A closer look at the demolition of an English icon.

For several months now, we have been bringing you regular updates on the imminent and subsequently underway demolition of the “Get Carter” car park in the North East of England. However, it has occurred to us that while the building in question is iconic here in the UK, its “appeal might be a little less well known elsewhere.

So, together with Chris Dobson, health and safety manager at Thompsons of Prudhoe, the company responsible for the demolition, we have put together some more information that will hopefully illustrate why this ugly car park held such a place in British hearts. Chris takes up the story:

Gateshead’s Trinity Square car park (known by many as the Get Carter Car Park or Gateshead Multi Storey Car Park) was built from designs by Owen Luder (subsequently RIBA President) and opened in 1967, five years on from the drawing board. The building towers above Gateshead town centre (being the tallest building in the town centre by quite a margin).

Rather than becoming the centre of its community public opinion has called for its demolition (the building was listed in Britain’s top 10 worst buildings) and the car park is instead famous for the role it plays in the 1971 gangster movie “Get Carter”. Following decades of deterioration the decision was made to demolish the car park structure, the indoor market that lies below and associated properties on High Street, Ellison Street and the adjacent Trinity Square, allowing for a new city centre development.

Following an extensive pre-tender interview process and a successful tender submission Thompsons were awarded the contract. The project follows on from other major Gateshead/Newcastle demolition projects undertaken by Thompsons, and which include Tyne Tees Television, Westgate House (formerly listed as one of Britain’s top 10 worst buildings), Wellbar House, Eldon Square, City Library, Binns Department Store and the Majestic Ballrooms.

Thompsons’ newly-acquired Komatsu 750 super high reach excavator machine will assist the company’s Caterpillar 350 high reach machine to demolish the car park, working top to bottom in a pre-determined sequence. Demolitions commenced at 09:00 on 27/7/10 and will be captured by time lapse photography throughout.

And if you’re still wondering why this seemingly unremarkable car park holds such a place in British hearts, check out the video below and fast forward to the two minute mark.

Video provides object lesson in how NOT to cut a steel pipe.

Thanks to countless re-enactments in movies, TV programmes and cartoons, we’re all familiar with the image of the man sawing away at the tree branch upon which he is sat, seemingly oblivious to the fact that a few more saw strokes will see him plummet to the ground below.

Ever wondered what would happen if that classic joke was brought up to date, replacing the tree branch with a steel pipe, perhaps? And what about switching the saw for an oxy cutting torch? And, as a final flourish, a seemingly gravity-defying denouement?

Well, wonder no longer as the video below is what you’ve been waiting for. Our endless thanks to Robert Kulinski for alerting us to this (and so many other items).

Pipe Cutting Fail – Watch more Funny Videos

Controlled Demolition Inc claims reactor stack implosion success despite issues.

Success is notoriously difficult to define. For example, if you attempted to jump a ravine on a motorcycle but broke every bone in your body when you landed on the other side, would that be considered a success?

The reason we’re asking is that we’ve just read news about the implosion of a 53 metre (175 foot) high exhaust stack at Hanford’s K East Reactor that is described variously, as successful, safe, well-planned and well-executed. Nothing ambiguous there, right?

Well, that’s what we thought. So we read a bit further. And we found this:

The blast did take off more exterior siding on the reactor building than anticipated. But surveys found no structural damage.

The Transite panels are made of cement asbestos board, but no asbestos fiber was detected, Kehler said. The siding has been removed elsewhere at Hanford with excavators with no problems with asbestos fiber.

Personally, we think this speaks more to the management of expectations and less to the defining of the term success. But we’d love to hear what you think.

Read the full story here.

Manitoba demolition company ordered to halt all demolition work.

Avenue Construction, the demolition company connected to a July 13 asbestos scare has been ordered to halt all demolition work in the province until it can prove it has safe work procedures in place. The general stop work order issued to Avenue Construction by provincial investigators remained in effect as of July 19, says Jo-Anna Guerra, director of the Prevention Services and Partnerships Branch of Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health Division (WSHD) in Winnipeg.

