Silent dismantling of the Syngenta Tower
April 05, 2018
Emission-free and systematic dismantling of the high-rise building
Due to its location at Badischer Bahnhof, in the middle of the Syngenta company campus with office and laboratory buildings, a creative demolition solution had to be found to dismantle the Syngenta Tower silently and quietly. Thanks to our well-coordinated teams and good work preparation, the ambitious target of demolishing a standard floor in 5 working days was exceeded. The ERNE decon specialists carried out the gutting and pollutant removal work at the same time. In total, a demolition material of approx. 100m3 of coating , approx. 400m3 of masonry and approx. 100m3 of unreinforcedconcrete and approx. 6500m3 of reinforced concrete was dismantled camouflaged in the ERNE protective shield.
Optimal and creative demolition solution with the ERNE protective shield
The venerable Geigy administration building from 1952 was designed by the architects Martin H. and Karl August Burckhardt BSA/SIA, Basel. Originally located far from the city, it has been "caught up" and enclosed by it over time. This explains the limited space available, which the deconstruction had to deal with intensively. In the middle of the company campus with office and laboratory buildings, where around 2000 people worked at the time, the dismantling was to be carried out with as few emissions as possible. Looking at the situation, it quickly became clear that this would not be an easy task. An optimal and creative demolition solution had to be found for the building, which was nestled between the heavily frequented Schwarzwaldstrasse with the Badischer Bahnhof train station and the office buildings, that would not cause any significant disruption to the surrounding buildings and streets.
The key question was answered with the idea of a protective shield that encases the building. This largely prevented noise and dirt emissions. Gentle demolition could begin. The client, Syngenta employees and the surrounding area were fascinated by how little attention was drawn to the construction work. Only the weekly lowering of the protective shield to the next floor down and the lorries gracefully removing their heavy loads were noticeable.
Work preparation, lean management and BIM technology
A number of efforts were made in advance to ensure that the extensive work could run smoothly and optimally. BIM technology, which ERNEplus used to visualize complex work processes, played a central role in this. Lean management specialist Dr. Claus Nesensohn was also brought in. In this project in particular, the foremen and supervisors were actively involved at an early stage. The planned work processes were defined together. The ambitious goal of removing a standard floor in 5 working days was achieved and even exceeded thanks to the detailed work preparation and planning.
Gutting and pollutant clean-up
ERNE decon tackled the gutting and removal of hazardous substances. Around 400 desks, carcasses and other office furniture as well as carpets and loose fixtures had to be disposed of in advance. After clearing out, the special unit for the removal of hazardous substances was deployed. Buildings built before 1990 are often contaminated with harmful substances such as asbestos and PCBs. To protect people and the environment, the toxic substances must be professionally removed and disposed of.
After a thorough investigation, pollutants were detected; a spray asbestos decontamination was necessary in the building. The professionals from ERNE decon took on this responsible task of decontamination. Partition walls made of plaster and brick were removed from the building. For the actual demolition of the load-bearing walls and ceilings, the building had to be returned to its original shell condition.
Demolition of the 13 floors with two excavators and a crane
The demolition work could now begin on a large scale. Due to the limited load-bearing capacity of the ceilings, only two excavators weighing 5 and 8 tons could be used on the building. For safety reasons, no further work was carried out on the three floors below. The excavators effortlessly crushed the remaining load-bearing walls with their jaws. The excavators' "biting work" above the rooftops of Basel sometimes resembled a bizarre "gorging spectacle". The use of a crane is rather unusual in demolition work. For this demolition, the crane used was slightly tuned so that it could easily carry 12 tons. Thanks to this measure, it was able to hoist large, severed sections of the wing walls directly to the ground. Once on the ground, they were broken into smaller pieces and then transported away. The protective shield was moved downwards with each newly removed outer wall. As soon as one floor was removed, the excavators moved down another floor. After approx. 4.5 days, the next floor could be demolished.
Challenges mastered and targets exceeded
A major challenge was the simultaneous work in the area of gutting and pollutant remediation. Thanks to the perfectly coordinated approach and the well-prepared work processes, the demolition was successful and low in emissions. The first-time use of the protective shield proved its worth; it will certainly be used again for the next job of the same dimensions. Many thanks to the team who worked tirelessly on the construction site. Without the well-coordinated crew, this challenging dismantling would not have been possible.
Facts about the construction site
Dismantling Syngenta | Client Syngenta Crop Protection, Basel Start of work ERNE January 2017 |
Demolition material | Unreinforced concrete approx. 100 m3 |
Protective shield | Shield height: 12.5 m |
Man power | ERNE decon pollutants 8 - 12 men |
