Industry experts believe explosive demolition of Vegas condo would be “complex but doable”
Hot on the heels of the MGM Resorts International ‘s announcement that it plans to demolish the Harmon building in Las Vegas, industry experts are favouring an explosive end to the Norman Foster-designed but never-occupied building, saying it shouldn’t be too tough thanks to the structure’s size and the pedigree of those running the job.
“They have to be careful, they have to clean all around it, and they have to make sure there’s an area where the building comes down if it spreads out,” said Herb Duane, a demolition consultant based in New Hampshire who has worked in the industry more than 30 years. “Twenty-six stories is very doable,” Duane told The Associated Press.
Duane’s views are shared by Eric Kelly, owner of Idaho-based Advanced Explosives Demolition Inc.
“It would be OK,” said Kelly, who also believes that rigging more floors with explosives will provide greater control. “The more floors you shoot, the straighter down it will fall,” he said.
MGM Resorts International, the casino company that owns the Harmon as part of its $8.5 billion CityCenter joint venture, said as it proposed demolition to the county that implosion is the best option for a building that they say wouldn’t be able to support its own weight in a strong earthquake. County building officials had asked the company to propose a plan to fix the building they call a public health hazard.
Now, plans call for an implosion in six months, followed by four months of cleanup.
Company spokesman Alan Feldman declined comment Tuesday, saying the company was waiting for all necessary approvals from the county and court officials handling a separate legal case involving MGM Resorts and Tutor Perini Corp., the main contractor for CityCenter. A county spokesman declined comment.
Representatives for LVI Services, Inc., the demolition company that would run the job, and Controlled Demolition, Inc., the subcontractor in charge of the implosion itself, declined comment, referring questions to MGM Resorts.
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