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WORLD
TRADE CENTER
Project:
Clean up the World Trade Center site.
Challenges:
The challenges at the World Trade Center were the extreme
conditions, both emotional and physical.
The
emotional challenge was to overcome the shock, the sense of
mass destruction, and the loss of life. The knowledge that,
in the first weeks, we were there not to just clean up, but
to search for victims.
The
physical challenge was the sheer magnitude of the project
and its components. A beam 30 feet long and 8 feet wide weighed
between 60 and 80 tons—steel so heavy it broke grapples
and twisted booms. With ground temperatures reaching in excess
of 1,200°F, steel beams were pulled out of the wreckage
glowing red.
Solutions:
On the emergency list for the City of New York, Mazzocchi's
team arrived at the site with essential
machinery (including the EX550 LRD). Our workers at the
site during the first week said they overcame the shock and
the sight of the victims by focusing on the work, on the necessary
job that had to be done.
Mazzocchi
had other responsibilities away from Ground Zero. We used
our fleet of trucks to haul the twisted metal to the Hudson
River, where it was immediately shipped to the Fish Kills
site. There, Mazzocchi assisted in strategically sorting the
material for federal officers' final inspection.
One
supervisor said the most remarkable thing about the whole
job was the unity during the first few days, with the Red
Cross, police, firemen, emergency personnel, construction
workers and people on the street all coming together to help.
This spirit of unity continued throughout the project as contractors
worked together—under the overall supervision of the
New York City Department of Design and Construction—to
get the job done.
Multiple
contractors working together was one essential element in
overcoming challenges. Another was just plain hard work. A
second Mazzocchi supervisor said the hardest part for him
was being away from his family for six months, as he worked
12-to 15-hour shifts six or seven days a week.
On
the purely mechanical side, we had the back-up machinery to
move in if any of our equipment on site was damaged by the
extreme conditions. We had the ability to repair or replace
machinery immediately, resulting in little or no downtime.
Result:
We worked continually at the site from September 11 to the
beginning of March 2002. But the real result of the project
and of the entire September 11 crisis was a greater unity
in America and a greater sense of needing to work together.
Mazzocchi Wrecking is proud to have been a part of that result.
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| RESORTS
NORTH TOWER
Project:
Surgical demolition of 12 story building next to active casino
in October 2002. Mazzocchi worked around the clock to meet
Perini's tight schedule.
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CONSOLIDATED
EDISON
Project:
Demolish two power plants, two support structures, and an
11-story office building at ConEd’s Waterside complex,
which covers five city blocks between First Avenue and the
FDR Drive in Manhattan. Generating both steam and electricity,
the Waterside complex used to serve one-fourth of Manhattan
and is one of the largest such complexes on the East Coast.
As
of March, 2002, we have already demolished the office building
and were commencing work on the support structures. The final
phase would be to remove the power plants themselves.
Challenges:
The office building was situated right next to the intake
vents for the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and the tunnel itself
ran directly beneath the building’s foundation. The support
structures, a switch house and a frequency house, contain
significant amounts of asbestos—even in the caulking
around the window frames. These structures also present a
large gymnasium-like area, so when the roof comes off, the
walls may be unstable.
The
power plants themselves are 17 stories high, with stacks that
extend another 300 feet beyond that. With immense boilers
and turbines, this job is difficult in part for its size and
because the walls of the plant come right up to the sidewalk,
therefore requiring a large amount of hand demolition. The
supporting steel beams that span the whole power house are
eight feet high, and the flanges are between five and six
inches thick. The challenge is to take the plant down in a
controlled manner.
Solutions:
In demolishing the office building, we took special steps
to minimize both dust and vibrations. In taking down the support
structures, we will take extra safety precautions against
working in a large unsupported area.
The
generators themselves are so large that, after we have removed
the PCBs and drained the oil from the tanks, we will take
down the buildings around them and then use machine power
to break them up and pull them out. Because we can perform
all the necessary services and own our machines, we can provide
a cost-effective, turnkey solution.
