Civic Centre – Ipswich

Project type: Demolition of 16 Floor Concrete Office Block

Client: Turnstone Estates Ltd

Value: £870,000

Contract Period: Jul 2008 – Mar 2009

Services: Disconnection of services, asbestos removal, strip out, demolition

The Civic Centre in Ipswich was the town council’s headquarters. It comprised 14 storeys above ground with a two storey underground basement. There was a four and two storey annexe on either side of the main block, with a ground floor car park to one side, which was originally destined to be closed for the works.

The site was bounded by a sheltered housing estate, the town theatre, an underground multi-storey car park and the major arterial traffic route through the town.

The close proximity of these structures precluded explosives and the use of the ultra high demolition excavators. The chosen method required the total structure to be scaffolded full height and monarflex sheeting used to “wrap” the building. The building was then demolished on a floor by floor basis after all services had been disconnected, asbestos materials removed and the soft strip of all remaining internal fixtures and fittings. The original central lift shafts were used as the disposal chutes for all the resultant rubble, which was then removed from the ground floor by Skidsteers and loaded onto Lorries for removal to a recycling facility. Once the structure was down to the fourth floor, a high reach excavator was able to be used.

Our Dustboss dust and odour control units were utilised to eliminate any dust particles etc escaping beyond the confines of the site.

This method also allowed the client to keep open his ground floor car park and avoid any loss of income.

In all over 15,000 tonnes of concrete were removed off site and over 1500 tonnes of scrap steel taken away for recycling.