That order and others followed the illegal demolition of the Transcona Meats building on Regent Avenue in Winnipeg’s east end, which was found to contain asbestos, Guerra reports. Avenue Construction began tearing down the one storey, nearly 2,000-square-foot building and attached shed at about 5 pm on July 13. It was demolished within roughly two hours, she adds.

Before noon on July 14, the WSHD received an anonymous tip concerning the “unsafe demolition of a building,” Guerra says. When investigators arrived at about 12:15 pm, they found that most of the debris had already been removed.

Read more here.

Just how many health and safety violations are being committed here.

Yesterday, we reported on the lucky escape of Indiana company owner and excavator operator, Ron Marsh, who was behind the levers when his machine began to fall from the top of a ramp made from rubble. And, frankly, the more we look at this photo, the worse the scene becomes.

In fact, even a quick glance throws up probably half a dozen instances of bad practice. But rather than us keyboard-jockeys casting our opinion on the faults with this doomed exercise, we thought we’d let you have your say.

So please, take a look at the photo and tell us in the Comments area below just how many faults you think you’ve found and what they are.

New York church demolished after catastrophic collapse.

Crews worked throughout the night to demolish the former St. Louis Catholic Church after the building partially collapsed Sunday afternoon.

According to Oswego police Capt. Tory DeCaire, authorities decided to immediately demolish the building after the collapse because the parts of the structure still standing were unstable.

Bystanders were cleared from the vicinity and the Oswego City Fire Department began using high-intensity hoses about 8:35 p.m. Sunday to knock down the steeple, the largest and most dangerous part of the building still standing.

Read more here.

New era at Philadelphia’s historic munitions manufacturing establishment

Demolition began today in a section of the former Frankford Arsenal to make way for The Shopping Center at the Arsenal. Buildings formerly used for military research, heavy manufacturing, munitions manufacturing and munitions storage will be replaced by a diversity of large and small retailers and restaurants that will serve Northeast Philadelphia communities and beyond. Shoppers will have direct access to the center via a new Bridge Street exit that is included in PennDot’s I-95 reconstruction and improvement project.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (Pa.-13th), Philadelphia Councilwoman Joan Krajewski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Addison (Tad) D. Davis IV and other elected officials and dignitaries from the state legislature and the city joined Mark Hankin, president of Hankin Management Company and owner of the Arsenal property, as he greeted more than 250 guests and signaled the beginning of the demolition.

Read the full story here.

Ceremony signals the impending end for former B-17 plant.

It’s been 40 years since airplanes were produced in Boeing’s Plant 2, which was constructed partly on piles over the Duwamish Waterway between 1936 and 1941.

But demolition of the plant is expected to begin this year, with cleanup and restoration starting in 2012 as permits are obtained. More than 76,000 cubic metres (100,000 cubic yards0 of tainted sediment will be removed and replaced with clean sand. Some 500 piles will also be taken out.

Sunday’s ceremony honored not only the industrial plant, but the men and women connected with its role in U.S. history. Two B-17 pilots spoke, as did a woman who was among the “Rosie the Riveter” female workers who took war-production jobs during World War II.

Read the full story here.

Thompsons of Prudhoe start work on iconic local landmark.

The demolition of a multi-storey car park in Gateshead made famous by a 1970s Michael Caine movie has started.

Equipment from leading local contractor Thompsons of Prudhoe moved on to the Trinity Square site, which featured in the film Get Carter, three years after revamp plans were announced.

The 1960s car park became a landmark on the Gateshead skyline and some film fans and enthusiasts of the Brutalist architecture hoped it would be saved.

The demolition is expected to take eight weeks.

The car park is part of a site where there are plans for a £150m redevelopment including shops, offices, a student village and supermarket.

Read the full story and watch a video of the initial demolition here.

Hundreds gather to say goodbye to Mississippi State University’s Suttle Hall

The crowd erupted with applause and pointed cameras at the former dormitory as the wrecking ball dropped repeatedly on the nine-story structure and brought down pieces of roofing, concrete, brick and rebar.

Read more here or view the video below: