IDE Seminar: The REAL Behaviour of Structures

A new one-day seminar is being held at New College, Oxford on Friday 9th April. The title of the seminar is "The REAL Behaviours of Structures - Tales of the Unexpected".

Here's the description:

The nature of all construction work requires a degree of temporary works and support throughout the building process. Inevitably, the supporting elements and the permanent structure will act together over a period of time. The added complication of differing materials working in a composite manner can create additional stresses and movements beyond normal expectations and the most elaborate computer analyses.

The familiar road sign “Weak Bridge” is a commonly used deterrent to prevent heavy vehicles crossing the structure. In many cases, the warning is entirely justified. However, there are a significant number of structures that have been subjected to restrictions or replaced prematurely due to inappropriate assumptions regarding the articulation and structural actions of principal elements.

High risk activities on demolition projects have reduced dramatically due to the development of purpose designed hydraulic machines and greater awareness of health and safety procedures. Unfortunately, accidents still occur due to unforeseen defects and unexpected structural behaviour. The effects of vehicle impacts and fire damage create additional hazards for both the rescue services and demolition operatives.

Long-term monitoring studies and full-scale load tests over the last 40 years have provided an insight into the hidden reserves and weaknesses in structures ranging from historic buildings to modern post-tensioned concrete bridges. The primary purpose of this Seminar is to highlight and explain the observed behaviour of a wide variety of structures during construction, in service and during demolition.

The day begins at 9am with registration and drinks and ends at 5pm after a short discussion about the seminar. Attendance also entitles IDE members to one IDE-CPD point.

Head on over to the IDE website for more information including a booking form, directions, and full breakdown of the seminar day timetable.

Ballroom blaze

A derelict old manor house was the scene of a major fire yesterday. Tunstall Court, in Ward Jackson Park, Hartlepool caught fire and took over 40 firefighters to put out.

The initial response from fire teams was not enough to deal with the blaze and nine additional crews were called in from other stations.

Unfortunately this isn't the first time the old building has been set on fire and yet again arsonists are to blame for this latest incident. This time they seem to have been successful as the roof collapsed and the walls have become unsafe. Demolition is now inevitable.

Dave Turton, Cleveland Fire Brigade's district manager for Hartlepool, commented:

The cause of the fire is being investigated, but this building has been targeted in the past by arsonists and that is the likely cause.

There were potentially seven seats of fire inside the ballroom, which was piled high with rubbish, and was well alight when we arrived.

The ballroom roof collapsed and the walls are structurally unsafe. We would recommend a structural survey be carried out on the rest of the building.

Source: Peterlee Today

Post 2012 could be a boom time for demolition

Come 2012 there is an important sporting event happening in London, but unless the UK government has some major plans laid out for the new facilities being built now once the Olympic Games are over, we could see a lot of demolition taking place.

The reason we say that is because of what is currently happening in Portugal.

Football fans will remember Euro 2004 was held in Portugal and a number of stadiums were built or upgraded to support the tournament at a cost of 600 million euros. Six years on though, and the Portugese government is considering demolishing some of those stadiums. The reason? One of maintenance costs for stadiums that are used a lot less than say shopping malls or business centres in their place.



Apparently just looking after a stadium costs an absolute fortune with Portugese cities such as Leiro wanting to cut those costs by 1.2 million Euros, not a year, but a month!

With the UK in a lot of debt at the moment, and major investment going into preparing for the 2012 Games, lets hope the facilities not only remain used, but also profitable come 2013 and beyond.

Source: Bloomberg, with thanks to Demolition News

Afan Lido facing demolition after serious fire damage

In December last year a huge fire broke out at the Afan Lido leisure centre in Aberafan, South Wales. The blaze took over 100 fire fighters to bring under control and resulted in nearby residents having to be evacuated.

At the time the structure was deemed unsafe, but no decision was taken as to whether to demolish or save the centre.

A month on and it looks as though the majority of the buildings need to come down. That includes the swimming pool, reception area, and ballroom.


Steve Phillips, chief executive of Neath Port Talbot, said:

A structural assessment has been carried out on the Afan Lido complex by independent structural engineers.

This has confirmed very severe damage has resulted from the fire to the building fabric and primary structure of the pool hall.

The report advises that extensive demolition is necessary and officers will be recommending a way forward to the council once financial and technical appraisals for demolition have been completed.

Air tests carried out on the night of the fire, and subsequently, show normal air quality readings, confirming that asbestos disturbed as a result of the fire is confined inside the building.

Music fans in the area will also be upset to hear that although the sports hall may remain standing future planned music events will have to be cancelled. That includes the Lostprophets gig scheduled for March. 



Source: BBC News

Decommissioned aircraft also get demolished

Have you ever wondered what happens to old aircraft when they are no longer fit to fly?

Apparently they get the demolition treatment just like buildings as this time lapse video of a Boeing 720b demonstrates.

The only difference is they come apart as if they're made of paper which makes me a little more apprehensive of flying.

Demolition Awards 2010 website live

There are two pieces of good news to report this morning. The first is that the new Demolition Awards 2010 website has gone live, and the second is that our own John Woodward has been confirmed as a judge once again.

This year the awards event will be held on November 5th in the same great venue at the Hotel Okura, Amsterdam.

The awards categories include:

* Customer Service & Support Award
* Demolition Contract of the Year
* Demolition Company of the Year
* Demolition Safety Award
* Demolition Training Award
* Demolition and Recycling Environmental Award
* Explosive Demolition Award
* Industrial Demolition Award
* Confined Space/Urban Demolition Award
* Civil Demolition Award

and the manufacturers awards include:

* Innovation Award – Series Product
* Innovation Award – Custom Product
* Service and Support Award

The deadline for entries is Friday 30th July.