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.
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.
Illness forces changes to IDE Roadshow event in Bristol.
The forthcoming IDE Roadshow in Bristol has been hit by the withdrawal, owing to ill health, of a number of keynote speakers which has forced the IDE to quickly rethink the event and make changes to the itinerary and pricing structure.
Get the full story here.
Kees de Groot gave a fascinating insight into dust control measures and legislation in Holland.
As always, the European Demolition Association threw up some unexpected gems among its presentations. On the face of it, Kees de Groot’s speech on the issue of dust reduction could have been painfully dull and overly technical. Instead, it showed how the newly-formed Dutch demolition association Veras is harnessing the latest dust suppression technology and influencing Government policy.
The resulting video has been produced in two parts:
Part 1
Part 2
The EDA Conference in Nice was a great success, as this exclusive video shows.
The European Demolition Association hosted its latest conference in Nice on France’s famous Coe d’Azur this weekend. And, as this exclusive video shows, the delegates and speakers were out in force.
Hydrodemolition techniques have been employed on the repair of Italy’s Rio Verde Viaduct.
Hydrodemolition using high-pressure water jets to remove damaged concrete has played a vital role in the repairs and strengthening of the Italian multi-span Rio Verde Viaduct. The viaduct is one of the tallest in Europe and carries the busy dual two lane A15/E33 Autostrada della Cisa over a steep sided valley in the municipality of Pontremoli. Conjet hydrodemolition equipment was used to remove damaged concrete from the faces of the viaduct’s rectangular concrete piers, which rise up to 136m from the valley bottom to the steel deck, followed by replacement with a new and thicker concrete skin.
The 960 metre long twin steel deck viaduct, which is supported on eight reinforced concrete hollow pillars, is a major structure in the link between Parma and La Spezia on Italy’s Mediterranean coast, 100km south of Genova. The spectacular viaduct was opened in 1975, but inspection by maintenance engineers showed the bridge piers were suffering from extensive calcium chloride decay, forcing the Italian Highways Authority and the Highway Engineering Department of Cisa Ltd to carryout extensive repairs and strengthening.
The specialist hydrodemolition contractor A.B.C.Construczioni S.P.A., working for the main viaduct repair contractor SEI-Idrojet, carried out the concrete removal on one pier at a time. The repairs were performed from a special, purpose built cradle and working platform that wrapped round all four sides of the piers. The piers are 21m long and 8.5m wide at the base and tapering to 2.5 wide at the apex. The ends of the platform were adjustable to compensate for the changing width of the piers. The whole platform was supported and raised and lowered on wire ropes, which went up to pulleys on a steel support cradle at the top of the pier and back down to four synchronised winches anchored at ground level.
Conjet modified a standard robot feedbeam to fit onto and run along a rack on the inner sides of the platform in the fixed space between the pier and the platform. A Conjet Computer Control Unit, also mounted on the platform, was used to control the feedbeam and integral jetting nozzle. A Conjet 345-400kW Powerpack at ground level provided the high-pressure water at 1000bar and flow of 200l/min to the feedbeam’s nozzle. The feedbeam and nozzle, travelling back and forth along the platform’s rack, selectively removed damaged concrete to a depth of 70mm and below any exposed reinforcing. The process continued on one face of a pier as the platform was slowly raised to the top. On completion of removal of the concrete from one face, the platform was lowered and the Conjet feedbeam moved to another side of the platform for the process to be repeated on all four faces.
On completion of concrete removal another team followed on fixing additional reinforcement in stages to all sides of the tapering pier. Shuttering panels 1.8m high were then fixed round all faces to support a new 220 mm thick skin of self compacting concrete pumped into the formwork from ground level. After the concrete had set the formwork was removed and repositioned for the next 1.8m lift for the process to be repeated to the top of the pier.
On completion of repairing and strengthening a pier with an additional layer of concrete, the working platform was dismantled and re-erected on the next and then subsequent piers for the hydrodemolition and concrete repair process to be repeated.
German company Mende Schornsteinbau demonstrates a modern take on chimney demolition.
Faced with a giant chimney, most demolition contractors would be checking their explosives insurance and erecting the sandbags, ready for the big bang. Not Mende Schornsteinbau GmbH. The German specialist demonstrated that these jobs can be handled with the same delicacy and precision as any other demolition project.
The EDA Conference in Nice provided an opportunity for Dehaco to unveil some innovative products.
With the likes of New Holland, JCB, Case, Caterpillar Liebherr and Komatsu in attendance, the focus of the European Demolition Association conference in Nice could have been all about high reach excavators and other large machines.
But a video from Dutch manufacturer Dehaco set tongues wagging with some highly innovative products. The company has very kindly allowed us to reproduce that video here, together with our new pre-roll advertisement from sponsor Pirtek:
General Demolition celebrates gold to the power of three.
Gold Award 1
General Demolition is celebrating winning one of the prestigious RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2009.
The RoSPA awards ensure that organisations have good health and safety systems in place, thus reducing the number of accidents and cases of ill health at work. David Rawlins, RoSPA awards manager said:”General Demolition Limited has shown a commitment to protecting the health and well being of its employees and others. Entering the RoSPA awards reinforces the message that good health & safety is good for business, and clearly demonstrates an organisation’s dedication to improving performance in this crucial area”
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the General Group comments: “We are delighted to have won the gold award from RoSPA. The well being of our employees is paramount, and it is an honour to be recognised for our long-term commitment in this crucial area of our business.”
Gold Awards 2
The City of London’s Considerate Contractor Scheme Judging Panel has named General Demolition as a Gold Award recipient for its overall performance at 1 Tudor Street, the former north wing of Unilever House close to Blackfriars Bridge in London, the company’s second Gold Award in three years.
“We are extremely proud to have won another Gold Award,” said General Demolition’s senior projects manager Tom Henry who led the site team. “The award recognises that we consistently exceeded the requirements of the City of London’s
Code of Good Practice, carrying out our operations in a safe and considerate manner. It also reflects a spirit of pride in our work, an awareness of the passing public and due regard for the surrounding environment,” added Tom.
Gold Sponsor
For the seventh consecutive year General Demolition will be a Gold sponsor at this years Little Britain Challenge Cup. Colin McLoughlin, Chairman of the General Group comments:”As well as being enormous fun, Little Britain has become a key event on the networking calendar and I am thrilled to be a long term sponsor.”
