Universal Wrecking Corp. Completed Technical Interior & Exterior Demolition Project
By Steve VesseliSun, 16 Mar 2008, 08:36 PST
Universal Wrecking Corp (UWC) began by first by performing the interior demolition / fit-out work. The goal was to demolish the interior steel work and mezzanine but salvage all the reactors and associated pumps and motors. UWC is an expert equipment salvage company and carefully started at one end by cutting away the steel work and then cautiously removed the equipment to be salvaged. To accomplish this, UWC utilized skid steers with demolition attachments as well as laborers with torches in manlifts. A fire watch was constantly maintained. Equipment was walked to the loading dock using a forklift and then loaded and secured onto flatbed trucks. This process of demolition and salvage continued until the entire mezzanine was demolished and all equipment was safely salvaged. All bolts on the floor were cut flush with the existing concrete slab.Following the interior demolition and equipment removals, UWC proceeded to perform the outside demolition of the tank farm. Structures were first carefully separated from the building to remain utilizing laborers with torches in manlifts. Once the area had been separated structurally, the outside tank farm was demolished utilizing a Caterpillar excavator with shear and grapple attachment. Skid steers with demolition buckets also assisted. Utilizing the excavator and shear as well as skid steers, metals and debris were separated into separate piles. The metals were separated and recycled offsite. Debris was also collected and properly disposed offsite.This interior and exterior technical demolition project was completed by Universal Wrecking Corp. without any injuries or incidents. It was also completed on time and within budget.For pictures of the project go to Demolition ProjectAbout Universal Wrecking Corp.Universal Wrecking Corp. is one of the premier demolition contractor and scrap metal removal contractors in the United States. Demolition services include commercial and industrial demolition, interior demolition and renovations, scrap metal recycling and removal, dismantlement, tank and silo demolition, mobile and portable onsite concrete crushing and wrecking.
Refrence:
http://www.greatpossibilities.com/articles/publish/universalwrecking.shtml
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Article: Architecture by Andrew Blum
Green Wonders of the World
Green building technology has reached a tipping point that makes it more feasible — and elegant — choice for new construction
Ten years ago, large-scale green building was still a pipe dream. Most of the designs were the architectural versions of horsehair shirts, neither very comfortable nor very pretty. Using less energy inherently meant making do with less—less heating, less cooling, less of the symbolism and grandeur that define great architecture.Yet by the turn of the millennium green had become glamorous, and today it's even economical. The cycle of innovation for sustainable building technologies is now staggeringly short, given how long it takes to complete a building. In short, we are close to the tipping point at which green design becomes the default option for smart building.HEARST TOWER. At least that's what the Hearst Corporation found when it hired Norman Foster to design its new headquarters, which opened this spring in midtown Manhattan. "We wanted the best building we could possibly build, so we explored every bit of technology available, and that meant green technology," explains Brian Schwagerl, director of real estate and facilities planning. And Hearst wasn't alone. Broad demand for sustainable technologies has driven prices down and increased options. "The market came to a point where we could buy the materials at a cost that wasn't a huge uptick," says Schwagerl.Rising out of Hearst's original, fortress-like headquarters, the building's distinctive "diagrid" structural frame—visible in the diamond pattern of the façade—required 20% less steel than a conventional perimeter steel frame, resulting in the saving of an estimated 2,000 tons of steel as well as the toxic byproducts of its production. For most of the year, a state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system will use outdoor air for cooling and ventilation. As a result, the energy used and carbon dioxide emissions will be slashed to 22% less than the average office building of a comparable size in New York.The result for Hearst is a gold rating —the first for a building in New York City—from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating program of the U.S. Green Building Council. Founded in 1995, the program has registered over 300 million square feet of space. Local governments, including New York and Chicago, have recently legislated LEED minimums for municipal buildings.MOMENTUM BUILDS. Quietly competing with LEED is the Cradle-to-Cradle protocol, developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart. C2C considers the entire life cycle of a product, from manufacture to recycling; or, even better, "up-cycling." The first C2C home, a 1,623-square-foot, two-bedroom house in Roanoke, Va., will be completed next month.And green even has a new (unofficial) spokesperson in Brad Pitt. This week the architecture-loving actor trumpeted the benefits of green building at a design competition for a low-energy apartment complex in New Orleans.All this points to the ever increasing momentum of green design. The Green Wonders of the World feature that follows takes stock of the monuments completed so far. It celebrates the combination of high life and low energy by seeking out the buildings that both minimize their energy use and pack a symbolic punch. Think of the monuments that follow as symbols of possibility, often with an influence that belies their size.
