Introduction
Demolition means bringing significant structural change to a building. This could be an office, industry or residence where either renovation or redesign is required, or one wants to make more space by getting rid of the useless compartments of the space. Demolition is also usual when a new large-scale project comes up that requires the removal of a large chunk of the existing area to make space for the new project. Demolition is also common when any building seems to violate construction rules. This can cause demolition by the rightful owner or the government to remove the unlawful property and construction of the space. However, it is essential to know that demolition is not necessarily a destructive or negative term. While it may seem like a disastrous term, it is usually to equip the place for newer construction, or in some cases to get rid of the useless structural elements. The several kinds of demolition are:
- Interior demolition: Interior demolition includes safeguarding the main feature but making changes inside. This includes demolishing water pipes, ceilings, walls, roof, kitchen cabinets and bathroom structures. This kind of demolition is usually for redesigning or renovating the house. The thing to know about interior demolition is that it largely focuses on changing menial internal aspects of the house as listed before and does not include making significant structural changes. That falls under the category of selective demolition.
- Selective demolition: This comes into action when the demolition of only a section of an entire infrastructure is required. Delicate demolition of a part of a building or construction is known as selective demolition, as the name rightly suggests. Selective demolition often requires a screening process to determine the part of the infrastructure that is no more useful. Selective demolition focuses on eradicating only a selected area while preserving the areas surrounding it.
- Total demolition: As the name suggests, there is no scope for any partial compensation. Total demolition is usually for projects like rebuilding, reconstruction or changing the nature of infrastructure. An example could be to prepare the ground for a switch from home to a commercial building.
- Deconstruction: Deconstruction of any structural feature is aimed at recycling and reusing the material. Deconstruction or dismantling requires more extensive labour since it is even more intense than total demolition. This is because it not only involves total demolition but collecting the economically functional elements to reuse them.
- Mechanical demolition: Mechanical demolition involves using heavy and complex machinery to demolish the standing structure. Machines include hydraulic excavators and equipment to reduce concrete and steel into smaller parts that are easy to recycle.
- Implosion: The list ends with the best of all. Implosion demolition involves using explosives to blow up any standing structure that would otherwise require a lot of time and resources to turn to dust. This is often seen near mountains or the outskirts of a city, where natural features need to be eradicated to create space for urbanization. Implosion is the most rarely used form of demolition and is used in as less as 1% of all demolition projects.