseri of Italian demolition giant Despe: What is the one thing you take with you everywhere? • Roberto: My smartphone • Stefano: My smartphone

Stefano Favourite food? • Roberto: NY steak • Stefano: Polenta and rabbit, and please don’t ask me to translate “Polenta”

Nicest place you've ever been • Roberto: My Home • Stefano: Seychelles What time to you start work? • Roberto: 07.00 • Stefano 08.30

Favourite gadget? • Roberto: Wristwatch • Stefano: My smartphone

Do you have a morning ritual? • Roberto: Shower • Stefano: Kissing wife and daughters, very traditional

Favourite or dream car? • Roberto: Ferrari • Stefano: Like my brother, Ferrari

If you didn't work in demolition, what would you be? • Roberto: An actor • Stefano: I love manual activity… countryman

Favourite book? • Roberto: Open - autobiography of tennis player Andre Agassi • Stefano: River God, Wilbur Smith

What aspect of demolition to you most enjoy? • Roberto: Project development and implementation on site • Stefano: Finding new solutions to solve usual problems

Favourite sports team? • Roberto: Atalanta , local football Team of Bergamo city • Stefano: I love the New Zealand All Blacks

What aspect of demolition would you change? • Roberto: Cowboys competitors • Stefano: Outlaw cowboy competitors

Last holiday destination? • Roberto: Cote d’Azur, France • Stefano: East Alps in Italy

What would be the first thing you'd do if you were King for a day. • Roberto: Introduce a compulsory law for global peace. • Stefano: Introduce a new law to change that temporary condition into a permanent one and be King forever

Favourite item of clothing? • Roberto: Jacket made in linen • Stefano: Formal suit, Jacket and trousers, white shirt, tie

On SITE

Stop the Press

AR Demolition has once again marked itself as the company to tackle complex contracts, employing all its ingenuity to remove some hefty print presses from the former Daily Mail building in Derby. Mark Anthony reports.

On SITE

No-one ever said demolition was easy. But just recently, AR Demolition seems to have developed a knack for tackling contracts that are difficult and complex even by this industry’s standards.

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Ironically, having recently put to bed a contract at Kings Cross Station that was made exceptionally challenging by the need to remove the roof, the company has now turned its attention to a contract made more challenging by the fact that the roof is to remain intact throughout. The contract in question involves the removal of the print presses from the Daily Mail-owned press hall at the Derby Evening Telegraph complex. Removing 42 presses with a combined weight of more than 1,000 tonnes is challenging enough. Mutley Plant Service Ltd can supply all your work tools • big or small • new or used • sale or rent • with a deal to suit you.

Doing so in a confined space with less than 1.5 metres between the top of the presses and the ceiling of the building, without removing the roof, is quite another.

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But AR Demolition’s Specialist Contracts Team has risen to the challenge, devising a methodology and designing and fabricating a modular gantry crane to tackle the complex task.

Big Blue “We have tackled the removal of heavy print presses in the past, but this is by far our most challenging press removal contract to date,” explains AR Demolition’s Richard Dolman. “We knew from the outset that we couldn’t get a crane inside and that the roof had to remain in place.

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On SITE

“It comprises an industrial skate-mounted base frame, three identical modules stacked on top of each other, and a top frame that houses a pair of ultra-low headroom, 12.5 tonne capacity Kone hoists.”

We also knew that even when they’re broken down into their constituent parts, these presses are extremely heavy with most sections weighting around 20 tonnes.”

Known by the AR team as “Big Blue”, the modular gantry crane is slid into place by a Manitou telescopic handler. The twin hoists are operated from a single control that allows them to work simultaneously or independently for optimum flexibility. “Even with this purpose-built crane, space is extremely tight,” Dolman insists. “But the crane has worked extremely well and has proved to be every bit as efficient as we had hoped.”

With so little head room to spare, Dolman and his team set about designing a modular gantry crane light and manoeuvrable enough to work in the tight confines of the press hall, but stable and powerful enough to carry these 20 tonne loads. “The crane was designed and fabricated in-house before being certified by an independent structural engineer,” Dolman explains.

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Let there be light Of course, it wouldn’t be an AR Demolition contract if the challenges stopped there. Another key obstacle to come was the ban on hotworks within the confines of the building. “Because of the nature of the building, there is a lot of paper dust, ink and oils about, all of which would be highly flammable,” Dolman asserts. “Cutting the presses down using hotworks was never an option. Instead, they have to be manually disassembled before being lowered to the ground by Big Blue.” To compound matters still further, light within the building is also at a premium. The building has very

little natural light of its own, and even the AR Demolition-installed temporary lighting struggles to illuminate some of the darker recesses of the facility. Despite these challenges, Richard Dolman retains his trademark insouciance. “There is no doubt that this was a complex and challenging contract for us,” he concludes. “But this is what our team is trained for. This is what we do.” To see “Big Blue” in action, please check out the exclusive video here: http://tinyurl.com/p36bbvy

on site

Coleman Blast Triggers Gorbals Regeneration The 24-storey, large panel blocks stood 69 metres tall and contained 394 flats and were constructed in 1971. The demolition project commissioned by New Gorbals Housing Association and managed by Coleman and Company Limited from February this year paves the way for a new health centre for the area, as well as social housing and office accommodation for the Association.

