As the Atlantic Cities best describes, “Leave it to Japan to turn one of the dirtiest and noisiest processes of the urban lifecycle – the demolition of highrises – into a neat, quiet and almost cute affair.”
Japanese construction company Taisei Corporation has discovered a new, more efficient way to disassemble, rather than demolish, a tall building over 100 meters. The process, known as Taisei’s Ecological Reproduction System or Tecorep, begins by transforming the structure’s top floors into an enclosed “cap”, which is then supported by temporary columns and powerful jacks. As demolition workers begin to disassemble the building from within, they use interior cranes to lower materials. After dismantling an entire floor, the jacks quietly lower the “cap” and the process is repeated.
“It’s kind of like having a disassembly factory on top of the building and putting a big hat there, and then the building shrinks,” says one Taisei engineer, according to this report in the Japan Times.
Learn about the advantages of this process after the break.
Not only does the Tecorep satisfy the neighbors, but it presents an environmentally safer and more efficient way to retire a building. This process reduces noise levels by 17 to 23 decibels, cuts dust levels by as much as 90 percent, and eliminates the inconvenient weather factor, thus allowing quicker completion times. Also, much like how hybrid cars generate energy when their brakes are applied, the cranes do the same when lowering debris inside the building. The power they make is then used to run lights and other equipment.
A bit more efficient than the traditional wrecking ball, you think?