The National Demolition Association has announced plans for an inaugural International Symposium on the State of C&D (Construction & Demolition) Recycling, to be held in Chicago in the fall of 2009.

The symposium is scheduled to include contributions from the National Federation of Demolition Conractors in the UK and the European Demolition Association.

Further details can be found here.

A UK demolition contractor has been hit by equipment thieves for the second time in a week. Dewsbury, West Yorkshire-based Hutchinson Demolition says that the two thefts, coupled with previous incidents, have resulted in the loss of more than £150,000 worth of equipment this year alone.

The latest theft, which took place at the company’s head office in Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, included the loss of a number of attachments including grabs, three pulverisers and a pair of Montabert hydraulic hammers for 13 and 20 tonne excavators. The company also lost a 20 yard capacity skip and a rotating grab. The thieves had unsuccessfully tried to steal a rotating attachment for the company’s high reach excavator.

The company’s Jonathan Hutchinson reports that this latest incident came less than a week after the theft of a company van and a “significant amount of tools”. Earlier in the year, the company also lost a skip wagon but this was recovered in a police “sting” operation.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of this equipment should contact Jonathan Hutchinson on Tel: (UK) 01924 491616.

An industry leader in environmentally responsible demolition and recycling has drastically reduced job site dust in a sensitive urban area by using portable, high-efficiency dust suppression equipment while removing a five-floor concrete, steel and block section of the Fresno (CA) Metropolitan Museum.

Kroeker, Inc. employed a DustBoss DB-60 to cover more than 20,000 square feet with a high-velocity mist of droplets that are atomized to the optimum size for trapping airborne particulates, effectively preventing dust from creating a nuisance or hazard for the heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the heart of downtown Fresno.

“The conventional approach to dust control is to have several laborers manning the hoses and spraying down debris,” commented John Call, Manager of Business Development and Marketing for Kroeker. “That certainly helps, but in this downtown location, we needed something more effective that would not only prevent dust on the ground from kicking up, but would also knock down the particles that did become airborne. Manual spraying just can’t do that,” he said.

The museum demolition was a delicate job, as Kroeker’s mandate was to completely remove the additions built in 1936 and 1951, preserving the original 1920s structure that was once the home of the Fresno Bee newspaper, which will contain the newly renovated museum. To better control the
dust generated by the project, Call and his crews positioned the DB-60 to spray the face of the
building as it came down. With a 25 HP motor that generates 30,000 CFM and a throw of more than 200 feet, the oscillating unit delivers a fine mist of water droplets that are atomized to 50-200 microns, the optimum size for dust particle attraction.

Kroeker employed several excavators for the job, including two 70,000 pound Link Belt 330s and a 150,000 pound Komatsu PC650, as well as hydraulic hammers, universal processors and shears at various pints. The firm also used a 150,000 pound Hitachi PC450 with an 80-foot reach and a UP30 processor at the tip. Engineers mounted an additional water spray and video camera at the tip for additional visibility and control.

“By having water at the top of the project and the mist from the DustBoss draping the front of the structure and ground debris, we were able to provide excellent suppression of airborne particles,” Call observed. Kroeker has long been known for its environmentally responsible approach to demolition and recycling, and the company’s 25-acre facility is able to recycle 95% of all debris it receives into reusable materials. Many of the methods and innovations developed by the firm since it began full-time recycling in 1998 are now in common use by other C&D companies.

To maximize the utility of the DB-60, Kroeker engineers have mounted the versatile unit on a trailer with its own generator, and because all utilities were disconnected for the museum demolition, the company used a dedicated water truck plumbed with a 1-1/2 hose to supply the device. The result is a completely self-contained dust control technique that is easily portable from one job site to another, so it can be transported wherever it’s needed most on any given day.

The DB-60 also incorporates a 10 HP booster pump for increasing water pressure by as much as
150 psi. Further, DCT offers an optional dosing pump that can be used to automatically meter in odor control additives or surfactants for superior particle capture. The unit can be outfitted for potable or non-potable water sources.

“The DustBoss did a great job for us on this project,” Call concluded. “It gave us a powerful tool for trapping and containing the inevitable dust from demolishing this structure and hauling away the debris.” He added that although no formal measurements have been taken, he expects the continued use of the DB-60 will have another positive effect, helping to reduce the amount of dust drawn into equipment air filters.

Demolition & Recycling International has announced the creation of the Demolition Awards, which are intended in future to become a highlight of the year for the demolition industry. The event will be organised with the support of the European Demolition Association and D&Ri’s publishers, KHL Group.

The first Demolition Awards event will be held in Amsterdam in November 2009, with the EDA’s autumn conference being held at the same venue in conjunction with the Awards to create a ‘must attend’ event for the sector.

The Awards are intended to recognise those demolition contractors, large and small, that have displayed excellence over the course of their demolition activities by applying best practices, ensuring health and safety during their work, displaying innovation in terms of demolition techniques and in their attitude to the environment in which they operate.

Specific Award categories will also recognise manufacturers for innovation in design and manufacture through to excellence in customer support in the field.

Contractors and manufacturers do not have to be members of their particular national demolition associations or of the EDA to submit entries. A judging panel composed of leading industry figures, assembled with the assistance of the EDA, is currently being put in place. Submissions will be requested via a dedicated website (www.khl-group.com/demolition_awards) from the beginning of December 2008.

D&Ri and its publisher, KHL Group, firmly believes that the demolition and recycling sector of the construction industry deserves this forum where the achievements of the sector can be recognised, and welcomes the support of the EDA in making the event possible.

James King, publisher of D&Ri, said, “The evolution of the demolition and recycling industry over recent years has been quite remarkable – especially in terms of the development of new methods and practices, better specialised equipment, and the on-going rise in professionalism within the industry.”

He added, “These new awards created by Demolition & Recycling International, which itself has been at the centre of the industry’s development for almost a decade, will recognise that great pace of development across the whole industry.”

D&Ri editor Lindsay Gale echoed this: “There currently is no international, recognised forum where the achievements of the industry can be celebrated. Major steps have been taken by contractors across the board in improving safety, caring for the environment and in finding ever-more efficient ways of carrying out their daily work. The creation of the Demolition Awards provides a means whereby these improvements can be recognised by the industry. We look forward to welcoming you in Amsterdam.”

UK trade magazine Contract Journal is reporting that demolition contractors are having to work harder to find jobs.

Firms that have found contracts simple to come by for the last few years are now looking to expand their horizons and branch out into sectors they hadn’t considered for some time. With the commercial market stagnant, it’s now all about infrastructure, hospital and schools.

Read the full story here.