Two tower blocks at 170 and 200 Sandiefield in the Gorbals area of Glasgow were demolished on Sunday 21st July to make way for new redevelopment projects in the heart of the award winning Crown Street Regeneration Area. Demolition reports.

The blowdown was the culmination of months of detailed and meticulous planning by Coleman and Company with the client, New Gorbals Housing Association, Police Scotland, Glasgow City Council, the Highways Agency, Network Rail, Air Traffic Control, Public Utilities and extensive engagement with the local community.

Allaying Fears

From early on in the project it became apparent that besides the technical challenging aspects of the project there were nervous underlying feelings within the local community towards it. This was due to the tragic death of Helen Tinney, who was killed on the 12th September 1993 during a blowdown at Queen Elizabeth Square only 100 metres from the Coleman and Company site.

The site is located within the Gorbals area of Glasgow and is confined with a main arterial road and elevated rail track beyond immediately to the west, commercial premises immediately to the north and public highway with Gorbalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new fourstorey housing development to the east and south. Other constraints included 2 x 11 kV cables and 2 x 132 kV cables running through the middle of the site between the two blocks and the public highway serving the blocks which required to be maintained at 2 metres from Block 170.

To alleviate any concerns a full time liaison officer from Colemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blowdown liaison team was posted on site. Letters and newsletters were issued and public meetings and open days were held to reassure locals and ease concerns. Coleman and Company also set up social media pages to keep all residents informed of developments.

The blast design was, therefore, designed with this in mind.

on site

Blast Bias Due to the site constraints, the blast design was prepared with a bias on Block 170 to tilt it longitudinally to the south, away from the Public Highway and Block 200 with a bias to tilt it laterally to the west away from the road and into the site. The blast design comprised seven main blast floors and three secondary blast floors in each block.

Charges were placed and stemmed into place with four delays over 1 second through each block and a delay between blocks of 2 seconds. The weight of explosives used was 228.89 kg. To ensure that the debris spread was minimised and to prevent sliding of the panels as the blocks collapsed, in-house engineers from Colemans Engineering Services (CES) managed and coordinated the design of various protection measures that were implemented on site. These included securing the external panels on the top four floors with wire rope, installing impact protection to the high voltage cables running through the site and to the adopted roads within the influence of the blast and strategic placement of filled containers to contain the debris pile.

The blast floors were pre-weakened in advance of drilling using Coleman and Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Specialist Cutting Services (CCSCS) ensuring an even and well prepared surface for the subsequent drilling of the holes. Block 170 required 3,460 holes to be drilled and Block 200, 3,420 to ensure the bias required was achieved.

Exclusion Zone

The exclusion zone was secured, enforced and maintained by 28 sentries, eight sentry managers and 50 police officers for the duration of the event. A police search Team of 21 officers declared the area sterile prior to commencement of the countdown.

The blowdown operation was managed on the day by Coleman and Company’s senior management team and Coleman’s strict procedures were upheld. The exclusion zone required the evacuation of 687 people from 355 properties by Coleman’s liaison team to a nearby rest centre where food, entertainment and refreshments were supplied.

Traffic calming measures on the M74 and M8 were co-ordinated by Coleman and Company working closely with Police Scotland and the Highways Agency. Protection measures and security of the elevated rail track were implemented by Coleman and Company working with Network Rail and British Transport Police.

on site

Textbook Blast The blowdown occurred at 2:00 pm on Sunday 21 July 2013 and was a complete success resulting in 35,000 tonnes of materials falling as predicted. The 35,000 tonnes of concrete is currently being processed and crushed to 6F2 specification prior to removal off site. The foundations will be removed and the site prepared for redevelopment and handed back to the Client at the end of October.

The exclusion zone was lifted sequentially from 3:30 pm so that local roads could be opened to ease traffic congestion in the city. Residents were then escorted back into the zone and their properties prior to the zone being lifted at 4:00 pm. The site constraints and the construction of these blocks coupled with the feelings within the local community turned what appeared to be a routine blowdown into a technically challenging job.

A clean-up operation quickly ensued using sweepers, jetting units and old-fashioned Coleman and Company muscle.

