Work imminent at closed coke plant as NCM wins the bid.

Demolition of the closed AK Steel coke plant in Ashland could begin as early as Monday, said City Commissioner Kevin Gunderson.

The company has the necessary permits to begin the demolition this week, Gunderson said.

The plant shut down last year, putting about 100 company employees out of work. The closure also impacted about 250 contract employees.

The 85-acre parcel currently has an assessed value of $6,918,700, according to the office of Boyd County Property Valuation Administrator. The property is located along the Ohio River and has access to the river, CSX railroad line and U.S. 23. Company records said the site off Winchester Avenue has 138 acres.

“I think it’s property that can be redeveloped,” Gunderson said. “I would like to get the property cleaned up. I want to see another use for the property. I’m certain the city would offer incentives to develop it. The property already has the infrastructure in place. It’s located across the street from the city water plant.”

The company has signed a contract with NCM Demolition and Redemption of Charlotte, N.C., said Barry L. Racey, an AK Steel spokesman. “The work will begin soon and take until mid 2013,” he said.

Read more here.

Ever wondered what it would look like if the front just slid off a building…?

Here at Demolition News Towers, we have grown accustomed to odd requests from those both inside and outside the demolition business. The most common request from outside is generally “we’d love to blow something up” while the most common from inside is usually “we’d like to blow YOU up”.

However, in the history of quirky calls, this one just about takes the biscuit.

We have been approached by an artist who is looking to create a sculpture based around a disused industrial or domestic building. Made from reclaimed brick and salvaged architectural features, the facade of a building seemingly slides out of its upright position to reveal the upper interiors of a domestic or commercial property.

The UK Brick Development Association have expressed their support for this project and the model alone has already been shortlisted for their annual award to celebrate the most innovative use of brick products in British architecture. Ibstock Brick, one of the UK’s leading brick manufacturers, will offer their support through financial and technical contributions. Furthermore, Smith and Wallwork Engineers will manage the structural engineering to ensure safety and stability.

“I require absolutely no financial or technical backing to execute this project; I simply request your help to find an unused building that would be otherwise redundant,” says artist Alex Chinneck. “I am very flexible about the type and location of the property but ideally it would have some space at its front and not be too isolated. Permanence is not imperative and therefore a building scheduled for future demolition would be perfect.”

Before you dismiss Chinneck’s ambitions out of hand, know this. His previous installation – at a factory in East London – has been viewed online over half a million times and has attracted press coverage around the world.

So, if you have a building awaiting demolition that you think might be suitable, please drop us a line at manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk and we’ll pas it on to Alex.

Are you sure that’s a good place to park a high reach?

We have just been sent this video of the explosive demolition of the Sun Hotel in bat-Yam in Israel. We have no further details at present, but while we’re searching, check it out below:

Grangemouth contractor announces highest ever end of year figures.

Masterton is on course to achieve a turnover of £16 million by the end of 2012 – a significant increase on last year’s turnover of £10 million.

The announcement follows a period of major investment and restructuring for the Scottish company which handles large scale decommissioning projects for clients both in the UK and across the world.

The restructuring programme has seen the appointment of a new managing director, Steve Forster, formerly of Keltbray, and the creation of 12 new managerial positions. Together these will allow the company to further its expansion into new specialist sectors such as city centre and international demolition. In addition, Masterton has invested £1 million in new plant as part of the company’s on-going commitment to securing the latest and safest technology.

The investment programme has helped Masterton gain a number of prestigious new contracts over the last 12 months. These include a further large scale project with client of 29 years Ineos Grangemouth. Masterton is currently deconstructing four redundant 330 tonne capacity crude oil storage tanks, 44m in diameter and 10m high, for its longest standing client and neighbour.

Other new contracts include:
· a £1.3 asbestos removal project for Ineos ChlorVinyls at Runcorn
· a £600,000 contract to remove asbestos from Rolls Royce’s aeroplane engine factory in East Kilbride.
· Rack dismantling and asbestos removal at Diageo’s Glenochil bonded whisky warehouse in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire.

Masterton’s impressive expansion programme was supported with a move to a new 16-acre site in Grangemouth earlier this year, providing much need additional capacity for its fleet maintenance, recycling and waste transfer operations. With sustainably being a high priority for the company, the new purpose-built headquarters has been specially designed to help Masterton further enhance its environmental credentials. The company already recycles 99% of waste materials arising from its decommissioning activities and is now able to heat the company’s premises by burning waste wood in the headquarters’ biomass boiler.

