Deconstruction of the River Thames Whitchurch Bridge

The NFDC has a great write up of how the Whitchurch Bridge spanning the River Thames was deconstructed by C&D customer Matthews (Sussex) Ltd.

Here's an excerpt:

"Birse Civils (Balfour Beatty) awarded the contract to Matthews (Sussex) Ltd. after a lengthy tender process; the deconstruction methodology proposed by us and previous experience of our staff with bridge deconstruction works contributed to our success. The works had to be carefully planned due to the unstable nature of the structure. A ‘Mabey’ support system needed to be installed at each of the three trestle’s to support the lattice girders prior to works commencing. River traffic management had to be implemented as it was a requirement that river traffic still have right of way during the works. The asphalt and concrete deck needed to be removed sequentially ensuring the load was evenly removed to prevent a ‘seesaw’ effect and subsequent collapse of the structure."

You can read the full article complete with images over at the NFDC website.

Bridging the Gap article

Construction News Magazine recently ran an article where they caught up with our very own John Woodward about the difference between the construction and demolition industries, even though they are allied industries.

The article is a fascinating read and insight into the role of companies, such as C&D Consultancy, in offering advice and smoothing the transition between "deconstruction of the old and construction of the new."

You can download and read the article.

Watch the iMax building in Bournemouth get demolished (live)

Bournemouth Council completed the purchase of a number of buildings back in 2010 including the mostly glass iMax theater. It then set about accepting contracts for some company to take on the building and turning it into something the public could enjoy. No one came up with an idea worth pursuing, and with locals wanting these ugly buildings replaced with sea views, the decision was taken to demolish the theater.

Deconstruction began in November last year, but you don't need to visit the site to see its progress. The council have been kind enough to set up a camera overlooking the building which streams a view of it 24 hours a day on the Internet. You can therefore watch the building come down in real-time.

The project is now into its second phase and will complete the following tasks by the end of March:

• Removal of roof structure
• Removal of the glazing panels and the steel structure
• Breaking up of the concrete floors within the building
• Removal of waste from site for recycling

At this point you will be able to start seeing the sea again, and then in the April-June period lighting and landscaping will be done to provide an open and public area for everyone to share.

To view the camera and demolition in progress, visit the Bournemouth Waterfront Live webcam page.

Demolition: moving from destruction to deconstruction

The Financial Times has a video online that discusses the move away from total destruction to deconstruction in the demolition industry.

Sustainability has become important, meaning companies now have to think about how to take down buildings carefully rather than turning them into rubble.

You can watch the video here: ft.com/video