BRICK DEMOLITION MADE EASY
In 2006, the Maritime Institute of Quebec decided to have its facade renovated in Rimouski, Canada. The bricks covering the six-story building had become unstable and needed to be demolished and replaced.
Among the many bidding companies was DRM Constructions, a general contractor based in Rimouski. "For demolition jobs, we usually work with scissor-lifts and pneumatic drills, and this is what first came to my mind", explains Mr. Morin, General Director at DRM. "We also punctually use a mini-excavator equipped with a hydraulic hammer. It is very powerful and productive, but the articulated arm can only reach 10' high, which was not enough to cover the six stories of the Institute. I then remembered Hydro Mobile's mast climbing work platforms, access equipment I had used about ten years ago on a construction project. I started to wonder if I could use this technology to lift the mini-excavator to the desired height?" continues the General Director.
Following this reflection, Mr. Morin decided to contact Nelson Panneton of Du-For Scaffolding, one of Hydro Mobile's regional distributors. Together, they sat down to evaluate the feasibility of the idea and came to the conclusion that the Hydro Mobile's M-Series would be perfect for the job. Mr. Panneton explains: "Several models on the market have high load capacities, but they require that the weight be distributed evenly. The M-Series has a 20,000 lb capacity and is the only point-load mast climber in its range. Therefore, it could support the weight of the mini-excavator, even with the resonance factor. Moreover, the M-Series' decks are 7' wide, except around the masts were they are 44" wide, just enough for the 40"-wide excavator."
Mr. Panneton and Mr. Morin simply had to modify the brackets linking the platforms together so that the mini-excavator could travel along the 230'-long facade. For more stability, the mast-climber also had to be tied every 10' instead of the usual 20'.
When this innovative solution was presented, the Maritime Institute gave the contract to DRM Constructions without hesitating. "Using this method, the schedule was one week per floor with five workers, while it would have taken one month per floor with seven men using scissor-lifts", explains Mr. Morin. "Moreover, pneumatic drills cause fatigue and injuries, while the mini-excavator and the hydraulic hammer never get tired!"
The Maritime Institute plans to have the other part of its facade renovated next year and DRM Constructions will most certainly bid for that contract too. Dany Morin concludes: "Now that the competition knows our method, we will have to be imaginative and innovate once more."
Contractor: DRM Constructions
Hydro Mobile Distributor: Du-For Scaffolding
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