Champion Environmental Services, Inc. just completed the initial environmental remediation of three dormitories at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Wilder, Trowbridge, and Baird Hall are now prepped for demolition as all associated asbestos containing material has been properly removed and disposed.
The new 185,000 square foot academic building is seeking LEED Silver Certification from the Green Building Council. As a result, our efforts will be focused on reclaiming aggregate in an effort to eliminate more than 75% of associated demolition debris from reaching local landfills.
Here is some video footage from our project at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse involving the final segment of the demolition at Trowbridge Hall.
This video is provided with the help of the following You Tube subscriber: http://www.youtube.com/user/ableidinamy21
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Demolitionnews.com A Fine Resource For Industry Updates
I encourage you to visit a fine demolition news site facilitated by Mark Anthony of Epsom, England. The link to the page is at www.demolitionnews.com.
The focus of Demolition News is to “ . . .bring demolition contractors, visitors, readers and subscribers the very latest in demolition developments from across Europe and the world. Although we work in close conjunction with many of the demolition trade bodies across the world, we have no specific affiliation with any of them, meaning we can deliver up-to-the-minute industry news, views, videos and comment, regardless of a company’s membership status”.
The postings are informative and enjoy solid commentary from those who visit the site.
The focus of Demolition News is to “ . . .bring demolition contractors, visitors, readers and subscribers the very latest in demolition developments from across Europe and the world. Although we work in close conjunction with many of the demolition trade bodies across the world, we have no specific affiliation with any of them, meaning we can deliver up-to-the-minute industry news, views, videos and comment, regardless of a company’s membership status”.
The postings are informative and enjoy solid commentary from those who visit the site.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Demolition, The “Green” Guide
The demolition industry has been dedicated to green initiatives long before the Green Building Council and like-minded organizations evolved. Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is regarded as an industry pioneer with regard to our approach in recycling products out of our demolition projects.
Our commitment to recycling has translated into being awarded the “Big Diverter” by WasteCap Wisconsin for the highest recycling rate on a demolition project. This project involved the demolition of a 440,000 square foot building which yielded a recycling rate of a little over 97% by volume and 99% weight; 39,144 tons of debris was diverted from landfills through our efforts. Champion Environmental Services,Inc. is very proud of these results and continually works to improve such baseline efficiencies.
Key factors to successful recycling include project planning, on site project management, and an experienced team of operators and laborers who understand the scope of work.
The videos at the end of this entry illustrate the proper segregation of material during demolition; on site material management must involve continual spot review by project managers who will make appropriate adjustments to the implementation plan. One of the consistent remarks we get from people who view our demolition projects is that they cannot believe how “clean” we keep our sites during demolition.
Our approach to Recycling:
Each job is unique - there is no one stop/blanket approach; each individual project has inherent advantages and disadvantages - which are mostly contingent on two key factors: geography, essentially where the job site is located and amount of clean recyclable material that is available.
Geographic local is very important as we find large metropolitan areas such as the Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland markets offer many local vendors who support and provide end use places for raw material, whereas the further we mobilize into isolated areas – the issue is one of cost – for us to load and transport say wood beams to our Racine Wisconsin yard from job in Minnesota for resale versus the opportunity to work with someone near our job site who deals in antique woods and has use is a factor will influence recycling success.
Isolated locations can be cost prohibitive when labor costs and transportation are factored in. Areas which provide close supportive reclamation opportunities are favorable circumstances for increasing target objectives. The good news is we are seeing vendors evolve, grow, and expand their markets to provide sound resources for items such as clean drywall or the strong move toward roofing shingles operations - such opportunities directly impact our success and creates greater probability to achieve sound results. Another factor is how much clean material - free of asbestos, lead, or other hazards - is available to recycle.
Older building/homes and especially industrial sites often contain a host of environmental hazards which must be addressed. This is something we take into consideration on any initial site visit/during client consultation and upon review of the environmental consultants’ survey.
The nature of that clean recyclable product and size of the structure is also a relevant point of assertion: the more concrete, steel, antique brick in a large structure the greater opportunity for positive reults. One specific example I would cite involves concrete; for our company to mobilize a concrete crusher and provide clean fill from concrete slabs and foundation for use on new construction following demolition is more cost-effective when numbers reach 2,000 tons of available material to work with. Our fleet of crushers and screens allows us the flexibility to create any sized aggregate to meet the standards for new construction infill.
Bottom Line of advantages and disadvantages:
The bottom line in terms of how feasible it is to recycle and reuse material is not only contingent on some of the factors I just outlined but driven by what the clients’ needs are and how cost effective the choices before us translate. While the majority of people who choose our company to provide demolition services like our focused green initiatives, we will from time to time get a client who wants the project facilitated inane manner – in other words, they want the building gone and don’t care how we do it or where the material winds up. We try to guide clients who operate under this premise that we can provide a more cost-effective solution through reuse and recycling while providing options.
