Architects offered counseling after seeing their work demolished.

Thanks to an unhealthy consumption of daytime television, online conspiracy theories and tabloid newspaper “editorials” I though I’d heard everything. And then I read this.

It seems that our friends in the architectural world find the whole business of demolition so troubling to their sensitive and creative minds that they’re now taking counseling after watching their handiwork turned to so much rubble.

Of course, they could have designed their buildings to be a little more future-proof, ensuring that their sad demise didn’t happen until long after the architect had been called to that great drawing office in the sky. Or, rather than designing atria made from Dodo egg membrane and Narwhal spit, they could have designed the building in a more modular fashion, allowing it to be carefully dismantled and possibly reassembled in another form or location.

But no.

In today’s increasingly touchy-feely world, the only possible answer to having seen your building hit repeatedly with a hydraulic hammer is a period of prolonged, over-expensive and often pointless therapy.

I wonder if architects will appreciate the irony?

The next NFDC/NDTG Working Wednesday seminar is less than two weeks away.

Following the success of the first ‘Working Wednesday’ and the considerable positive feedback this generated, the National Federation of Demolition Contractors and National Demolition Training Group are now working on more seminars for the near future.

The first of these – on the contentious subject of Equipment Theft – is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 24th June 2009. Presenters will include The National Equipment Register (TER) and Kosran. A local policeman will also be present to take questions from the floor.

The seminar will start at 4pm and is expected to last for approximately two hours – If you haven’t yet been to the new Resurgam House, the Working Wednesday seminar is a perfect opportunity.

The event is FREE of charge with light refreshments served on arrival. Spaces will be allocated on a strictly first-come, first-served basis, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

To confirm your attendance, please email Sophie Francis at: sophie@demolition-nfdc.com.

Demolition News is giving away a 1:50 scale model of a New Holland E215B excavator.

In the latest of its hotly-contested online competitions, Demolition News is giving one lucky reader the opportunity to win an exclusive 1:50 scale model of a New Holland E215B hydraulic excavator.

To win the model, just answer the following simple question:

Which world-famous Italian manufacturer is the majority shareholder in New Holland’s parent company, CNH?

To enter, please send your answers by email to manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk. The competition will close on 1 July 2009 and the winner will be selected by a simple prize draw.

Good Luck.

D&Ri magazine has unveiled a new stand-alone website for its forthcoming Demolition Summit.

The website for the D&Ri/EDA Demolition Summit that is scheduled to take place in Amsterdam on 5 – 6 November is now online. To access the latest updates regarding this major new event for the demolition industry, go to www.demolitionsummit.com.

The conference programme is currently under development and will apparently be added to the site as soon as it is finalised

Demolition News speaks to New Holland’s Adele Genoni and Marco Ferroni.

When most demolition contractors start searching for a new excavator, the name New Holland in not necessarily the first one that springs to mind. But with the backing of its owner the Fiat Group, a global alliance with Kobelco, and a new-found enthusiasm for the demolition sector, the company is looking to become more of a contender.

During the recent EDA conference in Nice, France, Demolition News caught up with the company’s Adele Maria Genoni and Marco Ferroni to record this exclusive audio interview.

To listen to the interview now, simply click the blue link below. Alternatively, if you own an iPod or iPhone, please visit iTunes and search for Demolition News to find this and a number of other exclusive podcasts.

New Holland Interview

Danish environmental engineer Ole Geisler discusses the problem of PCBs.

And now, lurking on the horizon like a huge carcinogenic cloud, is the danger represented by the presence of PCBs, a subject that was highlighted in a presentation at the recent EDA conference by environmental engineer, Ole Geisler.

Demolition News caught up with him immediately afterwards to record this exclusive podcast.

Click the blue link (below) to listen here or, if you are an iPod user, check by iTunes within the next 24 hours to download the podcast direct to your media player.

The Danger of PCBs