DEMOLITION OF BUILDINGS: INTEGRATED NOVEL APPROACH

4 Abstract: Every civil engineering structure is designed for a certain life period generally 100 years. After that the existence of a structure is very dangerous and unstable, which may cause a severe impact and be a cause of many deaths. So removal of such structures with proper safety measures has got great importance. Before any demolition of any type is employed in an area, it is vital that the rescue phase has ended completely. The rescue teams must have given clear information to the contractors that their rescue phase is finished in the selected area, since any demolition work carried out may reveal survivors. Such situations are highly sensitive and must be respected. A major disaster has an economic effect on the local region since the loss of buildings, lifelines and infrastructure results in a slump in the local economy. It is therefore important to boost the economy by employing as much local expertise and workforce as possible. This creates a unity in rehabilitation in the community and results in a more stable recovery. Due to this scenario, the demolition work should be carried out by a consortium, especially set up to do the work rather than commissioning the work to individual companies. This consortium must be set up in regions of high seismic risk to ensure rapid formation after a disaster. This will combat the eventual competitiveness of the large financial investors in the community which could result in a monopoly controlled by certain individuals. It would therefore be preferable to have a local demolition joint-venture to generate the needed local income after a disaster. There will, however, be a certain need for outside managerial and consultancy aid, especially in the developing countries, and this must be acknowledged and respected. The cooperation with the outside aid must be extensive and at a high level in conjunction with the local representatives so as to maintain as much of the local culture and style as possible. The outside consultants must be cautious when introducing major resources, such as machinery, into the post-disaster phases since this may be seen as taking work away from local resources.