The atrium at the center of the building was used as the core of the collapse. Stage 3: Supply and installation of explosives Several other modifications on the ground floor and basement were made to reduce the vibrations of the explosion. The balconies were dismantled in order to optimize the final fall of the structure when the explosion was to be detonated. The demolition contractor also created a distance of approximately 37 feet (11.20 meters) from the pavement of the road at the front of the building by dismantling several parts of the structure.

The building was adjacent to a hotel on the one side, so it was absolutely necessary to separate the hotel from the building to be demolished and create a safe distance of approximately 33 (10 meters) feet between them. Safeguarding the building by a security company and municipal police through the course of the project.Setting up personal protection measures (clothing, equipment, etc.).Covering of columns packed with explosive material with special geotextile for reducing ejection of fragments Covering the whole building with special sackcloth to protect the perimeter from falling rubble.It presented an image of a danger to public safety.Īfter the first stage of preparation work, the height of the building was reduced to approximately 49 feet (15 meters) by dismantling the top floor. Demcon employed a 5-stage demolition process for the implosion and demolition of the building. There were oxidized steel reinforcements and cracks on walls and central columns, mainly at the top two floors and on the floor of each level.

Not only was the dilapidated building in a tight space, it was also unsightly. In addition, traffic traveled all day long on surrounding narrow roads. Situated in a very confined space a few meters away from the central square named Sintagma Square in center city Athens, the five-story structure, erected in 1930, was adjacent to a hotel on one side and surrounded by flat buildings on the other. Information from this article was first published in Demolition Magazine and is being reused with permission from the National Demolition Association.ĭemcon, an international member of the National Demolition Association, took over the demolition project of a five-story building in Athens, Greece, which involved an implosion of the building.

Instaling Demolition