Result:
Because we have the right people and the right machines, we
expect to complete the project safely and effectively.
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Philadelphia Convention center
Project:
Demolish
and clear the site to make room for a New Philadelphia
area hospital. The center was host to such historical notables
as the Beatles in 1967, the Philadelphia ‘76ers and
numerous conventions. Start date was February 28, 2005. Completion
and new construction is slated for January 2006.
Challenges:
The
Convention Center had a 200’ lateral center height
and a vast interior expanse. Implosion was not an option
due to its location near The Children’s Hospital and
Penn University. Dust, noise and vibration had to be kept
to a minimum. Pedestrian traffic could not be interrupted
and the main roads and railroad that surrounded the Center
could not be closed.
Solutions:
A
unique “hinging” process was thoroughly planned
onsite by the supervisor, operators and crew of Mazzocchi
Wrecking. The Mazzocchi LRD 750 was utilized to safely “snip” and
dismantles the vast center span supports of the building.
The 200’ high stage and the main entry foyer were then
dismantled. All the time being cognizant of historical architectural
features that were salvaged at the request of Penn University.
The Mazzocchi
LRD 750 is a custom piece of equipment. It has a 160’ (48.8
meter) boom, a near-tool mounted water canon to reduce
dust and extinguish potential fire and a mounted video
camera to monitor demolition details from the ground, safely.
The Mazzocchi LRD 750 utilizes several tools, each tool
specific for a particular project.
Large pieces of steel removed by the LRD were then cut and
sorted along with limestone and recyclables. Debris was removed
from the site via Mazzocchi containers that flowed through
the site on a scheduled basis to assure a non-obstructed
safe and productive work environment.
Site Assets:
- 1 Supervisor
- 4
Operators
- 2 Laborers
(additional personnel as needed)
- Mazzocchi
LRD 750 (with 160 boom and “snip/shear” tool
attachment)
- Mazzocchi
EX 600 (large debris mover)
- Mazzocchi
470 (handles a magnitude of steel.)
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ATLANTIC
CITY CONVENTION CENTER
Project:
Remove asbestos-containing panels from the ceiling of the
Atlantic City Convention Center—the site of the annual
Miss America Pageant.
Challenges:
The roof was formed of rainbow-shaped trusses and was 130
feet high at the peak. And because of the interstitial spaces
between the ceiling and the roof, workers had to climb the
trusses, making working conditions difficult. A further difficulty
was presented by the need to work inside the air chamber of
the convention center’s large pipe organ.
Solution:
The first step was to design and install scaffolding that
would traverse the long hall, which was finally done in 30-foot
squares, each contained in polyurethane. On top of that, we
erected scaffolding which would allow our workers to do the
abatement work on the ceiling. Then, we took elaborate measures,
including harnessing and close monitoring, to ensure the safety
of the workers.
Result:
Because we bring a wide range of technical expertise to every
project, we completed this sophisticated and challenging job
without incident.
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HANGAR
55, NEWARK AIRPORT
Project:
Demolish the central portion of a large aircraft hangar and
remove asbestos from the coating to the skin covering the
entire building.
Challenge:
Continental Airlines needed to remove the central portion
of the hangar so it could build it higher to accommodate widebody
jets, but the other two sections of the building were still
in operation. The central portion of the building had large
and intermediate steel trusses which had to be cut.
Solution:
To minimize the need for lead abatement, which is always present
when steel is being cut, we had to plan our effort well in
advance. When that portion of the project was completed, we
installed new steel girts and longer rods to accommodate the
central portion’s new skin.
So
workers could remove the quarter- to half-inch-thick asbestos-containing
coating, we had to construct a scaffold covering the entire
outside of the building.
Result:
Because we always plan carefully to maximize efficiency, we
completed the project on time and on budget.
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