However, the blowdown delivered was a textbook operation with Coleman and Company receiving plaudits from New Gorbals Housing Association, Police Scotland, Network Rail, Crown Street Residents Association and many of the local residents.

Demopedia: In addition to being featured on BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The One Show, the Coleman and Company blast was captured in a series of high-definition videos. You can see the best of them by using the links below: http://tinyurl.com/oteqqt4 http://tinyurl.com/n9tfrb6

ON SITE

General Demolition is Picture Perfect The contract required us to demolish a three-storey, steelframed, 1930s-built cinema. But with a listed faรงade and six stained-glass windows to be retained, local residents, businesses and officials to appease, and 130 piles to probe, the demolition proved to be the easy part. 24

The Queens Cinema on Bishop’s Bridge Road in West London was built in the 1930s, its Art Deco style underscored by two rows of three stained glass windows on the front elevation that served as the entrance to the former picture house. These windows remained in place when the building was abandoned more than five years ago, and would become a focal point of the demolition and façade retention process. The cinema’s West elevation bordered Queensway, a busy one-way thoroughfare. The Eastern elevation bordered Pickering Mews, a busy commercial area. To the North, the structure adjoined and shared a chimney with a neighbouring block of flats, which was also home to the chairman of the South East Bayswater Residents Association. And to the South – the former entrance to the cinema and home to its former projector room – the building faced onto Bishop’s Bridge Road, a road filled with pedestrians and vehicular traffic. “Our relationship with local residents, particularly those in Pickering Mews, was a key factor in the successful completion of this delicate contract,” says project manager Steve Jones. “We instigated a regular newsletter for local people to keep them informed of the progress on the project and to warn them of future disruptions well in advance.” The listed front elevation was supported by an array of temporary steel columns and beams that were back-propped to the ground floor basement and fixed in place by four 20,000 kg concrete Kentledge blocks placed within a pedestrian exclusion zone on Bishop’s Bridge Road.

ON SITE

Temporary works were also used to support and protect the chimney shared with the neighbouring Claremont Court apartment block. Access platforms were used to safely lift General Demolition workers to the three storey-height of the building for the removal of the roof covering while mobile cranes were used to remove the 26 metre span steel trusses that made up the roof. Access platforms were also employed during the salvage of the stained-glass windows that had once given the building its iconic look. These windows – which were up to 1.5 x 2.4 metres in size – were removed from their frames by General Demolition. They were then sent to a specialist renovation company as they will become a central feature of the new building. To keep noise and traffic flow disruption to an absolute minimum, the structure was demolished manually down to the second floor, at which point 14 tonne-class excavators equipped with hydraulic hammers and pulverisers took over. “Local residents were incredibly understanding and co-

operative throughout the entire demolition process, even when we had to close Pickering Mews for two weeks,” Jones continues. “However, during that time, we did find for them and pay for alternative parking at a local NCP car park.”

“The ground level of the neighbouring Claremont Court block was some four metres higher in places than the basement of the former cinema and at the North East corner, Pickering Mews was two metres above our basement level,” Jones explains “So we used another system of temporary steel columns and beams to retain this portion.” General Demolition’s final task on the Queen’s Cinema site was the pile probing ahead of McLaren Construction’s arrival on site. “The replacement structure calls for the installation of a total of 130 piles. We carried out the probing for the first 100 of these using a series of six metre deep trenches,” Jones continues. “Beside the listed front elevation, however, we were unable to dig trenches, so we had to install temporary propping to the basement walls, break out the basement slab and employ an auger rig to vertically probe the required four metres. Any obstructions or issues were plotted and passed to McLaren’s engineering team and these were factored into the final design.” The works were completed under the Considerate Contractors Scheme and earned General Demolition a Performance Beyond Compliance certificate.

With the lion’s share of the demolition works completed, General Demolition set about making the site ready for contractor McLaren Construction.

on site

Am I Bothered? Tunbridge Wells-based Kent Demolition claim to specialise in the jobs that bigger demolition companies can't be bothered to do. But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more to the company than that, as Demolition reports. Although Kent Demolition does tackle small demolition projects - one recent job took them all of 30 minutes to demolish a building - the company is more than capable of handling much larger work, as the demolition of the 1.3 hectare former Goss Components factory at Walthamstow in the North East of London proved.

