Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”

Before we do any building demolition, we need to understand its structure first. For example, the precast concrete slap buildings, post tensioned concrete buildings (there are 2 systems, I will explain it in the next article), wooden structure building, destroyed building, or special building (from my previous experience, I found some buildings with strange structure), Buildings destroyed from fire.

We have to know details of our building and the nearby buildings. Like the old saying from the legend of the three kingdoms - "One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be in danger in a hundred battles" Before start the work, we have to plan for it, not working and thinking at the same time. Good plannings will yield good result.

In this chapter, I will explain the process of demolition in slab concrete with ground beam (steel-reinforced concrete building) There are processes that can put into 3 main topics as below

Steel reinforced concrete building

1. Preparation process such as handling insurance, structure survey, demolition permit submission, building protection fencing, preparing fall protection panel, scaffolding to cover for dust,braced frame, electricity system preparation, water supply for demolition, drafting the existing pin coordination etc.

2. Demolition work by human labor (before using machine), smash awning, fins, remove electricity and water system, doors, winders, walls, other architectural work and mirrors etc.

3. Demolition work by machine such as using an excavator with breaker or crusher attachment to break various parts of the building.

How to demolish building on the 2 to 8 storey buildings with safety

1. Send the permit application to the government authority, district office, municipality, prepare the document and submit the permission which take 10 to 15 days (details to be explained in the next article)

2. Survey the area, define the drive way, crew's shelter and lighting system, water system to prevent dust and install warning signs.

3. Cut the electricity, water supply, telephone lines and all kinds of system in the whole building. If lighting is needed, there must be the new wiring into the area.

4. Build the fence to protect the materials from falling.

5. Cover the building to prevent the spread of dust and particles, set up the scaffolding to cover the building (if there is enough budget)

6. Remove materials attached outside and inside the building, such as fans, lightbulbs,,electricity wires, water pipes, wooden floor (if any), windows, doors, wooden partition walls, wooden ceiling, furnitures, reusable sanitary wares (in short, dismantle assets that can be sold first, or remove materials to return to the owner.)

7. Use manpower to smash and dismantle the wall at the edge of the building, awning, fin, panels out of risky arera (except for the fin built wall inside the building) because these stuff can fall out from the vibration during the demolition work with the machinery (more than 80% of the accident from building demolition are from these stuff)

8. Using the long boom breaker or crusher backhoe to slowly break (depend of the surrounding area) the concrete from top down by crushing or breaking, starting from the center area of the building, the method depend on the type of the building.

9. On the second and third floor, use the excavator size PC 200 or PC120 to break or crush down the building.

10. Break down the wreckage from the demolition work and take the scraps outside the area and cut the steels and collect them for sales.

11.Dig the ground beam and footting in order to break them down

12.Level the area and get it ready for the handover.

You can see that these steps are not easy task for the demolition contractor. Before he earn money from the building owners, there are various steps which require close attention especially when the building is closed to other people's building.

If the owner do not pay attention in the "method" in demolition, we will often see the mistakes from the demolition contractor (due to cheap payment, partly because the owner do not have budget to make the process done right)

[ Picture 1. ] Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”

[ Picture 2. ] Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”

[ Picture 3. ] Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”

[ Picture 4. ] Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”

[ Picture 5. ] Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”

[ Picture 6. ] Before working on the building demolition, the question “How?” must always be raised before “How much?”