Deputy mayor looking to speed up demolition process for city renewal.

Way back in February, we labeled Detroit as Demolition Central following mayor Dave Bing’s pledge to demolish in the region of 3,000 dilapidated and abandoned homes in the “Motor City” during the next 12 months.

This process faltered initially following some last-minute asbestos-related fears. However, these demolitions are now progressing well; in fact, Bing’s second-in-command Bob Buckler has now suggested that the city may raise the stakes.

“Why can’t we create a process,” Buckler asked in an interview this week, “that can do 5,000 houses, 6,000 houses or 10,000 houses in a year?”

“One important thing for a really good leader is to set high aspirations,” said Buckler, the former Detroit Edison president now in his second month on the job as Detroit’s COO. “So my question is, ‘Why can’t we demolish more? Why can’t we set a higher aspiration?’ ”

Such a statement will be music to the ears of Detroit’s demolition professionals.

Read more here.

UK contractor Erith Group takes part in top-rated TV programme.

Just over a week ago, we suggested that UK demolition professionals should make a point of watching the 27 June edition of the BBC’s top-rated TV series, Top Gear as it was to contain something of a demolition surprise.

Sadly, thanks to a combination of World Cup fever, unseasonably warm weather and a crate of beer, we then failed to heed our own advice and even forgot to hit the record button on our Sky+ set-top box. Thankfully, however, those boffins at the BBC have something called iPlayer that allows UK-resident laggards like ourselves to catch up on the stuff that they missed; and this edition of Top Gear is no exception.

Unfortunately, due to copyright protection and overseas distribution shenanigans, we can’t actually embed the video here. But, if you’re in the UK, just click here and hit the play button (the Erith section starts at around the 28 minute mark).

Our thanks to John Woodward and the team at DemolishDismantle for bringing this to our attention.

Brazilian explosive experts use simulation software to predict tomorrow’s blast.

For most Brazilians, this afternoon means just one thing: The 2010 World Cup clash between national team and tournament favourites Brazil and The Netherlands. But while his fellow countrymen will be settling down with a well-earned Caipirinha, explosive demolition expert Fabio Pinto will be running final checks on a contract that promises to be even more explosive than today’s football encounter.

Tomorrow sees the implosion of the 3,700 square metre, four-storey Presidio Helio Gomes structure, a contract that has already been rendered in full-colour simulated glory.

We will, of course, bring you video footage of the implosion after it has happened but, for now, here’s a glimpse of what is scheduled to happen tomorrow.

Demolition is moving into high gear on the former 3M campus in Minnesota.

Within the next couple of weeks, Rachel Contracting crews will begin to take down the largest building on the old 3M campus on the city’s East Side: an eight-storey office structure known as Building 42. Another structure, Building 2, will also be razed beginning in the next week or so, according to Monte Hilleman, vice president of redevelopment at the St. Paul Port Authority.

It’s the latest milestone in the effort to prepare the Port Authority-owned campus for the Beacon Bluff redevelopment, which is expected to attract 1,400 jobs to the struggling East Side.

“This is the biggest redevelopment we have done since Energy Park in the ‘70s,” Hilleman said. “We believe it is huge for the East Side. … It is kind of the hole in the donut we need to close in with businesses and job creation.”

Rachel Contracting, which was selected for the $3.1 million demolition contract this past spring, has already razed the Building 99 complex (which includes multiple buildings) and Building 41.

Read the full story here.

Waterfront Mall to fall under Wrecking Corp spell.

Wrecking Corporation of America has been awarded a contract for the demolition Waterfront Mall at 4th and M Streets in southwest DC. The project also includes excavation for a new structure for the site. The general contractor for the project is the Clark Construction Group LLC of Bethesda.

“This is the largest single building in the District to be razed,” says Terry Anderson, Wrecking Corp executive vice president, “and it’s part of the master plan for the renewal of the DC waterfront. The building is a massive concrete structure that has to be hand-separated from the buildings that are to remain. Wrecking Corp has razed hundreds of buildings in cramped urban areas, and is skilled in the dealing with the unique challenges such projects represent.”

Read more here.

Fijian Ministry of Works sets aside $1 million budget for dismantling of Rewa Bridge.

Fijian ministry spokesman Iliesa Sokia said following the tender process, the project would be carried out by United Kingdom company Roughton International.

“They have presented us with their preliminary report,” Mr Sokia said. “It explains the procedures for dismantling the bridge and the cost.”

He said once the company declares its cost, representatives would meet senior officers from their office and present a paper to the Major Tenders Board. Mr Sokia said the presentation would be evaluated by the board and once approved, funds would be released for the project.