Up for Grabs The engineering company, which specialises in the manufacture of springs and steel pressings, has moved to new premises at Epping leaving a prime development site in E17 up for grabs. It didn't take long for a private developer to step in and snap up the site for a mixed development of small

business units at ground level with housing above and at the rear of the site. This is part of the Waltham Forest regeneration, which began last year with a £1.8 million street regeneration and creation of a new plaza. The two-phase demolition of the Goss facility will take seven weeks with Kent Demolition already three weeks into the project after an extensive site soft strip. The company has brought just three excavators onto the site. A 60 tonne Liebherr 954 equipped with a 28 metre high reach boom and Verachtert shear will tackle the delicate and somewhat precise demolition of the three-storey main building. This is backed by a pair of 20 tonne Komatsu excavators, one equipped with an Arden rotating material grab, the other an Allied muncher. “The original building was erected in 1915 and was one of the first in the country to use steel reinforced concrete in its construction,” says Kent Demolition managing director Dave Padgett. “However it is nearly all 20 mm rebar and wire, which is more of a hindrance than a challenge. The Liebherr will do the main demolition, and the Komatsu excavator and muncher combination will process the material before it goes through the onsite crusher.”

on site Protective Measures “The supporting columns look fairly substantial, but they haven't proved much of a challenge for the Verachtert. The biggest problem is the outer wall of the factory, which directly faces onto several hundred metres of Fulbourne Road,” Padgett continues. “Obviously the entire facade has a protective scaffolding to negate the risk of debris falling into the road, but the outer wall has to be taken down very carefully, often with myself on the scaffolding guiding the operator into the cramped and obscured demolition area. The majority of the crushed material - some two and a half thousand cubic metres - will remain on site as piling mats and subbase for the new development, the remainder will

be stored off site at Silvertown for future recycling. The grab will be used to sort the crushed material but I'll be surprised if we produce more than 80 tonnes of rebar for recycling.”

Demopedia Kent Demolition’s route into the demolition business is somewhat unusual, having come from a farming equipment background, starting in 2000 when the company was asked to demolish a row of cottages using an agricultural JCB. Getting paid for the demolition and the demolished material, Dave Padgett had the Eureka moment and realised the company would make more money doing demolition than farming. But the real USP of the company is the younger generation set to take over in the future, daughter Ellen Padgett. Originally destined to go into fashion design, Ellen started to help her father out on site and discovered she loved demolition. She now acts as site manager and has impressed a great many clients, operators and even suppliers with her knowledge of the industry. That youthful exuberance has also seen the company embracing new technology and social media where Ellen has quite a following on Twitter as @Teamkentdemo.

on site

Problem Solved Among many other things, demolition companies are problem solvers. Which is just as well, as the redevelopment of the old Ssangyong car preparation works at Queenborough, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, had a few interesting obstacles for Lancebox to overcome before work began. Demolition reports. This lonely and windswept site is destined to become the new import centre for VW cars in January 2014. Over 30,000 VW cars will be processed each year with over 100 vehicles a day dispatched from the site. Chances are, if you buy a VW any time in the next few years, this will have been its point of origin. However, before that redevelopment could take place, Kent-based Lancebox had a few issues to deal with.

Squatters Right? The site had become home to six squatters, complete with a legal letter from a solicitor that apparently said they were quite within their rights to occupy the industrial building. It proved to be a front for the gang to strip ÂŁ10,000 of armoured cable from the buildings. The squatters also managed to disable the water and electrical supply for the site in the process, so that none of the Lancebox cabins and offices could be connected.

A generator was brought in to supply power and eventually the water was reconnected. Gas in the outbuildings was supposed to have been disconnected but wasn't, despite certification having been sent. Only the vigilance of Lancebox staff prevented this â&#x20AC;&#x153;administrative oversightâ&#x20AC;? resulting in a nasty accident when internal fittings were removed during the soft strip. Site manager Mark Pearce was les than impressed with the gas company's performance to say the least. When demolition did start, deconstruction of the existing office block was very selective with a 60 metre long, five metre wide, two-storey extension to the side of the building demolished.

ON SITE The roof on the main three storey building had to be removed with immense care because it was constructed from asbestos/cement panels. Specialist asbestos contractors were employed to carefully remove the panels and these were disposed of locally at a licensed site. The entire fascia will also be removed. Internally the entire building will be cleared of the spray and drying booths, where imported vehicles were repaired. These will become the new offices for VW staff.

Specialist Input More interestingly, the structure alongside the main building required some specialist input to demolish it effectively. The main outer structure and curved roof turned out to be aluminium girder sections not steel, a boon for the recyclers. However, the internal structure was much more complex.

The walls were a mixture of woodchip panels with a polystyrene filler that had to be removed very carefully to avoid the material disintegrating, making it close to impossible to segregate. The roof was covered with a rubberised canvas lining, originally designed to stop condensation. Unfortunately it was crimped into every cross member and had to be cut by hand to enable the metal to be recycled. Lancebox employed a Volvo EC360B LC excavator equipped with a shear for the main demolition. This was backed by a smaller EC240B LC, armed with a grab, to sort through the demolished material.

