Although manual demolition techniques such as hydraulic excavation are the most common type of demolition project; often used on smaller buildings of a few stories or less, building implosion is the technique people around the world most often associate with demolition work.
Implosions are carefully designed so that the structure collapses in on itself, rather than exploding outwards which would raise huge safety risks, and create damage to surrounding properties and buildings. We often work on demolition projects in Chicago and other dense urban areas like Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis and St Louis, which calls for the greatest care and expertise in ensuring the safety of people and buildings surrounding the implosion site.
A huge benefit of using controlled explosives is that it brings the building down very quickly, however any implosion can take many months of planning and be very expensive, so it's important to always weigh the various pros and cons of manual techniques and implosions against each other.
Selecting between hydraulic excavation demolitions and building implosions
Manual demolition is almost always the first choice on smaller building structures, and implosions are often associated with larger buildings, though sometimes factors such as safety risks means that manual techniques are used on extremely large buildings; it takes expert consultation and consideration to apply the right technique to each project.
Implosions are always attractive for their speed, though the preparation time that goes into an implosion is considerable. Poor planning and execution could result in damage to surrounding buildings, or a detonation may only be partly successful; leaving a very unstable partially collapsed structure, potentially with undetonated explosives left within it. Even low cloud cover on the day of a demolition can create problems; bouncing the shockwave from the explosives back downwards, risking damaging surrounding buildings.
These risks mean that building implosions are often a last option, only used when manual techniques are completely impractical.
Expert design and preparation of building implosion demolitions
It takes many months of work to professionally prepare a building implosion, and typically that work begins with a phase of stripping out and decommissioning any valuable or hazardous materials used in the construction. This includes things like copper wiring and asbestos, but also fittings including glass to prevent creating dangerous projectiles, and even insulation and drywall which a building collapse could spread across a large area.
As the building is stripped and relevant local permits and licenses are cleared, our explosives team begin wiring the structure with high explosives such as C4 and nitroglycerin. Key structural columns have holes drilled in them to accommodate explosives, and detonation cord is wrapped around smaller columns and load bearing walls.
A key element of the implosion design is to try and use as little explosive as possible, to minimise safety risks and costs. Only a few floors are rigged with explosives and they are carefully timed to explode one after the other, encouraging a gradual building collapse. In a well designed demolition the explosives just start the process; the mass and momentum of the building itself creates a progressive collapse into the footprint of the building.
Successful implosions see a complete collapse into the original footprint of the building, and then it's just a gradual process of clearing away the rubble leaving a fresh site for construction.
Whatever your building or demolition plans, it's essential to always work with professionals that can bring years of expertise to every stage of a project, from the earliest planning to final execution: speak to us at US Industrial Demolition, based in Illinois, at any time to start planning your project.