Controlled Demolition Inc. to bring down Ocean Tower on
Dec. 13
CAMERON COUNTY, Texas
— Dec. 9, 2009 — The demolition of Ocean Tower
condominiums has been set for Sunday, Dec. 13. The
demolition will occur as soon after 9 a.m. as
preparations, security and weather conditions permit.
Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) of Baltimore, Md., one
of the nation’s premier demolition firms, has been
contracted to demolish the tower through implosion with
as little impact on the local community as possible.
“We
appreciate everyone’s patience as we have worked with
Cameron County and South Padre Island officials
to determine a date that will allow us to have a safe
demolition,” CDI President Mark
Loizeaux said. “National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration has been heavily involved in our
decision-making process, providing information regarding
the wind patterns and speeds.
The entire demolition planning process has revolved
around completing the implosion safely. Safety is our
number one priority and will not be compromised.”
Because
of South Padre Island’s weather conditions, Dec. 13 is a
tentative date, and there is no guarantee the demolition
will occur then. On Sunday morning, CDI and local safety
organizations will evaluate the weather conditions and
then determine whether the building can be safely
brought down. If the weather requires the demolition to
be rescheduled, it will be announced through the local
media and on townspi.com.
To
ensure people’s
safety, CDI has asked regulatory agencies to establish
an exclusion zone around the perimeter of Ocean Tower.
Padre Boulevard will be closed north and south of the
implosion area for an undetermined length of time before
and after the event. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard
will patrol Laguna Madre and the Gulf of Mexico to
ensure boaters remain a safe distance off shore and from
the demolition site. Following the demolition, CDI and
local safety agencies will evaluate the
exclusion zone, and once the area has been deemed safe
for the public, the streets and waterways will be
opened.
Local residents with questions about the
demolition process are encouraged to call Jeff Coyle at
(210) 826-8899 or (210) 535-9015.
Ocean Tower: Just the
facts
December 12, 2009 3:01 AM
Ocean Tower Demolition Fact Sheet from Controlled Demolition
Inc.
Implosion is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sunday on South Padre
Island
Building Information:
-- Ocean Tower is a 31-story building located on South Padre
Island in Cameron County.
-- Weight of the building being imploded is approximately
55,000 tons.
-- Under current construction codes, no hazardous materials
were ever introduced into the structure and, as a result,
the are no environmental issues associated with the
demolition.
-- Construction of Ocean Tower was halted in summer 2008
after it was determined that the building had experienced
differential settlement of approximately 14 inches, which
results in cracks in the beams and columns of the structure.
-- Ocean Tower is currently involved in a lawsuit against
geotechnical and structural engineering firms for the design
of the building.
Demolition Information:
-- 1,550 pounds of explosives will be used in the implosion.
-- There are approximately 3,000 explosive locations in the
building.
-- Approximately two miles of detonating cord will be used
to initiate the explosives throughout the building.
-- The explosives' detonation velocity is 18,000 feet per
second.
-- Detonation will be done by a non-electric system, which
was selected out of concern for static electricity from
wind-blown sand at beach locations, the possibility of
lightning from thunderstorms and the high level of radio
frequency energy that will surround the site before, during
and after the implosion.
--At 378 feet, 9 inches above adjacent grade, the Ocean
Tower's building's height eclipses that of the current
record for the tallest reinforced concrete building ever
imploded, as reported in Engineering News Record. That
height includes a distance of 58 inches from adjacent grade
to the top of the first-floor slab and has allowed for the
14 inches of subsidence by the structure.
Preparatory Steps:
-- During a nine-week period earlier this year, the building
was gutted of all internal elements down to the bar concrete
shell to ensure that such materials would not be blown
around the demolition site following the implosion.
-- More than 2,800 lineal feet of three-quarter-inch
diameter stell core cables having a tensile strength of
35,000 pounds have been installed to help Controlled
Demolition Inc. control the fall of the structure.
--In November, CDI modified the stairwell and elevator cores
with explosives. CDI conducted small explosions to blast
relief openings in those walls and drilled holes in the
remaining walls where nitroglycerin-based explosives will
ber placed for the implosion.
-- More than 100,000 square feet of chain link fence and
100,000 square feet of geotextile fabric have been placed as
"at-source" protection around walls and columns being
blasted to prevent fly of debris from the detonation of
explosives.
-- An independent third-party geotechnical firm has
performed a detailed pre-implosion survey of properties and
infrastructure, which might be impacted by the implosion.
That firm will monitor vibration and air overpressure (noise
levels) for distances of up to 3,000 feet from the site
during the implosion to ensure vibration and air
overpressure remain within allowable limits. A
post-implosion survey will be made of all properties to
ensure no damage has been sustained as a result of the
implosion.
-- CDI conducted an extensive community outreach program in
the weeks leading up to the implosion. Citizens whose
properties may be impacted by the demolition have already
been contacted with precautionary measures to take.
Recycling and Environmental Protection:
-- More than 98 percent of the above-grade materials used to
build Ocean Tower will be recycled or reused, including
most, if not all, steel and concrete.
-- Crushed concrete from Ocean Tower will be used as base
material for new parking areas for Beach Access Roads 3 and
4. Cameron County plans to lay the concrete in the spring
before paving the lots.
-- For the past two-and-a-half months, a showroom has been
set up south of the building site to sell high-quality
building materials and fixtures at reduced costs, much of
which has been sold to South Padre Island residents.
-- Ocean Tower has a dunes permit. Any disruption to the
dunes as a result of the implosion will be repaired.
-- CDI has completed the necessary steps to ensure that the
only impact to the beach as a result of the implosion is
that dust will reach that area.
