Originally Posted by C.Lan
Hi TKC, um...hard to answer that, depends on how you mean it. Do you mean my thoughts on implosions in general as a demolition technique, or the use of this technique as it relates to NOLA? "Implosion demolition" is a misnomer, since this tactic isn't really a "true" implosion, more the opposite, as in a question of timed explosions that are catalyst for bringing down a building structure. I can see where this type of demo has been useful in situations where demo itself was perceived as immediately necessary. Not as much related to post-WW demo but in the much more recent examples such as Ocean Tower, around Padre Island. If there's a building going up that, for sheer planning flaws and lack of creating a system of structural reinforcement, is perceived as potentially causing damage to the surrounding area rather than serving the need it's there for, I see why an explosive technique for immediate teardown would be used, although I don't necessarily support it. But that's mostly because it makes more sense to me to have buildings going up only if they have the right structural reinforcement to make them really solid, and something like explosive demo can unfortunately lead to trends of buildings going up without reinforcement, and that's not an ideal system. Again, you can see why it happens with projects like Ocean Tower that were meant to address a great and immediate need, such as population developments, especially when it's a massive undertaking that seems impossible to finish. I don't agree with its use on buildings that might be considered historically worth preserving to others, because explosive technique eliminates the possibility of gathering and keeping artifacts and architectural elements. Generally in these cases if it has happened it's likely been regrettable; it's a controversial topic. I would prefer not to see it used again on Padre Island, but that might be a bit about planning. Additionally, it's a tricky technique otherwise to use, since it should be as careful as construction in terms of timing and execution, and failing careful strategy of those can result in possible injuries to anyone involved or proximate to the area, which is just regrettable in general to all sides.
But this might not be what you're getting at. If you were talking about actual gravitational implosion, I'd have a different opinion, for example. Is this in terms of implosions that have been used downtown or the use of them in the future?
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