ICON Demolition For Melrose Arch Extension

The R2,5million contract for the demolition of 4 buildings was awarded to the ICON Group by Amdec Property Developments at the end of November 2019 for completion in March 2020. ICON is the principle contractor for the demolition, safety and community management for the project. The contract includes the demolition and removal from site of 4 multi-story apartment blocks situated in the densely populated area of Corlett Drive. The buildings being demolished are up to 50 years old and the form and function of these buildings have not kept pace with modern trends and lifestyles. The area that is being demolished is making way for a super basement under Melrose Arch as well as the construction of a mixed-use building on the site.

“Aside from the usual fierce pricing competition for projects such as these, we believe that owning our own equipment gives us a distinct advantage”, says Wayne Neary, Managing Director of the ICON Group. “In addition to this our focus on sustainable construction practices sets us apart, all of the building material that we salvage from this site will be crushed as aggregate to be used on another site. ICON’s latest Hammers and Crushers will be used for this purpose.

“Traditionally rubble from this type of demolition is spoilt into a landfill or dump sites. ICON is providing Amdec Property Developments with double sustainability savings through the re-use of the crushed building material, meaning that they do not need to import natural aggregate from a quarry, dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of the project”, states Neary.

The biggest challenge for this project is working in close proximity to high-density buildings in high foot and vehicular traffic zones. In addition to stringent safety measures, ICON has to be conscious in terms of both dust as well as noise levels. Measures to mitigate this includes the use of dust suppression technologies like water tankers and being noise conscious by adjusting working times and hours.

For more information, visit: www.iconearthworks.co.za.