Roof is gone, steel skeleton dismantle begins

The roof of the existing building has been completely removed.


Here’s a shot from just a week ago when the roof removal had just begun:



With the roof removed, crews started dismantling the steel skeleton of the second floor.


The steel beams that were once under the roof are removed first. Instead of undoing each bolt that holds the beams in place, the crews actually cut the beams out but burning them at each end (pictured below). Once all of the beams are down, the columns will be removed in a similar fashion. The majority of the column is removed using the burning technique, however the base of each column will is removed by undoing the bolts where the column attaches to a steel plate in the concrete floor.

Sign Mock-Up on Display

On Monday, representatives from the Carpenters Union, ADD Inc., and Sensory Interactive were on hand for a product demonstration of the transparent LED display that will be a part of the new Carpenters Center.

Seen below in the rendering of the new building, the sign will be located on the Expressway side of the building, visible from traffic traveling Northbound on I-93. The displays that were on hand Monday were mock-up sizes of the actual sign, which will measure approximately 32 feet high by 22 feet wide.

The display is transparent, meaning that from the inside of the building you will be able to see through the display to the Expressway, even when the sign is turned on and displaying a still image. The sign is made up of rows of LED lights, allowing this visibility from the inside of the building out.



The mock ups were lifted into the air by a crane, which allowed onlookers to get an idea of the brightness, viewing angles, and viewing distance of the LED Display in both daylight and at night.

A view of the mock up in daylight.



A view at dusk.

The Carpenters Union is working with Sensory Interactive to finalize the details of design and final approvals.

Photo Slideshow - Demo February 2009

Roof Removed

Crews began removing the roof from the existing building. Excavators were brought in to the second floor to remove the roof off the concrete slab.

The following shots show the center section of roof being removed.

Interior Partitions Removed

The demolition of the interior partitions on the first and second floor is complete, including masonry, metal stud and drywall. The debris was separated for recycling, as part of the LEED certification process.


The second-floor interior during demolition of the interior partitions.

The debris is removed from the interior of the building and then loaded into dumpsters located outside. As the debris is dropped outside, it is sprayed with water to prevent the spread of dust through the air (pictured below).



Following this cleanup, NASDI will remove the air handlers on the roof, such as air-conditioning and heating units, and then the entire roof will be removed. This will happen from the interior of the building. An excavator with demo claws will be brought into the second floor to take the roof off the slab.

Asbestos Abatement Complete

The abatment process was completed today, two days ahead of schedule. Demolition of interior partitions is scheduled to begin tomorrow, February 12th.


January 27, 2008: Asbestos worker prepares windows for abatement.

Abatement - Windows

Abatement began on approximately 6,000 square feet of windows at the existing building. The single-glazed windows are being removed and prepared for proper disposal.


The asbestos may be located in the glazing compound where the window glass meets the steel edge, as well as where the windows attach to the concrete block. Each window is not individually tested for the presence of asbestos. However, because one or a section of windows were found to be 'hot' each window of similar make-up will go through the abatement process.

First, the windows are removed from the masonry opening (pictured above). As the windows are removed, they are broken down into sections. The glass is taken out of the metal frame, which is cut in half (pictured below), and it is all bagged and sent to the asbestos waste landfill.

Abatement Update

Yankee Environmental Services began asbestos abatement at the building on January 28th. They have completed the floor tile abatement as well as the abatement of the entire crawl space area. They are currently working on the first floor and second floor pipe covering/insulation.


The abatement and final air sampling is expected to be complete by February 13th. Demo at the building is scheduled to begin on February 17th.