The 10-man crew also employed a Terex HR32 mini with a grab to load up the Ro-Ro skips, ably assisted by a Case 1840 skidsteer that cleared the smaller pieces of debris. However a lot of the sorting had to be done by hand to maximise the recyclable material recovery. As this manual segregation was extremely timeconsuming, Lancebox also used a local waste transfer station to sort through the Ro-Ro containers. Wood had already been removed and was processed locally. All metals were taken to Sittingbourne for recycling.

Once the building demolition is complete, Lancebox will remove the concrete foundations and building bases. This material will be crushed on site but moved to a holding yard for recycling. All the material will be tested for plasterboard contamination before removal. Eventually the entire site will have the concrete parking areas removed, crushed and recycled, with a new surface prepared to cope with the influx of new vehicles.

On site

Jet Powered Breaking Brown & Mason is using all its heavy industrial demolition experience on the demolition of a former jet engine and turbine testing facility with an historic past. Demolition reports. The National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE) facility in Farnborough, Hampshire was created by the merger of the Royal Aircraft Establishment turbine development team and the Power Jets company started by jet engine originator Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle.

For over 50 years, the facility was at the forefront of gas turbine development. It was probably the largest site of its kind in the world. The power of the air house allowed Concorde's engines to be tested at 3,200 km/hour (2,000 mph). V bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were tested on site, as was every gas turbine installed in Royal Navy ships. The facility was closed in 2000, and now heavy industrial demolition specialist Brown & Mason is charged with levelling the site to make way for a new business park.

With its expertise in industrial demolition, the company’s equipment fleet is suitably robust, a fact highlighted by its purchase of a new Rammer 5011 hydraulic hammer, one of the first of its kind in the UK.

Built to Last To withstand air speed in excess of 2,000 mph, the NGTE facility was built to last. In places, the concrete is up to six metres thick and heavily reinforced. All in a day’s work for Brown & Mason, a company with an international reputation for heavy industrial demolition on power stations, refineries and nuclear facilities.

The new model benefits from a new operating principle that allows the 5011 to be purposematched to individual applications and materials using a simple working mode selector located on the breaker. Brown & Mason is utilising a high energy mode to provide a lower blow frequency for optimum breaking power in the site’s heavily reinforced concrete.

“Industrial demolition is where we excel,” says Brown & Mason’s Nick Brown. “There are lots of companies out there that can demolish a house or an office block. But there are very few that can do what we do.”

on site “We have tried other brands of hydraulic hammer but Rammer is the only one tough and powerful enough to withstand the type of contracts in which we’re involved,” Brown explains. “All of our equipment has to be exceptionally robust, durable and reliable. On a programme like this, we can’t afford breakdowns and delays. That is why we stuck with the Rammer brand.”

One Million Tonnes Nick Brown reports that the new Rammer 5011 utilises long-life, high-tension VIDAT tie rods for improved reliability, extended service periods and lower operating costs.

“Everything about the Rammer 5011 has been designed with longevity in mind,” he asserts. “The tool-retaining pins are locked by simple rubber rings. And the surface of the lower tool bushing has been specifically designed to provide longer tool life.” The Rammer hammer will need to be tough. Covering an area of approximately 45 hectares, the NGTE facility will produce around one million tonnes of arisings - including half a million tonnes of concrete – during the 12 month project duration.

The majority of that concrete will be broken out by the Rammer hammer which is mounted on a demolition specification Komatsu PC450 excavator. The steel will be removed from the site for recycling and reuse while the half million tonnes of concrete will be crushed, processed and retained on site for use in the construction of the new business park. “We have trialled and tested a number of alternative hammer brands but none of them come up with the goods in heavy demolition,” Nick Brown concludes. “Quite simply, the Rammer hammer is the best on the market.”

Design for Deconstruction

k iets ta D ign l kf o r D e c o n s t r u c t i o n

I have a Dream Dr Terry Quarmby has a clear vision of demolition in the future: a world where destruction has been replaced by deconstruction; soft strips are handled by humans wearing powered robotic suits and, most ambitious of all, where architects and builders consider demolition BEFORE construction begins. Mark Anthony reports. “I have a dream. I have a dream that one day little architects, little builders and little demolition professionals will join hands…” OK, he didn’t quite say that. But while it might lack the historic resonance of Dr Martin Luther King’s famous speech, in demolition terms, Dr Terry Quarmby’s vision of the future is just as bold and almost as ambitious.

40 1

The former Institute of Demolition Engineers’ president and – to the best of our knowledge – the demolition world’s only Doctor – foresees a Utopian future in which demolition is factored into construction before a sod is turned; where entire structural elements can be used multiple times in multiple buildings; a world in which labourintensive soft strip processes have been replaced with robot-suited workers gathering reusable materials for their next application.

