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Demolition of Aberdeen landmark underway

- October 8, 2013 by Mr HomeBuilder

Council news>Press Releases>Demolition of Aberdeen landmark underway

The task of taking down the 13 storey St Nicholas House tower gets underway today [Tuesday, 08 October].

Scaffolding is being erected around the chimney on top of the 1960s building, which formerly housed Aberdeen City Council's headquarters. The chimney will be dismantled by hand, before machines are brought in to demolish the rest of the building.

Demolition machinery four Brokks and a Bobcat will be hoisted up the side of the building and used to take the building down floor by floor during the critical phase of the demolition project.

These remote-control demolition machines will be used to deconstruct St Nicholas House floor by floor, from the top down. Each floor will be propped, before the machines are used to demolish each level by "nibbling" the concrete, and drop the material down the lift shaft in a controlled manner. Supporting columns will then be pulled down and the operation will move to the next floor.

The material will then be taken into the area formerly occupied by the Underpass Gallery. It will take approximately two weeks to take down each floor.

Deputy council leader Marie Boulton said: "This is a historic moment for Aberdeen. Love it or loathe it, the St Nicholas House tower has been a prominent feature of the city's skyline for almost 50 years. Over the coming weeks we will see it steadily reduced until nothing remains of the monolithic building.

"I am pleased to see the demolition project progressing so well and the site being cleared in readiness for an exciting new development and a new chapter in the city's history."

Project manager Andrew Sproull said: "The demolition of St Nicholas House is a major project and involves effectively deconstructing the building. The work presents challenges because the building is in such a constrained site in the middle of a busy city centre, which is why we have opted to take the tower down floor by floor in a very safe and controlled manner.

"Safedem will work on the floors in an agreed pattern of demolition by bringing one floor down onto another floor, clearing the material and then pulling down the supporting columns before moving down to the next floor.

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Demolition of Aberdeen landmark underway

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Demolition crews ready to pull the plug at Olympia

- October 8, 2013 by Mr HomeBuilder

Demolition crews are set to begin ripping apart Dundees old Olympia as early as next week, site managers say.

After spending weeks stripping the iconic building of its excess metal and wiring, the initial stages of demolition will finally begin next Thursday, when the footbridge leading into the pool will be brought crashing down.

According to site manager Jamie Casselles, of Central Demolition, the entire building will be reduced to rubble by mid-April.

Every building is different, but were not expecting any hold-ups, said Mr Casselles, whos been on-site overseeing the demolition for almost two months. But the first order of business with this particular job is asbestos removal.

In fact, Mr Casselles and his nine-man team are devoting the majority of their time this autumn to the removal of the dangerous substance, which sent 109 Tayside residents to hospital last year.

Although planners say the Olympias walls dont harbour a particularly large amount of asbestos, its removal is still a top priority.

Weve six men focusing on its removal, under the supervision of a specialist. That should continue on until Christmas, and disposal is all handled in-house, said Mr Casselles.

Meantime, Central Demolition will continue dismantling the buildings exterior, beginning with the removal of the pedestrian bridge.

Alan Hutchison, a senior engineer with Dundee City Council, explained this first phase of the removal should be straightforward.

What will happen with the bridge is well bring in machinery to cut it into chunks, he said. Then, the crew will be able to chain it off and carry it away using a crane.

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Demolition crews ready to pull the plug at Olympia

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Why The Courier supports the demolition of Civic Hall

- October 8, 2013 by Mr HomeBuilder

Oct. 9, 2013, 10:37 a.m.

BALLARAT City Council will tonight again consider the future of the Civic Hall.

The long running debate was seemingly resolved last month when the council voted six to three to begin preparations for the hall's demolition.

However, a motion to rescind that decision has been put forward by Cr Belinda Coates, meaning the council will again hear submissions on the hall's future.

The issue is heavily divisive. A survey conducted by the council at a cost which was disputed this week showed more than 70 per cent of residents preferred rehabilitation and reuse of the current hall.

The same survey showed more than 50 per cent of residents would support the hall's demolition, if it was not to be replaced by council offices.

The one sure resolution is that Ballarat residents want the council to take action. The Courier believes demolition provides the best opportunity to create an enticing new space in Ballarat's CBD.

There remains a strong and determined push to retain and reuse the hall. At the September council meeting, the majority of the 50 submissions heard were against demolition.

A petition to be tabled tonight with hundreds of signatures is another example that not everyone would be happy should the council tonight vote down Cr Coates' motion.

The city cannot continue to tread water on this decision a decade after the hall was closed

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Why The Courier supports the demolition of Civic Hall

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Why The Courier supports demolition of Civic Hall