Demolition of structures and buildings is needed for different reasons. However, for this reason, you should know the demolition process and methods for buildings. Every building structure or design has a design life known as lifespan. Usually, considering the life span of the building, the architect designs the building, and the expected lifespan of the building is 80-100 years. Once the building’s design life is over, the structure becomes damaged and dangerous for the neighboring building. You should not live in a building whose lifespan is over.
However, for various reasons, building demolition may require, and new buildings should replace the old structures for safety purposes. However, learning the demolition process and methods is essential because the old building has lost its stability. Moreover, structural damage is a common issue in the old building. Furthermore, immense structures are built by demolishing the small form.
What is Demolition?
Demolition means breaking down, destruction or removal. Building demolition is destroying or dismantling the structure by the controlled and pre-planned methods after ending the serviceability life. However, when explosives use in building demolition, then it is called Implosion.
Demolition Process and Methods of Building
building structures demolition process and methods consist of various steps, and the steps are:
- Surveying
- Hazardous materials removal
- Plan preparation
- Safety measures
Buildings Surveying for Demolition
Surveying is the process of studying different structure parameters and their surroundings. Mainly, two types of surveying are conducted, and they are:
- Building surveying
- Structural surveying
Building Surveying
In the demolition process, the building survey process consists of the following procedure:
- Construction material types used.
- Buildings present and prior usage during demolition
- We identify hazardous materials, radioactive materials, wastewater, toxic chemicals, explosive and flammable, etc.
- Possible water pollution problems, erosion, drainage, and flooding
- Adjoining buildings shared facilities including partition walls and standard staircases
- Vehicular traffic conditions and adjoining pedestrian
- Neighborhood sensitivity concerning dust, noise, traffic impact, and vibration
Structural Surveying
In the structural survey, the demolition process and methods involve the following:
- Construction method
- The structural conditions and structural system of underground tanks, basements, or underground vaults
- The original structural system in the design
- Building’s condition
Hazardous Materials Removal
Petroleum contamination, asbestos minerals, and radioactive metals are all hazardous materials, which can find on the site investigation for demolition. However, specialized persons help remove dangerous materials from the site before the structural destruction.
Demolition Plan Preparation for Structures
The demolition plan involved different process which illustrates the whole method, and they are:
a) Demolished Building Location
The distances of the adjacent building, structures, streets, and crucial street furniture from the demolished building
B) Buildings Structural System
Demolition plan preparation shows all the building demolition procedures, including the demolishing structural member’s detailed sequence and adopted demolition method. However, the plan also consists of public protections, preventive measures, and many more. Furthermore, the precautionary measures area is covered walkways, hoarding, catch fans, protective screens, catch platforms, scaffolding, and safety nets.
Safety Measures for Building Structures in Demolition Process and Methods
The demolition process of a building structure consists of several potential hazards for the building itself and its neighboring structures. Therefore, the building structure’s demolition process and methods consist of several safety measures.
- However, the first safety measure is to brief the potential demolishing hazards to the workers, engineers, site supervisors, equipment, plant operators, etc.
- Another safety measure is removing all the flammable goods from the site unless necessary for the work. However, explosive materials are timber, wood, fuels, etc.
- Storing all the flammable and necessary goods in the proper storage facilities.
- Storing firefighting appliances on the demolition site until completing the process.
- Structure demolition may cause several problems to the workers, such as exposure to chemicals, dust, noise, ventilation, heat stress, etc. Therefore, informing all the potential exposure problems to the workers.
- Undertake all the suitable measures to overcome all the problems in demolishing the structure.
Demolition Process and Methods for Building and Different Structure
For building and structures, usually, two different demolition methods are available. And they are:
- Non-explosive demolition
- Explosive demolition
Non-explosive Demolition Method
The non-explosive demolition method involves demolishing the building structure using some equipment without any help from any explosives. However, no explosive use in this demolition process. Furthermore, for destroying the building or other construction, you may use different equipment, and these are:
a) Sledge-hammer
For demolishing a single column or small wall, the most valuable equipment is a handheld hammer.
b) Bulldozers and Excavators
Bulldozers and excavators are big machines, and these machines help demolish small size buildings. However, this equipment is most useful for soil excavation or debris transferring to trucks, etc.
c) Wrecking Balls
Excavators or bulldozers do not help demolish the 6-7 story building with greater height. However, in such cases, demolition activity can perform with the help of a crane with wrecking balls. The wrecking balls are hanging from a steel rope, and it attached to a large steel ball. The process is pulling the steel ball and release it towards the building. When the steel ball with entire forces hit the building, the building parts become demolished.
Explosive Demolition Method
The process of using explosives in demolishing a building is known as Implosion. The structure collapses when it lacks supports. However, in the implosion technique, the building’s direct support, such as beams, columns, and slabs, is demolished using explosives. By using the explosive in a queue or beam, it collapses. Furthermore, two types of Implosion generally operate in the building demolition process and methods. And the types are:
a) Falling Like a Tree
In the method of Implosion, the building to the sideward falls like a tree. However, the most common type of Implosion is this.
b) Falling Into Its Footprint
If the demolishing structure lacks free spaces, other neighboring buildings’ designs need to be protected, and then the authority uses this type of demolition method. However, in this demolition type, below the building’s middle part, the explosives are set. These are heavy explosives as they will demolish the large building at once explosion.