Circular, not Linear Quarmby has been a vocal advocate of Design for Deconstruction (DFD) since before the Government’s Random Acronym Generator (RAG) got around to coining the term. And there must have been times when he felt as though he was talking to himself as difficult-todemolish new builds utilising impossible-to-recycle materials sprang up across the country. “Architects are designing primarily for cost and aesthetics and not for durability or reusability. You can’t tell me that a building like The Shard was built with DFD in mind,” he insists. “Demolition doesn’t generally work in perpendicular angles so when The Shard does come down, it is going to be problematic.

Design for Deconstruction

The chances are that the materials used in its construction will not be easy to reuse or recycle either.”

with landfill as the ultimate destination. They need to understand that is, in fact, circular. Car manufacturers have signed up to an end of life directive which means they are responsible for the disposal of that vehicle for its entire life. We need the same thing in construction to ensure that designers and developers look beyond their own short term aims and take into account the likely fate of that building several generations into the future.”

While he firmly believes that architects should be planning now for demolitions that are likely to take place in the next 30 years, Quarmby says that planning for re-use is even more important. “All too often, buildings are being designed with a single use in mind. Ceiling heights, for example, might suit one kind of use but might be totally impractical for another.

Front-Loaded Although he is not specifically advocating a return to natural and virgin materials, Quarmby believes that we have much to learn from our Victorian-era forebears. “In Victorian times, the cost of construction was front-loaded. They invested in good quality stone and timber that would stand the test of time. That is why the UK still has so

All too often, we are taking down buildings that are structurally sound but which - for one reason or another - are no longer fit for purpose,” he asserts. “Architects and their clients need to understand that reuse is cheaper and more energy efficient than recycling. For too long, they have viewed construction as a linear process; an A to Z process

many fine Victorian buildings. They were built to last,” he says. “Today, however, too many buildings are being built with cost as a primary concern. While that might make the cost of construction cheaper, the knock-on costs of reuse, recycling and demolition are considerably higher. They are merely creating a problem for future generations.”

that vision, materials will not simply be crushed for hardcore or shredded for fuel. Instead, entire structural elements of a building will be salvaged for reuse in a new building. “In a steel-framed building, this will only require the disconnection of node points,” he says. “And in the age of Building Information Modelling (BIM), information on the materials used, how they were fixed and bonded and their location should be readily available.” An admirable ambition no doubt, but one that will require the demolition business to reinvent itself.

Part of Quarmby’s vision of a DFD future is a greater switch to reuse rather than recycling. In

Design for Deconstruction

“Such a step-change will require a root and branch change in the way we do things in this industry from the equipment we use, through the processes and methodologies we employ, to the way in which we market ourselves,” he explains. “If we are to truly embrace DFD, we must be able to deconstruct buildings in a modular fashion in order to generate the materials required for any new build. Although this will require a greater understanding of structural engineering and load paths, it is not insurmountable and would only enhance knowledge.”

Robot Workers One key element of Quarmby’s vision is a change in the way that soft strip operations are conducted. Today, this is one of the most labour-intensive, time-consuming and potentially hazardous parts of the demolition process where operatives are required to separate the materials into their respective waste streams to identify recycling opportunities and remove hazardous elements.

“Because of the way buildings of the past have been built, the soft strip requires workers to be dextrous. That is why the process remains the one part of demolition that requires significant manual handling with little call for mechanisation. The best that soft strip crews can hope for today is to be able to put all the arisings together and send off to a materials recycling facility for others to segregate and process,” he says.

“But if buildings were designed in a more modular and DFD-friendly manner, whole portions of the building could be removed for redeployment in another site. Rather than 20, 30 or even 50 men being employed on a soft strip, we might have two or three – each wearing powered suits carrying multiple attachments that would allow them to cut, crush and carry large and bulky items. Imagine that suit being equipped with a tarmac chisel that could be punched down the back of a skirting board. Straight away, you have salvaged some valuable timber that could be cut to length and reused elsewhere.”

“It will be a challenge, and the biggest problem at present is that it is only the demolition business – the people that have to deal with the mistakes of others – that are shouting about it. But a change will happen. It has to,” he says. “We live on an island with finite natural resources. And within the next seven years, landfill will cease to be an option for the disposal of so-called waste materials. Now is the time for designers and developers to work with us to plan for a future without virgin materials or ready sources of disposal.” Despite the magnitude of the challenge ahead, Terry Quarmby remains fiercely optimistic about the demolition industry’s ability to evolve, adapt and overcome. “The demolition industry has proved time and time again that it is flexible and willing and able to embrace change and I have no doubt that we will do so again to accommodate DFD. Whether that is in the development of robot workers, converting salvage yards into the builders’ merchants of tomorrow, or buying up used landfills to extract valuable materials dumped by previous generations, I know that the demolition business is

It is easy to dismiss Quarmby’s crystal ball gazing as fanciful science fiction. But, as he points out, the technology already exists. “In both the nuclear industry and the medical profession, tools can be guided by the hand gestures of a technician or a surgeon in a remote location,” he insists. “We already have a considerable expertise in both hydraulics and remote control within the demolition industry. A combination of the two could make a powered suit a reality.”

