Does the sudden movement in the demolition job market mean we’re out of the woods?

We have been writing about the downturn in the global demolition business virtually since Demolition News opened its virtual doors. In fact, terms like “banking meltdown”, “low bid” and “job losses” have become as much a part of our industry vocabulary as “high reach excavator”, “implosion”, and “US site accident”.

So we’ve been rather caught by surprise by what appears to a sudden (but nonetheless welcome) upturn in the demolition job market, at least here in the UK.

Even in the run-up to Christmas, we were regularly reporting on job losses, lay-offs and redundancies. But, suddenly, these seem to have been replaced by job advertisements from UK contractors that have ridden out the economic storm and are now preparing to climb out of the red and back into the black.

Now, admittedly, five or six recruitment adverts do not a recovery make. But (and it’s a big but) the jobs that we’re aware of are spread across the whole of the UK and all are for highly-skilled and, therefore, highly paid individuals. In other words, not the kind of jobs that become readily available when “times is ‘ard”.

Of course, with the London 2012 Olympics drawing ever closer (and with Gordon Brown doing his level best to buy an unlikely General Election victory with an increase in public spending), there is likely to be an increase in available work. And if the UK Government’s chief construction adviser is to be believed, we stand on the very brink of an environmentally-fuelled boom to rid the country of its stock of its less-than-green building stock.

But is this a real upturn? Or is it merely another false dawn that will end in further frustration, disappointment and job losses?

We’d love to hear what you think so please use the Comment area below.

Demolition work is underway on Dillsboro Dam in North Carolina.

The aging hydroelectric dam in Dillsboro, North Carolina, the subject of a long-running dispute between local residents and electricity generator Duke Power, is finally coming down, as this video proves.

Demolition and clean-up work is underway in Port-au-Prince, despite lack of plan.

More than two weeks after the 12 January earthquake, the work of taking apart a ravaged city is slowly, and chaotically, beginning.

While aid agencies and the government are still focused on tending to the hundreds of thousands left homeless and injured, many Haitians are picking up the pieces and moving on.

The government estimates that 25,000 government offices and businesses either toppled or need to be demolished. In addition, there are 225,000 residences that are no longer habitable. Estimates suggest that around half a billion cubic metres of concrete and rubble will need to be hauled out of the city.

However, there is no official demolition plan in place yet. Asked about tearing down the teetering buildings that crowd the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince, the spokesman for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, Vincenzo Pugliese, said demolition is part of the reconstruction effort.

While much of the debris is simply garbage, some of it could become the foundation for the rebuilding of Port-au-Prince, said Herb Duane, the president of a Boston demolition firm that cleared the earthquake damage in Managua and Guatemala in the 1970s.

Poured concrete can be crushed, turned into aggregate and reused, he said. To do that, however, the country will likely have to import mobile crushing plants that separate out metals and other debris.

And while steel rebar should not be reused in construction, it has a scrap value on the international market of about $100 a ton, Duane said.

Read the full Miami Herald story and watch the video here.

Endangered leopard loose as Moscow demolition progresses.

Last week, we reported that a Moscow resident was planning to protect his home from demolition with a little help from his pet leopard. And, unless this particular part of Moscow has its own leopard breeding programme, it appears that he wasn’t joking.

A leopard found in Moscow’s Rechnik neighborhood, which the city is demolishing in the face of residents’ protests, will be sheltered as experts determine if the cat is an endangered species from the Far East.

The female cat, raised among humans, cannot be returned to the wild, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said in an e-mailed statement Friday.

If it is an Amur leopard, it will be sent to a preserve in Sochi, the Black Sea resort set to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. If it is an African leopard, it will be given to a zoo, the ministry said.

According to this Moscow Times news report, the owner of the leopard was not identified….but local officials might want to start their investigations by speaking to Sergie Bobyshev, the man behind the original leopard threats.

Read more here.

Demolition News brings you another exciting job opportunity.

Long established demolition contractor with a first class reputation has vacancies in the above positions:
The company is based in the North West but operates nationally.

The opportunities will appeal to people who are keen to take on challenging projects in the most demanding environments. You must be self motivated and be willing to become an enthusiastic member of our team. Computer literacy and the confidence to generate business yourself are essential. Previous experience, estimating skills and knowledge of the industry are an advantage. Salary and conditions are negotiable based upon the candidates experience and position sought.

Please send your CV to Mr Mark Bryan C/O J Bryan (Victoria) Ltd, Pickerings Rd, Halebank Industrial Estate, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 8XW or email to angela@jbryan.co.uk

Demolition News broadcast National Demolition Training Group AGM LIVE!

OK, it’s not a lunar landing, a high-definition sporting event or even a 3D soccer match. But when the UK’s National Demolition Training Group meets in Warwickshire tomorrow, it will (hopefully) mark a UK demolition and broadcasting first, as the event will be broadcast LIVE via the Internet.

Demolition News will be harnessing the power of Ustream and (we hope) the wi-fi connection at the Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club to bring you all the presentations and discussions as they happen.

To view the live footage, simply go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/demolitionman from 10.00 am tomorrow morning when (technology-allowing) we will begin broadcasting.

All things being equal, the Ustream system will automatically record proceedings so they will be available to view here after tomorrow’s event.

In the latest of our exclusive job ads, we’re seeking a UK-based decommissioning specialist.

Do you have experience in the decommissioning of oil rigs or nuclear facilities? Are you based in the UK? Would you like to earn £70k per year whilst working with a large and respected company?

In that case, drop a line to nicky@grassgreener.co.uk adding Demolition News – Decommissioning Specialist to the subject line.

Video show reel captures the demolition action, up close and personal.

It’s less than a week since we last heaped praise upon videographer Stephen SetteDucati but, having just seen his latest show reel, we’re going to do it again.

Stephen has rounded up footage from a variety of Testa Corp. projects from 2009 – admittedly not all of them demolition–based – to create a demo that truly highlights his skills with a video camera as well as his ear for a cool soundtrack.

I wish there were more companies as video-aware as Testa Corp; and that there were more videographers with such a great eye for demolition – Enjoy:

Demo Reel – 2009 Testa Projects from Stephen SetteDucati on Vimeo.

New supplement on C&D Waste recycling and reuse now available.

OK, before we move on, let me state for the record that I have a personal hang-up about hanging a price tag on online information. To me, this smacks of old-style publisher thinking, something that Demolition News fights daily to rail against.

However, it is our duty to report that Brownfield Briefing has just produced a new 20-page supplement entitled “Waste Reuse and Recycling in C&D” that includes contributions from notable industry bodies including WRAP, Land Securities, Hyder Consulting, and Earth Exchange.

Is it worth the £20 price tag?

Well, setting aside our own personal feelings, there’s plenty to read here and it does contain some well-researched information (even though we have seen some of it in a different format elsewhere). But if you’re looking to stay on top of the fast-moving C&D waste recycling sector, £20 is not a huge investment.

You can order your copy here.

House damaged in chili-choking truck crash to be demolished.

Properties are demolished for all kinds of reasons. But, as far as we’re aware, the reason for demolition has never before been directly linked to a chili.

But word reaches us that a Massachusetts house struck by a lumber truck whose driver said he passed out after choking on chili will be demolished.

Police said Monday that structural engineers and city building inspectors determined that tearing down the entire home is the only safe way to remove the truck, which has been lodged inside the house since Friday.

The truck driver claims that he choked on the chili he was eating when his truck hit a bump.

Read the full, remarkable story here.