Demolishing Step by Step
February 14, 2023
By: Monica Roselli
From prep work to teardown to cleanup, demolishing a multistory building takes a lot of planning and careful execution. Factor in a downtown location, high-traffic roadways and close proximity to a major public transit station, and you have quite the task.
For NDA member Adamo Group, the demolition of a seven-story office/mixed-use building in downtown Detroit had to be a meticulously planned project. With input from the property’s new owner, Buildtech Ltd., the Adamo team developed an 11-step demolition strategy that would allow for a timely demolition with the least amount of disruptions to businesses and traffic flow around the area.
“Adamo’s approach to the demolition entailed several steps,” says Brian Haller, Adamo project manager and estimator. “This included protection of the surrounding buildings, to the closure of roadway and parking lanes surrounding the site to pedestrian traffic control and actual building demolition.”
Kicking off in June 2022, crews began implementing the first two steps of the strategy, which entailed installing fencing and signage, closing sidewalks, and protecting the roof and siding of the building adjacent to the demolition site. Crews then started hand demolishing block walls and parapets in close proximity to adjacent active buildings. Shortly after this step was complete, traffic control and barricades were installed, and the high reach was brought in so demolition work could begin in early July.
“We used a CAT 385 UHD with a multiprocessor to piece the building down safely from the top down,” Haller says. “Several support machines were also utilized, including CAT 336, CAT 349 and CAT 325 excavators equipped with various tools such as pulverizers, buckets and grapples.”
The demolition took approximately 10 days and, in the following weeks, the Adamo crew saw through the remaining steps, which included site cleanup, material removal and backfill.
While the demolition went seamlessly, there were a few challenges the Adamo crew had to account for that could have delayed multiple steps in their demolition plan. While the building has sat idle on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Washington Boulevard for years, its surroundings continued to experience the hustle and bustle of a major city.
“The height of the building and proximity to high traffic roadways were a challenge,” Haller says. “The building being demolished was less than 18 inches away from a building that is part of the transit system and houses a major bus depot, as well as the People Mover (Detroit’s elevated railway system) maintenance facility.”
Additionally, the demolition area was located on two major bus routes and a five-lane, major thoroughfare for the city. To address the challenges brought on by the location and keep the project on schedule, the Adamo team worked with city agencies, utility companies and the building owner through all stages of the demolition.
“Addressing the location challenges entailed a large amount of planning, permitting and coordination with city agencies,” Haller says. “We also worked with the owner and utility companies who were performing work on adjacent streets during the demolition.”
Having wrapped up in September 2022, Adamo considers the project a great success. It was completed ahead of schedule, within the project budget and with zero incidents or injuries.
Adamo’s Steps to Demolition Success at 1101 Washington Blvd.
- Install site fencing and signage, including required sidewalk closures
- Protect roof and siding of adjacent building
- Hand demolish block walls and parapets adjacent to the remaining active building
- Install traffic control and barricades to close one lane of traffic on two sides of the building
- Demolish the building down to basement slab
- Process, sort and load out debris for disposal and recycling
- Relocate fence back onto site and reopen surrounding driving lanes
- Backfill the building basement back to grade
- Demolish site and remove surrounding sidewalks and parking lot
- Perform final site sweep up and equipment demobilization
- Remove fence and barricade and turn the site over to the owner