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while some people are busy being creative others are being
destructive, the demolition of the old buildings is a natural part of the life
cycle of any urban area
old buildings make way for newer ones, the process of demolition can be very dangerous
old buildings make way for newer ones, the process of demolition can be very dangerous
and often disrupts the lives of those who reside or work near the site
but a group of engineers at a Japanese construction company
has come up with an innovative solution to make demolition
go on virtually unnoticed, let's take a look at their
top-down approach
this is or rather was the akasaka Prince Hotel, opened in 1985 when the Japanese
economy was booming
this high-rise building was one of Tokyo's most famous landmarks
as well as a highly revered status symbol
but when visiting the site we noticed that the building wasn't so high any more
at this rate it will probably be gone
about a month later
the once 138 meter tall 40 story structure
has slowly and quietly been shrinking without any traces of demolition work
the word demolition usually conjures up images
a huge cranes and other heavy machinery which pose significant environmental problems
a huge cranes and other heavy machinery which pose significant environmental problems
including noise and heavy vibration, as well as dust and debris
including noise and heavy vibration, as well as dust and debris
but Taisei corporation has found the solution, it's a demolition method
called the TECOREP system which gradually shrink stone buildings with
minimum impact on the environment
from the world perspective
the longevity of most high rise buildings is around thirty to forty years
the longevity of most high rise buildings is around thirty to forty years
and Japan counts approximately eight hundred buildings
taller than 100 meters among which about 155 will probably
be demolished in 10 years
such an increase in the number of buildings to be torn down
represents a business chance for large construction companies
and competition for developing new technology is fierce
the development of the TECOREP system
began about five years ago
currently
the usual method of demolition is from the top down, large cranes gradually
lower rubble and debris to the ground, however
for buildings more than 100 meters high safety in space become major issues
to limit this problem the concept for the TECOREP system was
from the beginning to find a solution that would be quiet
practically invisible, and have very little impact on the environment
these conditions actually had long been requested by most of the company's
clients in Japan
for buildings that were not originally built by Taisei corporation
the process starts with the creation of digital data
based on the buildings floor maps
the company uses a new kind of simulation system
in the development stage to design the demolition process
according to the specific building
using the 3D model
the company is able to anticipate issues that might come up in the demolition process
the company is able to anticipate issues that might come up in the demolition process
thus dramatically increasing the levels of precision and safety
of their new technology, let's check out how it works
first
the floor to be demolished is encased in a special module
consisting soundproof panels and scaffolding, debris is lowered down by a
crane placed at the center of the module
once the floor is completely taken apart
a computer regulated system which consists of Jax mounted inside temporary pillars
a computer regulated system which consists of Jax mounted inside temporary pillars
lowers the module to the floor below, the process is then repeated
and the building appears to slowly shrink until it's finally gone
in fact
the demolition module was the core idea behind this new technology
the module protects the demolition site from weather conditions
making it possible to work any day rain or shine
building the module to conform to the shape of the building's outer walls
allows the work to be completely hidden from the outside
another advantage of the
pillars, is that according to the company's calculations
they can withstand earthquakes with an intensity of six or more
on the Japanese seismic scale, in addition the downward movement of
the cranes which removes the debris
is used to generate electricity, according to calculations
movement of the cranes between the upper floors and the 11th floor
produce all the electricity required for the demolition, in the case of the
akasaka Prince Hotel
it shrank at a rate about 6.4 meters per day
this means that the entire process took six months
however this time table was based on a 95 workday
using rotating shifts it would have been possible to finish in only two months
it looks like Tokyo already an ever-changing metropolis
will continue its ongoing transformation in a smarter
more discreet fashion
well it may not have the instant gratification factor
watching a building implode on itself with the help of some explosives
this new system is pretty impressive, due to a number of factors
Tokyo didn't get its first modern skyscraper until the late nineteen sixties
Tokyo didn't get its first modern skyscraper until the late nineteen sixties
right now though there are 47 buildings and structures over 180 meters tall
the tallest building is Midtown tower stand you get 248 meters(813 feet)
the tallest building is Midtown tower stand you get 248 meters(813 feet)
the Tokyo Skytree that we mentioned in today's gadget segment
is the tallest tower in the world at 634 meters(2080 feet)
that's it for today's edition of Great gear
thanks for joining us will be back next week with more stories about japanese
business and design (captions by Technigeek)