The new site is home to over 30 staff, including 20 Masterton employees plus 12 personnel from Masterton’s parent company – Blackwell. A further 80 staff are employed in the field. Meanwhile to fulfil demand from its overseas clients, Masterton has established a new global division – Blackwell Masterton International (BMI) – which provides the same expertise and quality of service that Masterton has become known for in the UK but supported by locally managed offices and local labour.

As Masterton nears the end of its current financial year, the company’s sights are set firmly on the future with further expansion planned and a projected turnover of £25 million for 2013.

Cheltenham demolition company cited for illegal asbestos removal.

A Cheltenham demolition company has been prosecuted after exposing its own workers to dangerous asbestos fibres and illegally removing asbestos waste from a property in Gloucester.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted DA Environmental Services Ltd at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court today (5 Nov) for three breaches of regulations relating to asbestos removal.

The court heard HSE found the firm undertook an asbestos survey before demolishing the building showing it contained a quantity of Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB). The report identified that this would have to be safely removed in a controlled manner before demolition went ahead.

However, during a six-week period in August and September 2011, the building was demolished and asbestos boarding removed by DA Environmental Services’ employees, exposing them to potentially significant quantities of asbestos fibres released during the work.

The company did not hold the necessary licence to carry out the asbestos removal and failed to take adequate steps to prevent both exposure to and the spread of asbestos fibres generated by the work. The investigation also found the asbestos debris was not disposed of correctly, potentially extending the risk of exposure and spread of danger into the waste chain.

DA Environmental Services Ltd of Maida Vale Business Centre, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 8, 11 and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The company was fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,452.

Read more here.

EDS underlines growth goals with ambitious recruitment drive.

EDS Group, one of the UK’s biggest and best-known demolition companies, is on the expansion trail and is seeking staff across a number of key roles ranging from quantity surveyors and contracts managers to excavator operators and operatives.

The details of the positions vacant are shown on our sister website, Demolition-Jobs.co.uk.

Please be sure to follow the response process carefully to ensure that you are considered for these key roles.

Explosives demolish building at the former Kimberly-Clark Australia Tantanoola Pulp Mill plant.

Around 24kg of high explosives were used to demolish the Tantanoola Pulp Mill’s recovery boiler on Friday.

After six months of planning, the 1,000 tonnes of structural steel fell to the ground and other material was reduced to rubble in just a few seconds at 10am.

Safety was paramount throughout the procedure, according to Kimberly-Clark Australia Millicent Mill manager Scott Whicker. The use of explosives to bring the structure to ground level was chosen as a result of safety issues, Mr Whicker said. “The high explosives took out the legs of the building – the building had been totally stripped of all other materials other than steel,” he said. The 1000 tonnes of structural steel is going to take a little while to get rid of, but the intent is still to have the site clear by the end of the year.”

Read more here or view video below:

Preservationists could derail bridge demolition, despite permit.

Plans to demolish the train drawbridge on the Black River could depend on what the State Historic Preservation Office advises the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Port Huron Yacht Club purchased the train bridge — a skyline landmark to Sarnia residents for 80 years — in December 2011. It received a demolition permit from Port Huron in January to remove the bridge, but has been waiting months to hear back from the corps before moving forward.

Spokeswoman Lynn Rose said the corps is consulting with the State Historic Preservation Office before issuing the permit.

“From what I understand, this bridge has some historic interest and could possibly be a national historic site,” she said. “We have to confer with the State Historic Preservation Office before making a determination.”

Martha MacFarlane-Faes, deputy state historic preservation officer, said the last time the state heard from the corps about the bridge was in October 2010.

“At that time, we advised that demolition of the bridge would have an adverse effect on the historic significance of the (3.3 acre) site,” she said. “I would expect to hear from them again if there is a new permit being discussed.”

Read more here.

2,000 tonne structure felled in blast.

Gas holders, once a familiar and enduring part of the landscape, are gradually disappearing from the world’s skylines. And, in this latest instance, they are vanishing in spectacular style.

Unfortunately, we don’t know which contractor took care of the demolition, only that the gas holder was in Copenhagen and that it was 108 metres in height.

Near $1 million contract will bring end to 56-year old venue.

A deal has been signed to tear down Evansville’s shuttered Roberts Stadium.

The city’s parks board voted Thursday to approve a nearly $960,000 contract to demolish the 56-year-old arena that was shut down with last year’s opening of the new downtown Ford Center.

Plans are for contractor Klenck Co. of Evansville to demolish the old arena by next May, with its asphalt parking lots removed and the site filled in for development as a park.

The new Roberts Park is expected to be developed over the next few years. That project could cost $5 million.