Read more here.

Summer camp seeks to start them young with explosives engineer training.

On this side of the Atlantic, the question of where the next generation of blasters and explosives engineers will come from is a source of constant debate. In the US (or Missouri to be precise) they’re addressing the challenge with a summer camp to expose children to the career opportunities of the blasting sector.

For the fifth year, Missouri S&T is holding an explosives camp for students thinking of becoming a demolition engineer.

Many of the students are considering a career in this field, like Kirstin Bier who’s a high schooler from Columbia, MO. “The camp would be a really good way of seeing how they do their program and what it’s like and it’s been a lot of fun,” Bier said. “And you get to blow stuff up… That’s always fun!”

Along with blowing stuff up, the students get to learn the different types of charges, and techniques behind demolition.

Read more here or view the video below.

UK’s National Federation of Demolition Contractors’ launch major event.

Open you diary, flick through to 12 October 2010 and put a large red cross through the entire day as that has been officially designated NFDC Demolition day.

The Federation is taking its message to the industry with its first ever conference/seminar that is designed to illustrate why main contractors and other potential clients should choose NFDC members over other demolition companies. Among the organisations supporting this unique event is the Health & Safety Executive, WRAP and BRE. The event is also being co-sponsored by some of the leading names in the demolition equipment field including Kocurek, Rusch, Sandvik Mining and Construction and Trevi Benne.

To provide delegates, speakers and other stakeholders with up-to-the-minute information on this important event, the Federation has also set aside a special area of its website which can be viewed here.

The first ever National Federation of Demolition Contractors’ Demolition day event will take place on 12 October 2010 at the Britannia International Hotel, Marsh Wall, London Docklands, E14 9SJ. Tickets are priced at (£50 + VAT) per delegate and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To book your tickets, please call 01442 217144 or email info@demolition-nfdc.com NOW.

To show our support for this important national event, DemolitionNews.com has created a Facebook event listing so, if you’re a Facebook user and you’re planning to attend, please click here and let us know.

Atlas Copco aids low-emission demolition work on hospital grounds

At present the grounds of the city hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, are a major construction site. Right next to the Katharinenhospital the new gynaecological and paediatric clinic is under construction. This new building is currently the Germany’s biggest hospital construction site.

But before work could start, the former administration and storage building of the hospital had to be torn down. This demolition work had to comply with special restrictions curtailing the amount of dust, noise and vibrations produced during demolition work because normal hospital work has to be continued unhindered.

FWA Fischer Weilheim Abbruch (FWA), part of the Fischer Group from Weilheim/Teck, was entrusted with this large-scale demolition job by the provincial capital Stuttgart. Work started with extensive gutting and sanitation activities including asbestos removal.

FWA put their trust in Caterpillar heavy-duty demolition excavators and Atlas Copco hydraulic breakers and silent demolition tools. In order to reduce the amount of dust produced during demolition FWA used their own water spray systems directly attached to the excavators to bind the dust near the sport where it is produced.

The latest addition to FWA’s equipment fleet is the Atlas Copco CC 6000 U hydraulic CombiCutter launched at Bauma 2010. Just one day after the exhibition ended, the cutter was on site it Stuttgart. “With its large jaw and enormous power, the new CC 6000 U is a big reinforcement for our machine pool,“ says Joachim Schmid, technical manager of the Fischer Group, says. “And just like all other silent demolition tools it is quite silent and can therefore be used without problem in town centres.“

Read more here.

Nothing to be built on Deutsche Bank site for decade says outgoing deputy mayor.

The cursed site of the former Deutsche Bank building in Lower Manhattan that lay dormant for almost 10 years after it was damaged in the 9/11 terror attacks could remain unused for another decade.

Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber said the city and state should leave the World Trade Center Tower 5 site vacant until lower Manhattan’s office market recovers over the next 10 years, rather than build a mixed-use development there sooner.

“There will be [demand] for office space in lower Manhattan,” said Lieber, who is leaving city government later this summer. “[But] it’s going to take place a decade from now.”

But Community Board 1 Chairwoman Julie Menin said she sees no reason to wait 10 years when residential and hotel developers are interested in the Deutsche site now.

“To have another blighted plot of land, another hole in the community, makes no sense,” Menin said at a meeting of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, of which she and Lieber are board members. We’re sitting on this and we don’t have a plan.”

The demolition of the Deutsche Bank building, which was heavily damaged by the collapse of the Twin Towers, has been plagued by tragedy and delays.

Read more here.