CAT 345 in action at former GE Lighting Factory, Enfield

Armac Demolition has uploaded another great video, this time focusing on the use of a CAT 345 during the demolition of the former GE Lighting Factory, Enfield.

345 operator Andrew explains that the 345 is probably the best in its weight class with good visibility allowing you to, "see clearly what you are doing, and it is well-designed for that".

The factory demolition required some care as the location was right next to the busy A10. In total it took over 100 hours to complete using Cat 385 & Cat 345 UHD Excavators to perform the main task. Caterpillar MP20 & MP15 concrete cutter jaw work tools also used.

This demolition was a tale of two halves

Clearly this building implosion somewhere in China was not planned that well. The building splits in two, with the desired result only happening to half the structure.

Armac Group 18 hour bridge demolition

Armac Demolition has uploaded this great video of a bridge demolition carried out recently. The bridge is one of seven on the M1 between junctions 6a-10 which needed removing as part of a Widening Scheme.

In each case, the motorway was closed for a period no longer than 18 hours, and in some cases only 12 hours. Impressive work.

Chimney and Water Tower demolition at Courtaulds, Coventry

Over the weekend Lee Demolition carried out the demolition of a chimney and water tower at Courtaulds in Coventry.



The button was pressed 97-year-old, ex-employee Odie Edmonds, and Central News had coverage of the job during its Sunday evening show. You can watch it here: ITV Central News

Courtaulds was built in the 1920s, and was at its most prominent in the 1950s and 60s. The site has been closed for the last 3 years, however, and now may be re-developed.

Swing it harder!

Demolition News found an amusing video which clearly shows you need the right tools for the job.

In this case, the wrecking ball is far too small to even have an impact on the building. There may be some light window damage, but this building isn't coming down any time soon without a rethink.

New images of 1515 Tower West Palm Beach building implosion

We wrote about the third largest building implosion carried out by AED in February. The building in question was the 1515 Tower in West Palm Beach, Florida.

We've been sent some new images of the implosion by AED and the BiggerBlast website. They are included below. Click each image to see a larger version.

Judges announced for Demolition Awards 2010

Once again, the judges for the Demolition Awards have been announced. And once again, our own John Woodward joins the panel.

Here's the full list of confirmed judges:

Howard Button
Chief executive, National Federation of Demolition Contractors

John Woodward
Vice president, Institute of Demolition Engineers

Walter Werner
President, Deutscher Abbruchverband

Henrik Bonnesen
COWI

William Moore
Vice president, Brandenburg Industrial Services

The awards are being held on November 5th in the Hotel Okura, Amsterdam. For more information visit the Demolition Awards website

Derelict garages in Wolverhampton may finally be demolished (UPDATED)

UPDATE: We have been informed that Armac Group will be carrying out the demolition once the garages are free of tenants at the end of March.

A group of derelict garages near Ashmore Park, Wolverhampton might finally come up for demolition after website WV11 and local paper the Express & Star got involved.

As can be the case with derelict sites, they end up attracting the wrong type of behaviour. After being broken into, incidents of fly tipping, graffiti, and anti-social behaviour started occurring in the area.

Kate Hughes, communications manager for Wolverhampton Homes, said back in February that:

The Garages are set to be demolished soon and we are currently negotiating with the 2 remaining tenants, but until alternative locations are found we can’t demolish them.

The one blocker to demolition was those tenants and finding them alternative locations. Now notices have been served for them to stop using the garages by 25th March meaning a demolition order can be issued.

Source: WV11.co.uk

Happy Birthday Jill

Happy Birthday Jill.

Today is my wife's birthday and to me she doesn't look any older than when we met over 10 years ago. I could not do the work that I do without the love and support of Jill so I thank her for that support, return the love in buckets and wish her "Many Happy Returns".

New Training Courses added

This week we have added four new training courses to our line-up. The course titles are as follows:

- Digital Tachograph
- Hand/Arm Vibration Awareness
- Portable Appliance Testing
- Safe Use of Ladders & Steps

Please keep checking our forthcoming courses page and training calendar for details of when these new courses will be offered.