The project also must make fiscal sense – we are a business and must operate within certain margins – that being said – our innovative practices 90% of the time inhibit the potential financial downside from being a factor. Because we offer 24/7 response for emergency demolition situations – given a certain set of circumstances can often mean just getting a building down in favor of creating a safe environment - these cases often result in a different mindset – alleviate the immediate danger, then assess what you have.
Key Factors To Our Success:
There are many factors which contribute to our success which includes the development of relationships with vendors who provide reuse opportunities; we have a a database that is geographically broken down to maximize/capitalize on such prospects.
We are continually seeking new vendor relationships and connect with them early on even if no job in currently taking place in that area. A proactive approach allows for seamless execution when an opportunity presents itself.
Innovation – we are always seeking news ways to enhance what we do; by maintaining an eye on industry innovations and supportive industry advances allows Champion to refine and improve our commitment to being stewards of the environment in a business that is usually viewed as anything but friendly to the environment.
I hope you enjoy these videos. Credit for the video goes to the following person on You Tube who posted these in April of 2008 - http://www.youtube.com/user/jdrews3
Our commitment to recycling has translated into being awarded the “Big Diverter” by WasteCap Wisconsin for the highest recycling rate on a demolition project. This project involved the demolition of a 440,000 square foot building which yielded a recycling rate of a little over 97% by volume and 99% weight; 39,144 tons of debris was diverted from landfills through our efforts. Champion Environmental Services,Inc. is very proud of these results and continually works to improve such baseline efficiencies.
Key factors to successful recycling include project planning, on site project management, and an experienced team of operators and laborers who understand the scope of work.
The videos at the end of this entry illustrate the proper segregation of material during demolition; on site material management must involve continual spot review by project managers who will make appropriate adjustments to the implementation plan. One of the consistent remarks we get from people who view our demolition projects is that they cannot believe how “clean” we keep our sites during demolition.
Our approach to Recycling:
Each job is unique - there is no one stop/blanket approach; each individual project has inherent advantages and disadvantages - which are mostly contingent on two key factors: geography, essentially where the job site is located and amount of clean recyclable material that is available.
Geographic local is very important as we find large metropolitan areas such as the Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland markets offer many local vendors who support and provide end use places for raw material, whereas the further we mobilize into isolated areas – the issue is one of cost – for us to load and transport say wood beams to our Racine Wisconsin yard from job in Minnesota for resale versus the opportunity to work with someone near our job site who deals in antique woods and has use is a factor will influence recycling success.
Isolated locations can be cost prohibitive when labor costs and transportation are factored in. Areas which provide close supportive reclamation opportunities are favorable circumstances for increasing target objectives. The good news is we are seeing vendors evolve, grow, and expand their markets to provide sound resources for items such as clean drywall or the strong move toward roofing shingles operations - such opportunities directly impact our success and creates greater probability to achieve sound results. Another factor is how much clean material - free of asbestos, lead, or other hazards - is available to recycle.
Older building/homes and especially industrial sites often contain a host of environmental hazards which must be addressed. This is something we take into consideration on any initial site visit/during client consultation and upon review of the environmental consultants’ survey.
The nature of that clean recyclable product and size of the structure is also a relevant point of assertion: the more concrete, steel, antique brick in a large structure the greater opportunity for positive reults. One specific example I would cite involves concrete; for our company to mobilize a concrete crusher and provide clean fill from concrete slabs and foundation for use on new construction following demolition is more cost-effective when numbers reach 2,000 tons of available material to work with. Our fleet of crushers and screens allows us the flexibility to create any sized aggregate to meet the standards for new construction infill.
Bottom Line of advantages and disadvantages:
The bottom line in terms of how feasible it is to recycle and reuse material is not only contingent on some of the factors I just outlined but driven by what the clients’ needs are and how cost effective the choices before us translate. While the majority of people who choose our company to provide demolition services like our focused green initiatives, we will from time to time get a client who wants the project facilitated inane manner – in other words, they want the building gone and don’t care how we do it or where the material winds up. We try to guide clients who operate under this premise that we can provide a more cost-effective solution through reuse and recycling while providing options.
The project also must make fiscal sense – we are a business and must operate within certain margins – that being said – our innovative practices 90% of the time inhibit the potential financial downside from being a factor. Because we offer 24/7 response for emergency demolition situations – given a certain set of circumstances can often mean just getting a building down in favor of creating a safe environment - these cases often result in a different mindset – alleviate the immediate danger, then assess what you have.
Key Factors To Our Success:
There are many factors which contribute to our success which includes the development of relationships with vendors who provide reuse opportunities; we have a a database that is geographically broken down to maximize/capitalize on such prospects.
We are continually seeking new vendor relationships and connect with them early on even if no job in currently taking place in that area. A proactive approach allows for seamless execution when an opportunity presents itself.
Innovation – we are always seeking news ways to enhance what we do; by maintaining an eye on industry innovations and supportive industry advances allows Champion to refine and improve our commitment to being stewards of the environment in a business that is usually viewed as anything but friendly to the environment.
