Avant Techno unveils new video for new 185 Robot.

The equipment spotters among you may recall the name Finmac from a few years back. The Finnish manufacturer was the latest pretender to the Brokk demolition robot crown and its F1 machine certainly looked like a fine piece of engineering.

Well, Finmac has since been acquired by fellow Finns Avant Techno Oy and the Rammer hammer equipped demolition robot has been given a new name and new livery to match.

The electrically-driven machine can be powered either by a 15 kW or 18.5 kW electric motor, allowing flexibility and power when and where it’s needed. Equipped with a telescopic boom, the maximum vertical reach is 5.2 metres, while horizontal reach is 4.5 metres. Excluding attachments, the Avant Robot 185 weighs 1,850 kg.

The machine is equipped with reliable EPEC computer and user interface. The remote controls can be used with both radio and cable. When the space is limited, upper carriage can be removed while the tracks can be operated separately, providing transport height as low as 750 mm. Standard transport measurements are 1,555 mm in height, 795 mm in width and 2,200 mm in length.

You can check out the new Avant Techno 185 in the video below:

With the dust now settled on the post-quake clean-up, the legal wrangles begin.

It seems like just a few months since the city of Christchurch found itself transformed into a demolition Klondike as contractors from across the globe fought for the right to participate in the clean-up following the 2010 earthquake and the numerous subsequent aftershocks.

At the time, public opinion on the demolition process swung like a pendulum from too slow to too fast. There were accusations of companies riding roughshod over local legislation and public feeling in a hasty attempt to return the city to some sense of normality. There were also reports of thefts from some sites. But, all in all, the demolition industry appeared to have emerged with some credit from a period of intense activity amidst widespread confusion and international scrutiny.

However, with the majority of the destabilised structures now down, the recriminations have begun.

There are allegations of fraud, possibly to the tune of $1.2 billion, reports of the illegal dumping of demolition waste, and the distinct feeling that there is more (and possibly worse) to come.

Of course, neither fraud nor the illegal dumping of waste can be condoned. But, if the contractors involved are to be given a fair hearing, then context will be a vital consideration.

In the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster of this magnitude, chaos typically ensues. It takes a while for lines of communication to be established and for processes to be set in place. There are numerous interested parties – property owners, insurance companies, regulators and local and national authorities – pulling in opposing directions to protect their own interests. And then into the mix arrives a number of overseas contractors that are not even familiar with local rules and regulations as they typically apply, let alone in a disaster zone.

To make matters even more confused, disaster recovery works are generally carried out against the clock with local residents eager to get back into their homes and places of work as quickly as is humanly possible.

Of course, this chaotic background does not forgive illegal activity of any kind. But it does underline the need for an internationally-agreed and universally-available template to be followed in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, tsunami or any other kind of major disaster.

In the months and years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the US’ National Demolition Association (NDA) did a huge amount of work to put in place a disaster recovery procedure among its members. This could be replicated – probably in short order – by national demolition associations around the world.

We can only hope that this – or something similar – is adopted before the next major natural disaster and, moreover, that it doesn’t become entrenched in the “if it wasn’t invented here then we will have to start over” rhetoric that seems to stymie every cross border initiative.

Investigation underway into demolition waste allegedly buried ilegally.

Environment Canterbury is investigating a Christchurch contractor for allegedly burying demolition waste on 13 cleared residential sections.

Companies found guilty of the practice could face millions of dollars in fines if prosecuted for the dumping, which is understood to be several cubic metres of waste in each case.

Demolition contractors must follow disposal guidelines, including paying any dumping fees at approved waste facilities, and there are strict requirements around the treatment of hazardous materials such as asbestos.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) confirmed buried waste had been found and removed at four properties, and another nine addresses were being investigated with ground-penetrating radar.

All 13 sites related to one “alleged offender”, said project manager waste and environmental management team, Carl Diamond.

Paul Lindsay – sole director of limited liability companies Lindsay Builders and Bobcats R Us – told The Press he was co-operating with ECan on a series of underground tests.

He initially denied his companies had been burying demolition waste, but then backtracked:

“We’ve just been doing a whole bunch of ECan stuff to test it and what you’re saying is not quite true … they found very little.”

Read more here.

Time-lapse video captures removal of vital rail link bridge.

Constructed in 1852, the Loughor viaduct is a 220 metre long, eighteen span railway structure, constructed mainly of timber, which carries a single track railway line over the Loughor Estuary between Swansea and Llanelli in South Wales.

Originally one of Brunel’s once numerous timber viaducts, the superstructure has since been entirely replaced and it has received substantial re-designs and strengthening works in subsequent years, last being refurbished in the mid 1980s.

Now, detailed site investigations and conditional surveys have determined that the viaduct has reached the end of its lifespan. Network Rail and Carillion are replacing the complete structure, including the existing piers within the current track alignment, with a new viaduct capable of supporting two tracks as part of the larger, £50 million Gowerton Re- doubling Scheme. The work is jointly funded by the Welsh Government and Network Rail.

Read more here, or view the video below:

Loughor Viaduct Demolition & Replacement from STUDIOME on Vimeo.

CDI’s Stacey Loizeaux gives an insight into next weekend’s blast.

About 400 pounds of dynamite will bring down the 18,800 tons of reinforced concrete, metal and other materials that make up the former City Hall, the demolition experts who will demolish the building said.

“The City Hall structure is a fairly new and structurally robust building that is actually much easier to implode than lesser, more deteriorated or damaged structures,” said Stacey S. Loizeaux, one of the members of the Loizeaux family’s Controlled Demolition Inc., the company contracted to tear down the 34-year-old building. “As a result, it’s really a fairly simple project from our perspective.”

The 10-storey building is scheduled to be torn down at 9 a.m. April 14, just one day after the Asarco smelter smokestacks are to be brought down — forever changing the El Paso skyline.