Playing Catch-Up

equal to the challenge,” he concludes. “Like our universal adoption of recycling, it is now for the rest of the construction industry. and in particular designers of construction products and buildings, to learn from us and to hopefully catch up.” “The actions of our generation should not be detrimental to the environment or the health, safety and welfare of future generations. We have the technological expertise to manage that change, but do we have the desire and drive to implement it? 2020 and the proposed end of landfill is fast approaching and we need solutions to waste disposal. Will we be ready?”

Despite his optimism about the industry’s ability to embrace DFD and an army of “robot workers”, Quarmby is a realist who recognises the challenges that lie ahead. Having experienced first-hand the challenge of getting quality approval of secondary aggregates when the recycling debate first emerged, he knows that secondary structural elements will face a similar uphill battle; one that will require Government backing and a buy-in from the insurance sector who will be expected to underwrite parts of buildings two, three or even more times.

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Doosan Wrings the Changes 46

Bristol-based Wring Group is using a number new Doosan hydraulic excavators supplied by local dealer, Kellands (Plant Sales) Ltd, on a prestigious land remediation contract on the site of the former Innovia Films cellophane factory in Bridgwater in Somerset in the UK.

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Among the new Doosan excavators on site is the first Stage IIIB compliant DX380LC-3 39 tonne excavator in the UK demolition industry and three from a batch of six new Doosan DX225LC excavators recently purchased by Wring Group.

buildings on the site lay derelict for a number of years following closure of the factory in 2005. Wring completed the demolition of the factory buildings in 2010 and the company is now removing the substructures and foundations for the demolished buildings as part of the current land remediation contract. By the end of the project, Wring will have sorted, recycled and removed over 250,000 tonnes of material from the site.

The project is part of site preparations for the construction of a temporary campus facility for about 1,000 workers that will be involved in the construction by EDF Energy of two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.

The new DX380LC-3 excavator supplied by Kellands is powered by the Doosan DL08K common railâ&#x201E;˘ 6-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine meeting Stage IIIB engine emission

The Bridgwater site was formerly the home of the British Cellophane factory which was acquired by Innovia Films in 1996 and the large industrial

percent increase in torque, the Doosan DL08K engine is said to deliver five percent more power (213 kW) at a lower (six percent less) RPM of 1,800, compared with the previous DX380LC model.

regulations through the use of EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) aftertreatment technologies. Combined with an eight

The DX380LC-3 excavator also features new DECOPOWER technology, which utilises an electronic pressure-controlled pump within a closed centre hydraulic system to accomplish increases of up to 26 percent in productivity and up to 12 percent fuel consumption improvements, depending on the mode selected.

www.bretec.com

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Apple Falls Close to Tree By some geographic quirk, Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Hitachi -5 demolition machine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which was first seen at the Bauma exhibition in Munich has now gone to work close by. Demolition reports.

The first Hitachi -5 range demolition machine in Europe has been working on its debut assignment in the German city of Munich. Local contractor B Trinkl confirmed its order for the new ZX470LCH-5 at Bauma and took delivery of the large Zaxis excavator in time for the demolition of a former residential building. Demolition reports.

of space in the city, which is good news for local demolition companies. Developers are turning their attention to the buildings that were constructed following the destruction of the Second World War and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t comply with the latest building regulations or the modern trends for sustainability and energy conservation.

The site on Lerchenfeldstrasse, close to the southeast entrance of the English Garden, will make way for the new Park Avenue development. The strength of the local economy and low interest rates mean that there is a huge demand for residential developments in Munich. However, the property boom is somewhat constrained by a lack

The Park Avenue project presented B Trinkl with a number of challenges, including the continuous structure of the building. There was only a single wall between the part that had to be demolished and the one to be left standing. This was solved â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in conjunction with a structural engineer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by fixing anchor plates to the retained wall.

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“The Hitachi is one of five high-reach machines at our disposal,” says Florian Trinkl, who has an equal share of the family business with his brother Baldur and is responsible for a fleet of 30 22-85 tonne excavators.

The relatively small site was also close to a school, which meant the foundations were removed during the holidays due to noise restrictions. This was also the stage for the first appearance of the special Hitachi demolition machine that B Trinkl purchased from Kiesel, the Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) dealer in Germany.

