The latest edition of the NFDC’s flagship magazine is available to read online now.
The Autumn 2010 edition of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors’ Demolition & Dismantling magazine is out now, and contains a full report on the Federation’s recent 2010 Annual Convention that took place in Sardinia.
Slow-motion video captures final seconds of latest Glasgow tower to fall.
We’re currently awaiting the official news release on what looks to have been a textbook blast at Norfolk Court in a rain-drenched Glasgow yesterday. But while we’re waiting, here’s an amateur video of the tower’s final seconds, captured in slow-motion:
UPDATE: Our friends C&D Consultancy, who were involved in this project, have a number of additional videos of this contract which you can see here.
Price as expected but apparent lack of interest surrises county officials.
Demolition of the Palace/Wayne Hotel inched closer to a start date this week with the Polk County Commissioners opening bids for the project on Tuesday. Dollar-wise, the bids came in at around what was roughly projected, but officials were a bit taken aback at the number of bids received.
“We were a little surprised that only four bids came in – two of them were delivered after the deadline and had to be returned,” said County Coordinator Jack Schmalenberg. “Out of 14 to 16 plan holders, though, we thought there might be another one or two participating.”
Industrial Builders, Inc. of Fargo was the low bidder with $339,669. Spruce Valley Corporation of Middle River bid $405,875. Schmalenberg said the last estimate for the demo project, around $250,000, was done a few years ago, so it was assumed the new price-tag would be in the area of $400,000.
Demolition is expected to take place later this fall, but no start date has been set.
Read more here.
City seeks demolition cost from owners of former casket factory destroyed in fire.
Syracuse will try to get the $363,000 cost of taking down the fire-ravaged Marsellus Casket Co. factory from its owners, city officials said today.
The city wants Richmond Ave. Development LLC, the owners of the 121-year-old former factory swept by fire early Wednesday, to pay for the demolition, said Lindsay McCluskey, speaking for the mayor’s office. She said the corporation, a Westchester County investment group, has insurance on the building which it has owned since 2007.
Worried about the building’s stability, the city sought emergency bids to demolish the building from three contractors on a pre-approved list, McCluskey said. Two submitted proposals. The lowest bidder, Crisafulli Trucking of Syracuse, won the contract, she said.
Read more here.
Fascinating video shows how special effects specialists recreate demolition for the movies.
Ever watched a movie in which a building was demolished and wondered “was that for real”? Well, in the case of Batman – The Dark Knight, in which a real demolition WAS used, the chances are you’re watching either CGI or even a miniature model being “imploded”; and this fascinating video shows how it’s done.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the fact that they actually add dust (or gas) for added realism.
Some recently rediscovered magazines shine a light on a demolition world gone by.
Earlier this week, we uploaded the second ever edition of Euro Demolition News, the hip and happening electronic magazine of the European Demolition Association that features all the state-of-the-art developments in this iPhone-toting, email obsessed demolition world we now inhabit.
But some of our more eagle-eyed readers spotted that the magazine was linked to an online repository of some less cutting edge publications; namely some copies of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors’ Demolition & Dismantling magazine dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.
So, prompted by some reader feedback, we have decided to bring a few of these lost gems to you; and the first comes from a year in which the UK was split between Silver Jubilee celebrations and the advent of punk music. So here is the Demolition & Dismantling magazine from the month and year I started high school; September 1977 (and if I had known then what I know now, believe me, I would have studied WAY harder!!)
Photos capture start of works following official ceremony.
An official ceremony was held today to mark the start of demolition works at the old National Stadium. In its place will rise a state-of-the-art, S$1.3 billion facility in 2014.
The old National Stadium was built in 1973 and contains many happy memories of the time Singapore played in the Malaysia Cup and other sports events like the inter-school track and field championships. The National Stadium was also the venue for 18 National Day Parades. A new 55,000-seater stadium with a retractable roof and individually cooled seats will rise in its place.
“Over the past decade, Singapore has changed the way it perceives, plays and enjoys sports. By any measure, we are a true sporting nation. We play, we cheer, we excel and we work in sports. The new Sports Hub in Kallang is a bold confirmation of how much we have accomplished—and how much more we can do,” said Mr Alex Chan, Chairman, Singapore Sports Council. “The Sports Hub will help us put in place the hardware and software that will not only benefit Sports Hub when it is up and running, but also spillover to all other areas of sports development in Singapore.”
The National Stadium was slated for demolition in 2007 but the financial crisis in 2008 delayed the project. The Singapore Sports Hub, when built, will be the only stadium in the world that can be reconfigured to accommodate cricket, rugby and football matches in the same venue.
Work grinds to a halt again at paper mill over asbestos fears.
For the second time in less than a month, a state agency has ordered a Texas man to stop demolition work at a former paper mill in Lockport.
This time, state Labor Department officials say the owner of the property knew there was asbestos contamination but continued to allow unprotected workers to perform the demolition.
Property owner Scott Krzyzanowski was initially told after a 3 September site visit to stop demolition work until the results of asbestos tests came back, state officials said. On 14 September, a few days after receiving the test results, the Labor Department cited Krzyzanowski with several violations, including using a non-licensed contractor and non-certified workers, starting demolition work without an asbestos survey and refusing to allow inspectors to perform their review.
On Friday, inspectors found workers again performing demolition work at the site. The Labor Department then issued a stop-work order.
Before the asbestos test results were in, Krzyzanowski told The Buffalo News he doubted there was much asbestos in the 1,500 square metre (16,000-square-foot), largely roofless building.
Read more here.
Stoke council suspends six officers over demolition tender process.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has suspended six regeneration officers as part of an inquiry into its tendering process for demolition work.
The local authority is being helped by the Audit Commission, which has taken away a number of documents relating to the investigation.
Additionally, police have made one arrest following complaints about the council’s approach to demolition procurement.
The six suspended officers all work for the council’s Regeneration Directorate.
Read more here.
Council seeks to curb anti-social behaviour with demolition within conservation area.
The local authority-owned blocks won architectural awards when they were built in the 1960s but are now said to be out of keeping with the character of the 17th and 18th century conservation area. The buildings in McDouall Stuart Place, High Street and Howard Place in Fife are largely boarded up and have become rat-infested and a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
Local councillors have said they would be relieved to see the five blocks demolished but because they are in a conservation area permission must be given by Historic Scotland, who normally insist on plans for replacement housing being in place first.
However, the council has revealed that, due to the economic climate and the ongoing regeneration of Dysart, it has not yet been possible to come up with a detailed alternative — but modest environmental improvements such as grassed and paved areas would be carried out in the meantime.
Read more here.
