How does one go about tearing down tall buildings in a crowded metropolis like Tokyo? The usual demolition technique of wrecking balls or controlled explosions are noisy, dirty, and can go terribly wrong.
The solution? Demolish it from the inside out.
The key idea is to disassemble a structure in an enclosed space, unlike the traditional way of working in the open air, Ichihara said.
Taisei looked into using a building’s roof to create a closed working site and bringing cranes inside the building.
The roof is held up by temporary columns that are lowered by jacks as the higher floors come down.
“It’s kind of like having a disassembly factory on top of the building and putting a big hat there, and then the building shrinks” from the top, said Ichihara.