Methods Used to Demolish a Building

The strength of a building’s foundation is a crucial part of a structure’s integrity, which is why the foundation of a building can account for 8-15% of the total construction cost. If you want to have a stable building, it is important to ensure that the ground on which the building will stand is well compacted to enable it to withstand the weight of the building. Additionally, the higher the building, the deeper the foundation needs to be. Large projects require excavation contractors because they have the necessary equipment to dig the foundations as well as move the dirt around. However, at times, the very same buildings need to be brought down. This is where demolition experts come in.

Factors Which Influence a Building’s Demolition

There are many factors that might necessitate the demolition of a building. Maybe the structural integrity of the building has been compromised due to natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis. The reason for the demolition might be that the building is old and no longer safe to live or work in or that the building needs to be brought down to create room for a more modern structure.

Developers and demolition experts look at certain factors when they decide to demolish a building. Some of the greatest factors they consider are:

• • The location of the building- is it in an urban area.

• • The materials used to build the structure.

• • Why the demolition is taking place?

• • How they should dispose of the debris?

There are many Oregon demolition contractors but you should be careful while choosing the demolition companies to work with. Some are careful while others do not put a lot of planning and consideration into the demolition process.

Some Ways to Demolish a Building

1. Implosion – Some Oregon demolition companies prefer implosion as the means to bring down a building. This technique involves strapping explosives into the support beams of the structure. However, for successful implosion, the sequence of detonation and the placement of the explosives have to be correctly done. The crew analyses the building’s blueprints to identify where to place the explosives for maximum effect. Implosion works best for large structures especially in urban centers.
2. Using High Reach Arm Machines – Other Oregon demolition Contractors prefer to use the high reach arm. This method is used mainly on buildings that are not very tall reaching to a height of about 66 feet. The demolition contractors use a base machine like an excavator. A demolition arm is fitted into the machine and a hammer, shears or crusher is attached to the arm. The mechanism is used to demolish the building from the top down. The demolition tool tears down large chunks of the building while the ground crew breaks down the chunks to smaller pieces for easier disposal.
3. Wrecking Ball – This is the third method that contractors use to demolish buildings. With this method, a wrecking ball-which usually weighs up to 13,500 pounds, is attached to a crane or other heavy equipment. The ball is either dropped on the building or swung towards the building. The repeated blows consequently bring down the building. However, this method is not preferred by many Oregon demolition experts since it is noisy, dusty and causes a lot of vibration. The crane operator must also be highly skilled since missing the building might tip the crane. Because the method is messy, it is performed on buildings that are not close to social amenities.
4. Selective Demolition – This is a new demolition strategy that is gaining popularity. It is also known as selective demolition since the demolition is done in such a way that the building materials such as concrete, brick, wood, and metals can be recycled and used for building new structures. The reason as to why some Oregon demolition experts are going for this method is because they can recover both primary and secondary materials. Primary materials are the ones that can be reused without undergoing any process where else the secondary materials are recycled and used for other projects. The downside though to this method is that it is very labor intensive and the costs might be prohibitive.

Contact us today to learn more about demolition methods and more!