Max Wild in ‘challenging’ school demolition

Photo: Max Wild

The school, which serves children with intellectual and physical disabilities, is being partially demolished and converted to make way for a new replacement building.

Some structures, including the gymnasium and swimming pool, will be retained and connected to the new building after demolition.

Work on the site began in August and has progressed in multiple phases.

The first stage involved strip-out and hazardous material remediation in the demolition building, including the removal of approximately 5,000 m² of tar-contaminated black coating from concrete ceilings and floor slabs to obtain high-quality recycled concrete material.

Mechanical demolition then followed. The first step involved the complete demolition of roughly 20,000 m³ of enclosed space, yielding around 8,000 tons of concrete, which is being processed on-site and partially reused.

Once the area was sufficiently cleared, the first phase of earthworks began: approximately 5,000 m³ of soil was compacted, 2,000 m³ of new soil introduced, and around 1,000 m³ professionally disposed of.

The company told D&RI that since October 23 concrete on site has been crushed and partially reused, while core renovation of retained structures has begun both inside and outside.

The renovations involve stripping the buildings back to their shell: floors and ceilings are dismantled, plaster removed from walls, and electrical and ventilation installations taken out.

Roof dismantling is scheduled for November and will be coordinated with the roofing contractor to avoid water damage.

Once mechanical demolition is fully completed, a second phase of earthworks will be carried out, reusing recycled concrete material.

Max Wild said recycled materials are being reused wherever possible. Concrete is being reinstalled as a ground replacement body, and some waste removed during strip-out and hazardous material remediation is used as substitute landfill material.

Equipment on site includes various handheld demolition tools, four mini excavators, four crawler excavators (25–50 tons), a mobile crushing plant, a roller, and a wheel loader, all working simultaneously to keep the project on track.

The company said that several construction phases are being carefully coordinated to create space for future developments, with a clear focus on sustainability and precision.

Approximately 10,000 m³ of existing building space is undergoing core renovation.