The
Mattatuck building, a Waterbury, Connecticut landmark that
housed the manufacturing of ammunition for five wars, has
itself been explosively demolished by Precision Explosives,
Seaford, New York.
The most
challenging aspect of the project was the fact that the four-story,
106-year-old structure contained 84 heavily-reinforced concrete
columns, and was specifically designed to withstand an explosion
from within. As an additional concern, the structure was located
squarely within a tight residential neighborhood.
Blaster
David Evans, working under contract with Waterbury Wrecking
Company, packed 200 pounds of explosives into various load-bearing
columns on all four floors to help facilitate the structure's
collapse.
Representatives
from the project's vibration consulting firm, Protec Documentation
Services, Mount Laurel, New Jersey later confirmed that all
vibration levels fell within acceptable limits.
