1

Demolition of
Structures.
 Why DEMOLITION is DANGEROUS?
 Demolition work is one if the most dangerous operations in construction.
 REASONS/CAUSES
1. Easy to cause injury to human workers due to the difficulty of accessing into
or working inside a building which is under construction.
2. Falling of smaller objects or debris from the demolishing building.
3. Falling of Partially demolished structure.
4. Collapse of unstable structure due to original structure being
disturbed.
5. Collapse of heavy demolition equipment due to inadequate support of the partially
demolished structure.
6.Collapse of the partially demolished structure due to the accommodation of large
amount of un-cleared debris.
7. Congested site environment that easily cause damage to human workers, or to the
third parties and their properties that are situated nearby the demolition site.
 DEMOLITION PLAN 4
 Forming part of the submission information, the DEMOLITION Plan should
include:
a) A set of drawings showing:
the location of the building to be demolished
other existing structures and facilities in
vicinity.
b) Proposed method of DEMOLITION.
c) Proposed shoring and precautionary measures for the
adjacent buildings.
d) Proposed shoring and protection for the building to be
demolished
e) Proposed methods of handling and disposing of the demolished
materials.
f) Proposed sequence of carrying out work.
g) Detail of equipment used, with methods of raising, lowering or
supporting the equipment.
h) Structural calculation to justify the proposal.
i) Proposed arrangements for site supervision.
 Typical dust screen and fans provision to protect building and minimize
Catch
disturbance to public during demolition
Fan 6

Provision of Hoarding as a protection to public

Typical layout
arrangement in small
and medium sized
building under
demolition
 9

Debris collection area at

ground floor under the
debris shaft

Erection of shoring to support Debris shaft formed by

affected structure opening temporarily cut
a) Basement demolition (left) on floor slab
b) A nearby retaining wall (right)
Temporary props erected to
support heavy equipment
 METHODS OF DEMOLITION
 GENERAL CONCERNS:
The choice of choosing a demolition method depends on a number of1factors
6 of
such as the project conditions, site constraints, sensitivity of the neighborhood and availability
equipment etc.
In general, top down methods are applicable for most sites, particularly for
those situated in busy urban areas. Other mechanical methods applied from the outside of a
building lines, demotion by hand held tools or the cut and lift process may be a safe solution.
For structural projections such as balconies, canopies and verandahs
extending beyond the building lines, demolition by hand held tools or the cut and lift process
may be a safe solution.
 There are various methods of DEMOLITION of structures.
1. Demolition by human operatives.
2. Deliberate Collapse method.
3. Using of applied pulling / pushing forces.
4. Using of wrecking ball.
5. Use of powered plant or demolition machine.
6. Using saw cut method.
7. By Implosion (explosive).
 DEMOLITION BY HUMAN OPERATIVES
1 larger
 This method particularly suitable for use in smaller site with congested space where
machine cannot be employed. 8
 In this case, human operatives are used in the demolition process using simple electrically or
pneumatically powered tools such as picks, hammers, wire cutters or hand driven hydraulic jacks
etc. to carry out the demolition of individual elements.

Slab with the sides disconnected

ready for dismantle
Typical demolition
arrangement done by
human operatives
Typical demolition arrangement done by human operatives
Worker breaking down 2
larger piece of structure
which was demolished by 1
pulling/pushing method.

A number of works
where human operative
is unavoidable

Working condition and

behavior of human
operatives
 DELIBERATE COLLAPSE METHOD
 DEMOLITION by deliberate collapse consists of systematic removal, or 2
weakening of the key structural elements to induce the collapse of the 4
structure.
 However, when applying this method, several precautions should be
observed, such as:
1. Sufficient distance of collapse should be provided.
2. Collapse procedure should be carefully designed so that there is
no pre-mature collapse or collapse out of anticipated area.
3. Control height of building structure to be collapsed.
 USING OF APPLIED PULLING / PUSHING FORCES
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 Connecting structural members are disconnected first allowing part of the remaining structure
to be dragged down by the use of some pulling/pushing equipment such as powered5 jack,
winching machine, pulley systems, pushing arms, powered blocks or from the pull/push of a
hydraulic excavator.
 However, a firm base in the demolishing building is required such as basing on an
undisturbed core wall or a strong column section for the applying of pulling/pushing
forces.
Remain fragments
from pulled-down
structure to be
removed afterward

Disconnected
external wall ready
to be pulled down
by an applied force

Demolition done by applying a pulling force to a portion of structure

 USING OF WRECKING BALL
 The use of wrecking ball method requires a crane equipped with a steel ball. 2
 The DESTRUCTION of the building is caused by the impact energy of the 8
steel ball suspended from a crawler crane.
 The wrecking ball can be operated outside or inside a building.
 In case the process is operated inside a building, sufficient clearance from
the building interior should be made first .
 This also demands experienced operators in order to handle the wrecking ball and control the
DEMOLITION.

Swing action
of wrecking
ball

Vertical drop
of wrecking
ball
 USE OF POWERED PLANT OR DEMOLITION MACHINE
 The principle of demolition by machine is typically the same as the top- down manual
method, except that most of the demolition begins with the lifting of the mechanical plant
on to the building top floor.
 Powered plant such as crawler mounted breaking hammer are used in the demolition
process and excavating machines with bucket are used in the removal or handling of the
demolished materials.
 However, due to the weight of these machines, they should be properly supported such
as by the use of steel props no matter in still or in operating condition.

Close-up view of the pneumatic

breaking machine
Demolition using top-down method using machines
Demolition using top-down method using
machines – typical floor cycle and machine
movement

Moving down of the breaking machine to

the lower floor
 USING SAW CUT METHOD
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 This method is suitable for alternation and additional works where accuracy is important
and restriction on noise and vibration is required. 7
 It can be used to cut concrete slab and wall elements into segments or for the forming of
openings, breaking into existing structure like a basement, servicing tunnel, flyover, or the
other part of an inhabited building in the process of alteration or renovation works.
 Saw Cutting can be done using the following methods:
1. Wire Saw Cutting
2. Diamond Core Stitch Drilling
3. Disc Saw

WIRE SAW CUTTING DIAMOND CORE STITCHING DRILLING USING DISC SAW
 USING IMPLOSION (EXPLOSION)
 If using this method to demolish a building, contractor should carry out a 4
comprehensive risk and environmental assessment on the effect of implosion on4
the neighborhood.
 A detail demolition design is also important, which should cover:
1. Method to pre-weaken the structure (e.g. demolish some
load taking structures)
2. Placement of explosive
3. Time-delay design to allow the building to collapse under control
director and location
 Charges of explosive are placed within the fabric of structure and detonated to cause
partial or complete collapse. Competent explosive specialist is required when demolition
is to be done by using explosive.
 There are numerous types of explosives for use for various types of demolition (sometimes
including non-explosive agent). Consideration such as the spacing and depth of explosive
to be located, the amount of explosive to be used, or the degree of fragmentation required
in order to control the boundary of demolition etc., are required throughout the planning
and operation process.