I hope you enjoy these videos. Credit for the video goes to the following person on You Tube who posted these in April of 2008 - http://www.youtube.com/user/jdrews3
Monday, August 24, 2009
Bio-Chem Univeristy of Wisconsin, Madison
Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is finishing up work at the Bio-Chem building at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Today, CESI sawcut and removed a precast concrete slab 11 stories above ground. The edifice housed the mechanical room for the building.
The critical phase was performed under strict safety standards and completed without incident.
The picture below was taken from the job site this morning.
The critical phase was performed under strict safety standards and completed without incident.
The picture below was taken from the job site this morning.
Lattof Chevrolet Demolition Arlington Heights, Illinois
The following is a link to an article by Deborah Donovan run in the “Daily Herald” on 8/21/09 concerning the demolition of the former Lattof Chevrolet in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Pictures by Mark Black accompany the story.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=315216
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=315216
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Why Competence Matters Part II
Let me preface my remarks so as not to be misunderstood: the referenced event below is tragic and our company is saddened by the loss of brother in the demolition industry. These remarks place no blame or opinion of fault with regard to the situation as much as highlighting awareness to the imminent dangers associated with demolition work.
A tragic case in Chicago reiterates a posting earlier this month with regard to worker safety and the overall competence of a demolition company.
On Tuesday, August 11, a 35-year-old demolition worker was killed when the front-end loader he was driving fell seven stories at a site on the Near South Side. The man was in a Bobcat that fell seven stories; the victim was pinned in and fire crews had to extricate him from the machine. The employee was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 10:08 a.m.
The companies at the project site were seasoned contrators and well versed in worker safety while demonstrating high competence with similar projects. If a highly regarded company can experience such misfortune that results in the loss of life, it only hardens my argument that expertise far outweighs low bid proposals in choosing a demolition company.
Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family, friends, and coworkers of the victim.
A tragic case in Chicago reiterates a posting earlier this month with regard to worker safety and the overall competence of a demolition company.
On Tuesday, August 11, a 35-year-old demolition worker was killed when the front-end loader he was driving fell seven stories at a site on the Near South Side. The man was in a Bobcat that fell seven stories; the victim was pinned in and fire crews had to extricate him from the machine. The employee was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 10:08 a.m.
The companies at the project site were seasoned contrators and well versed in worker safety while demonstrating high competence with similar projects. If a highly regarded company can experience such misfortune that results in the loss of life, it only hardens my argument that expertise far outweighs low bid proposals in choosing a demolition company.
Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family, friends, and coworkers of the victim.
Demolition Photo Update
True Teamwork
The following is a pictorial representation of several projects underway throughout Wisconsin.
The following is a pictorial representation of several projects underway throughout Wisconsin.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Why Competence Matters
The demolition industry is often viewed as a “simple” business enterprise where men and machinery haphazardly wreck buildings and move on. In reality, demolition work is far more cerebral; a competent demolition company must employ people who demonstrate strong credentials in architecture, physics, environmental sciences, and mathematics.
Given the current economic difficulties, business entities are seeking value in any deal which requires tapping into cash reserves. When a demolition company is chosen for a project based on low bid proposal rather than factoring in overall aptitude and experience, the results can be catastrophic.
The news out of Cankiri, Turkey points to one recent case. If you have not viewed the AP released video, please cut/paste the link below to YouTube. Neither deaths nor injuries resulted from this demolition mishap.
This project was allegedly slated for a controlled implosion. One empirical observation based on the video points to the gapping/gutted lower portion of the building. It appears as though the company removed key load bearing elements, many that would have been essential for placing explosives. Implosions rely on proper placement and sequencing of blasts. Additionally, the video lacks evidence of multiple detonations which would lead me to conclude that this building was literally standing on one support element. The workers on site who performed the initial gut were most likely in imminent danger throughout the process.
Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is a proven leader in the demolition industry; our governing motto is “The safety of our works and those around us will drive the decision making process.”
Given the current economic difficulties, business entities are seeking value in any deal which requires tapping into cash reserves. When a demolition company is chosen for a project based on low bid proposal rather than factoring in overall aptitude and experience, the results can be catastrophic.
The news out of Cankiri, Turkey points to one recent case. If you have not viewed the AP released video, please cut/paste the link below to YouTube. Neither deaths nor injuries resulted from this demolition mishap.
This project was allegedly slated for a controlled implosion. One empirical observation based on the video points to the gapping/gutted lower portion of the building. It appears as though the company removed key load bearing elements, many that would have been essential for placing explosives. Implosions rely on proper placement and sequencing of blasts. Additionally, the video lacks evidence of multiple detonations which would lead me to conclude that this building was literally standing on one support element. The workers on site who performed the initial gut were most likely in imminent danger throughout the process.
Champion Environmental Services, Inc. is a proven leader in the demolition industry; our governing motto is “The safety of our works and those around us will drive the decision making process.”
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