Refrence: Buisness Week
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/07/wow_green/index_01.htm
Green building technology has reached a tipping point that makes it more feasible — and elegant — choice for new construction
Ten years ago, large-scale green building was still a pipe dream. Most of the designs were the architectural versions of horsehair shirts, neither very comfortable nor very pretty. Using less energy inherently meant making do with less—less heating, less cooling, less of the symbolism and grandeur that define great architecture.Yet by the turn of the millennium green had become glamorous, and today it's even economical. The cycle of innovation for sustainable building technologies is now staggeringly short, given how long it takes to complete a building. In short, we are close to the tipping point at which green design becomes the default option for smart building.HEARST TOWER. At least that's what the Hearst Corporation found when it hired Norman Foster to design its new headquarters, which opened this spring in midtown Manhattan. "We wanted the best building we could possibly build, so we explored every bit of technology available, and that meant green technology," explains Brian Schwagerl, director of real estate and facilities planning. And Hearst wasn't alone. Broad demand for sustainable technologies has driven prices down and increased options. "The market came to a point where we could buy the materials at a cost that wasn't a huge uptick," says Schwagerl.Rising out of Hearst's original, fortress-like headquarters, the building's distinctive "diagrid" structural frame—visible in the diamond pattern of the façade—required 20% less steel than a conventional perimeter steel frame, resulting in the saving of an estimated 2,000 tons of steel as well as the toxic byproducts of its production. For most of the year, a state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system will use outdoor air for cooling and ventilation. As a result, the energy used and carbon dioxide emissions will be slashed to 22% less than the average office building of a comparable size in New York.The result for Hearst is a gold rating —the first for a building in New York City—from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating program of the U.S. Green Building Council. Founded in 1995, the program has registered over 300 million square feet of space. Local governments, including New York and Chicago, have recently legislated LEED minimums for municipal buildings.MOMENTUM BUILDS. Quietly competing with LEED is the Cradle-to-Cradle protocol, developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart. C2C considers the entire life cycle of a product, from manufacture to recycling; or, even better, "up-cycling." The first C2C home, a 1,623-square-foot, two-bedroom house in Roanoke, Va., will be completed next month.And green even has a new (unofficial) spokesperson in Brad Pitt. This week the architecture-loving actor trumpeted the benefits of green building at a design competition for a low-energy apartment complex in New Orleans.All this points to the ever increasing momentum of green design. The Green Wonders of the World feature that follows takes stock of the monuments completed so far. It celebrates the combination of high life and low energy by seeking out the buildings that both minimize their energy use and pack a symbolic punch. Think of the monuments that follow as symbols of possibility, often with an influence that belies their size.
Refrence: Buisness Week
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/07/wow_green/index_01.htm
Major Project: Research
Morphosis Retrospective “Silent Collisions” at the NAI (1999-2000)
Diamond Ranch High School, California (2000)
Hypo Alpe-Adria Center, Austria (2001)
Vienna Housing, Vienna Austria (1995)
Vienna Housing, Vienna Austria (1995)
Crawford Residence, California (1990)
Kate Mantilini Restaurant, California (1986)
Lawrence Residence, California (1980)Morphosis is one of the most influential architectural firms of the past twenty years. Founded in 1972 and based in Los Angeles and run by Thom Mayne, the firm focuses there work on a diverse range of spectrums. From residential projects, to schools, office complexes, restaurants and exhibition spaces all over the world.
The firm’s design philosophy arises from an interest in producing work with a meaning that can be understood by absorbing the culture for which it was made. Much of there work are made up of materials of steel, glass and concrete. They are heavy structures that stand out in their surroundings. Much of the construction is exposed in their buildings similar to Walter Gropius’s design approach.
“Morphosis's unconventional geometries; beautifully executed, sculptural models; and complex, computer-generated drawings helped to usher in a new era of architectural experimentation in the early 1980s.”
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Article: San Francisco Federal Building (2006)Morphosis
Architecture:
While it won't open for another six months, the San Francisco Federal Building is already shaking up expectations for green architecture. The 18-story home for Federal workers will be the first office tower in the U.S. to eliminate air conditioning, at least over 70% of its area. It accomplishes this through a computer-controlled skin, developed with engineers at Ove Arup, which actively adjusts to weather changes. Its narrow floor plate allows for natural ventilation, while metal sunscreens shade the floor-to-ceiling windows. But most striking are its bold design and social agenda: Skip-stop elevators, sky gardens, and open stairs will foster interaction among employees, with the idea of creating a healthy office environment and a healthy culture.
Southern Cross Station
The central features of the design include a wave-shaped roof, a new entrance and concourse on Collins Street, a new bus interchange, a new food court, a bar/restaurant, separate retail outlets inside the station and a separate shopping complex between Bourke and LaTrobe Streets.
The new design allowed for more light within the station, an aspect which the formely spencer street station lacked. Futhermore the open design and wavy roof dispels fumes from trains
Southern cross station saw a makeover, in recent years by architect Grimshaw architects. The new building succeeded in enriching Melbourne city's sorroundings, through its unusual shape and monumental structure. The main material used within the building was steel and glass.
Geelong Carousel
Glass structure covering the carousel by the waterfront, Geelong harbourside.
The need for diagnol bracing in the walls and roof are eliminated in this design as the diagnol arrangement of the main frames and arch allows for a stiff structure. The strusture was prefabricated and fully bolted. All the steel was galvanised after fabrication to protect it from sea spray. 
The carousels architect was Mc Glashin Everist, Pty, Ltd. The building is of a steel framework and utilises a range of hollow sections. As the structure is exposed to stong wind loads, window mullions were added to the design as they are structural and stiffened with a horizontal truss. They form the lower roof edge of the structure.
Federation Square
The facade consists of a series of triangular panels that are mounted on to the structural frame. Three cladding materials: sandstone, zinc (perforated and solid) and glass have been used, structured within a triangular pinwheel grid. The design uses five single triangles all of the same size and proportion to make up a self-similar triangular but of a larger scale. 
This building is one of Melbourne's most well know landmarks, Federation Square. In July 1997, Lab architecture studio, in conjunction with Bates Smart, were awarded the design contract for Federation square.
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