City Hall opened as the city’s headquarters in 1979, and its demolition is the final major step in clearing the 5.5-acre site to make way for a new Triple-A minor league baseball stadium.

The demolition of the former City Hall and the Insights El Paso Science Center, which was torn down in mid-March, is being handled by Grant Mackay Demolition Company under a $1.5 million contract with the city. The contract is part of the $50 million ballpark construction cost.

Controlled Demolition, subcontracted to implode the building, mobilized its preparation crews last week and will bring the implosion crew to El Paso this week, Loizeaux said.

Read more here.

House where six children perished will be leveled.

Derby City Council plans to demolish the home of Mick and Mairead Philpott, where six children were killed in a fire started by the couple.

Mick Philpott, 56, was jailed for life on Wednesday after being convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of the children in the blaze last May.

His wife Mairead, 32, and friend Paul Mosley received 17-year sentences.

The council is attempting to take legal possession of the three-bedroomed semi-detached house, as well as of the adjoining one.

Council leader Paul Bayliss said: “Who would want to live in a house where six children have died and why would you want to live next door to a house where six children have died?”

The council wants residents in the area to decide what to do with the property, and an online petition has called for a memorial garden to be built on the site.

Read more here.

Liebherr R 954 C high reach gets to grips with Hamburg high-rise.

If there’s one thing we love here at Demolition News Towers, it’s a good high reach excavator action video. And this is a great example.

Shot last month in Hamburg, Germany, it shows a Liebherr R 954 C owned by Wilko Wagner taking down a commercial building.

Enjoy.

Demolition man hit with county-wide injunction.

Waste Management World is reporting that a businessman has been punished for repeatedly flouting planning rules at sites across Manchester.

Peter George Cordwell, of PGC Demolition, received a two-year injunction at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre in the case, brought by Rochdale council.

The order means he will have to seek planning permission for any future development on any site in the borough – and risks prison if he breaks the rules again.

The council has previously obtained interim injunctions against Cordwell, but he continued to breach various regulations.

The authority has now applied for the borough-wide injunction, which is tougher than standard planning law and carries a maximum £20,000 fine for breaches, or imprisonment. Cordwell will also have to pay the council’s legal costs.

The case was brought following a series of breaches of planning law, including the establishment of a waste disposal centre on Chichester Street, which was operating without planning permission.

The operation involved the dumping and processing of waste materials using noisy crushing equipment, which disturbed residents in neighbouring properties. Work to construct a property on land at Collop Gate Farm in Heywood, was also started without permission and eight industrial units were constructed at a site in Sparth, again without planning permission.

On both occasions, the council issued stop notices, but Cordwell, who is based in Heywood, breached them.

Read more here.

Administrative error could prove costly.

Friday’s opening of bids for the demolition of the closed downtown Lockport parking ramp featured an error that could cost the city $190,000, produce a lawsuit, or both.

Scott Lawn Yard of Sanborn submitted the lowest bid, $987,000, for demolition and replacement of the ramp with a 42-space surface parking lot on Main Street near Pine Street.

The problem was that Scott’s bid was handed in late, after a city employee allegedly told the Scott representative that the bid had to be presented at the Buffalo office of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, the company that designed the project.

That was wrong information, and by the time the Scott employee returned from Buffalo, he had missed the 2 p.m. deadline.

“We were there at 1,” said Scott Lawn Yard co-owner Scott Miller. “We were in the right place. We were turned around by a secretary for the city.” Mayor Michael W. Tucker said it happened “upstairs,” meaning at an office on the second floor of City Hall. But he noted that Scott Lawn Yard has bid on several city contracts in the past and should know the procedure. The bid documents say the bids were to be delivered to City Hall.

“Very clearly, it says where the bids are going to be opened,” Tucker said. He said he would have to consult with Corporation Counsel John J. Ottaviano about the situation. Ottaviano did not return a call seeking comment.

Miller said he wanted to pursue the matter in some fashion.

Read more here.

Listing Bangkok apartment block likely to face wrecking ball.

A return to the drawing board appears to be the most likely course of action for the ill-fated Pathum Thani residential project as investigations continue into what caused the buildings to begin tilting. Construction work has already been halted and the labourers have gone home.

Don Muang Grand Plaza Co Ltd has so far invested 70 million baht to build two apartment blocks with 132 rooms in each, located behind Zeer Rangsit Mall in Lam Luk Ka. Zeer Rangsit Mall owns the property.

“There is an 80% chance that we will destroy the building and rebuild again,” the company said in a statement after a meeting with residents from the nearby Pummarin housing estate on Thursday.

“But we can’t confirm what we are going to do with the building at the moment. We are still looking into the problem and considering the best solution,” the statement said, adding they would announce their decision today.

Ku Kot municipality issued an evacuation order for the area on Monday, after police started receiving reports from local residents on Sunday that one of the towers was collapsing. Work was immediately suspended and labourers evacuated from the construction site.

Thanes Weerasiri – secretary-general of the Engineering Institute of Thailand and a lecturer at Thammasat University and an expert on building collapses – has dismissed reports that the building had collapsed due to ground instability caused by the 2011 floods or it being built on a drained pond. The building has a six degree lean on the northern side.

“No one can really tell what caused the building to tilt because no one can go into the area to conduct a detailed examination to determine the reason for collapse,” Thanes said. “The whole area is too sensitive and we don’t want to do anything to make it worse. After an initial inspections on Monday, Mr Thanes said he had three theories on what caused the collapse: the condition of the soil, the position of the foundation piles and the size of the foundation piles and their placement. Both buildings have the foundation piles 21m underground as required by law,” he said. “Therefore, the buildings should be able to stay up without collapsing.”

Read more here.