“The key criteria for this purchase decision were simplicity of design, operator comfort and suitability for our projects.

Hitachi offered the best overall package and was one of the few manufacturers that offered a highreach Stage IIIB-compliant excavator. Due to the stringent requirements of working in urban environments, we needed a machine that adhered to these requirements. We have had a positive experience with the ZX470LCH-5’s first project, especially with regard to the return on fuel economy.”

André Niejaki has 20 years’ experience in the demolition industry and been designated as the operator of the new Hitachi high-reach model. “My first reaction when I saw the ZX470LCH-5 was just how beautiful it was and I’m still smiling,” he enthuses. “It is wonderful, the best machine ever and a joy to operate. “It is incredibly well balanced and stable, especially when reaching up high. I have also been impressed with its precision – it works like a dream. It is a well-rounded machine, with excellent control, handling and responsiveness. There has been much thought put into the design, even down to the detail of how the cab is protected and the location of the radio controls. It is the only excavator I have operated in which the visibility has been perfect and I consider this to be a very important factor.”

ROTAR ENGINEERED TO GRAB ATTENTION AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THE PLANT MACHINERY SOLUTION SEPARATION/CRUSHING/MIXING/WASHING/SCREENING/RECYCLING/DEMOLITION

01606 835 544

W: www.worsleyplant.co.uk Worsley Plant, Road Beta, Brooks Lane Industrial Estate Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 0QF

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Genesis Expands Shear Range

Genesis Attachments has announced four new XT mobile shear models, increasing the current range to eight models. The new GXT 445 and GXT 775 straight and rotator models join the GXT 555 and GXT 665 models introduced in April 2013. Shorter in length and height and lighter in weight, the GXT models feature a centre of gravity that is closer to the excavator, enabling the rotating models to mount on 20 to 35 tonne excavators that previously could only carry smaller, less powerful shears. The GXT also features an apex - where most cutting is done - that is closer to the back of the jaws, improving material gathering and increasing cutting performance and efficiency while reducing maintenance. "Interest in our new GXT mobile shears is high," says David Palvere, Genesis director of business development. "Demolition contractors appreciate that the GXT fits on smaller carriers, reducing their initial acquisition and hourly energy consumption costs."

Palvere reports that additional GXT models are planned, with the complete line up covering carriers in the nine to 113 tonne operating weight range.

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Quick-Change German heavy demolition specialist takes delivery of huge Hitachi with the ability to switch booms in seconds. Julian Jessat reports exclusively for Demolition. While the eyes of the demolition world were focused on the front door of Kocurek’s Ipswich facility to see the UK’s largest high reach excavator depart and head for duty with Dem-Master in Scotland recently, another equally impressive machine was leaving largely unseen via the back door. The machine in question is the latest to be developed jointly by Kocurek and German engineering specialist Kiesel and is built upon a Hitachi ZX870XXL base. Weighing in at around 150 tonnes, the machine features three distinct boom configurations: a telescopic boom that provides a 50 metre working height with a three tonne attachment; a heavy duty boom that will take a six tonne tool to 30 metres; and a demolition triple boom that allows the machine to wield a 10 tonne attachment at 18 metres. More impressive still, the boom change is built upon OilQuick coupler technology that allows the operator to switch booms in approximately one minute for optimum flexibility and utilisation. The machine has gone straight to work with German contract MoB Demolition Earthworks – which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – on the Kokerei Kaiserstuhl project in Dortmund.

e Artist

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Volvo The Breaker Maker

Volvo Construction Equipment’s new series of HB hydraulic breakers for 14- to 70-tonne excavators is now available in Europe. Durable, powerful, and easy to install, the 11-model HB-Series breakers have operating weights from 909 to 6,031 kg. The HB14 to HB70 breakers are self- greasing and encased in a fully sealed housing, which protects the power cell, prolongs their life and reduces noise. Their hydraulic systems are protected from pressure spikes by large capacity accumulators, which also serve to increase impact power. For flexibility and increased productivity, the operator can adapt frequency to the application using the breaker’s dual-speed control. A cushion damper reduces noise and vibration back through the machine, for greater operator comfort and safety, as well as decreased risk of damage to the boom and arm. Anti-blank firing prevents the breaker from continuing to strike once material has been completely penetrated.

The versatile HB-Series can also be adapted depending on the application with a variety of tools, including moils, pyramid moils, chisels and blunts. HB-Series breakers can be purchased in a comprehensive all-in-one package — which includes hydraulic hoses, breaker bracket (standard in some markets) and breaker tools — so they can go to work right away, no matter whether they’re being attached to new machines or integrated into an existing fleet.