BUILDING DEMOLITION

Building demolition is a multi-stage process that requires careful planning and seamless coordination of the different stages of work. Several factors have to be taken into account at the same time during the work, such as the safety of the site and its surroundings, keeping passers-by and others operating in the area informed about the different stages of the demolition, enabling the reuse of demolition materials, efficient recycling and compliance with building legislation. Successful demolition requires not only strong technical expertise and precise advance planning, but also the ability to respond flexibly to changes during the project.

Our building demolition service adapts flexibly to the needs of your project. We can act either as the management contractor for the entire project, in which case we are responsible for the whole project, from project planning and the pre-demolition audit all the way to the demolition work (see option 1), or as the main contractor or a subcontractor within a larger project (see option 3). Many of our clients also choose something in between – in that case, we get involved in the early stages of the project, advising on cost-effective and efficient solutions for the demolition work (see option 2). Involving the demolition contractor as early as the planning stage can significantly improve the project’s efficiency, as we have the expertise and solid experience of carrying out many different kinds of building demolition in practice.

Demolishing a building always begins with identifying the client’s needs and objectives and planning the project carefully. At this stage, the key requirements of the project are defined, such as the purpose of the demolition, the schedule, the cost estimate and the opportunities for reusing and recycling demolition materials.

We understand that in the early stages of a project, the key questions are often the cost of demolition, its environmental impact and any structural challenges. As early as the needs assessment stage, we help you assess the costs of the demolition project, the potential for reusing and recycling demolition materials and the execution of structurally challenging sites. Our expertise and experience of challenging building demolition projects support cost-effective, practical and well-planned project delivery right from the start.

Once the client’s needs and objectives have been defined, project planning moves on, depending on the project, to preparing a voluntary pre-demolition audit. The pre-demolition audit builds a comprehensive overall picture of the demolition site, the demolition materials, and the starting points, constraints and details of the demolition work. The information in the pre-demolition audit provides a good basis for the construction and demolition waste notification that is prepared in connection with the building or demolition permit.

The pre-demolition audit assesses the quantity and quality of the materials that demolishing the building will generate, identifies building materials and fixtures suitable for reuse as they are and materials suitable for use as secondary raw materials, and makes a recommendation for recycling the materials. If necessary, a hazardous materials survey, which determines the quantity, location and quality of materials and structures containing hazardous substances and gives instructions for their safe removal, is also carried out before demolition. After the pre-demolition audit, the client selects the demolition contractor best suited to the work.

Once the client has chosen a demolition contractor, the contractor draws up a demolition plan for the execution phase, which is reviewed together with all parties to the project. In the demolition plan, we define, for example, the project schedule, the work stages, techniques and equipment, health and safety measures, and how demolition materials will be sorted for reuse and recycling. Before demolition work begins, the client must also apply to the building control authority for the demolition permit required by law, after which demolition work can start.

We start building demolition by protecting and fencing off the building to be demolished and its surroundings, and by preparing the practical side of the site, such as logistics. Before the actual demolition work begins, we go through the site safety rules and instructions with everyone involved, and we also inform any local residents and others operating in the area that demolition work is starting.

Demolition proceeds in stages, from smaller parts to larger ones and from the inside out. We first remove the structures and fixtures that are suitable for reuse as they are, after which, depending on the site, we carry out asbestos and hazardous materials removal, interior strip-out and finally the demolition of the building frame itself.

In demolition projects, there may be situations where, despite careful planning, the parties to the project are unable to assess the scope of the demolition work down to the smallest details, such as every structure on the site. In such situations, we act flexibly and in close cooperation with all parties to ensure that the project progresses smoothly and without unnecessary delays for the client.

We carry out all our demolition work with on-site sorting, which means that we carefully sort demolition materials as the work progresses.

We carefully dismantle building materials and fixtures that are suitable for reuse as they are and, depending on the client’s wishes, deliver them for the client’s own use, to our second-hand resale service or to a circular economy operator that handles the resale of reusable products.

Depending on their quality, we direct other demolition materials either to use as secondary raw materials or to recycling. For example, we can process the concrete from demolishing the structural frame into crushed concrete that suits the client’s needs, such as for use in earthworks. We deliver all other demolition materials for recycling to recovery facilities designated for each material fraction.

A successful demolition project concludes with all parties to the project confirming that the work is complete. When the demolition work is finished, we provide our client with waste transfer documents, which record the transport and treatment of the demolition materials as required by law, and waste reports summarising the demolition materials and their reuse and recycling. We also take care of the necessary notifications to the authorities and the related procedures. At the client’s request, we also report the demolition project’s recovery rate and carbon footprint.

At the end of the project, we hold a final inspection at which we go through the details of how the project was carried out together with all parties. At the same time, we make sure that we have carried out the work as agreed and met our client’s expectations.