To destruct or to deconstruct, that is the question for Corrine Fulton.
Gone are the days of explosives, implosions and generally messy destruction
-- at least, that's what Fulton hopes. Concerns about the environment, says
Fulton, have changed the way we think of buildings, and the way that we take
them down.
Fulton manages a demolition company. One of her major concerns is how to
take buildings apart in a way that will salvage their usable components. She
advocates deconstruction, not destruction. "We have a task force and we're
putting on a course for architects on how to build using recycled material,"
says Fulton.
Fulton is also part of a task force that promotes the recycling and reuse
of building materials across North America. The group calls itself the Used
Building Materials Association. "We have members from all over North America
[who represent] all the different varieties, all the different elements."
Fulton endeavors to recycle everything possible. And, she says, it's cost-effective
to do so. It makes sense -- just imagine all the concrete, wood, steel, doors,
windows, cabinets and lights that can be sold for profit!
"It's like the reverse of construction. We separate everything and we have
a used building materials yard, about 3.5 acres. We bring it back to our yard
and sell the materials. And we sell the materials all over the world."
Sales from recycled material provide about one-third of the company's income,
reports Fulton. To some, this is amazing news, but turning junk into profit
has been a lifelong hobby for Fulton. She's being doing it since she was 13
years old.
"Way back when, when I was about 13, I started cleaning bricks. When they
were building [an area of town], they needed the brick and the bricks had
mortar on them. I used to get paid to clean these bricks. It was brick by
brick, so I cleaned bricks until my fingers were raw. Then I got smart and
hired more people. I paid them half of what I got paid and oversaw what they
did. That's how I got started in this whole thing, way back when," she remembers.
"I bought my first car from bricks!"
For anyone interested in learning about deconstruction demolition, Fulton
suggests getting some knowledge of construction.
"If you know how to put something together, then you can take it apart,"
she says. But above and beyond this, she says, "You've got to work hard and
you've got to know what you're doing."
Jim Redyke agrees that demolition experts have a huge responsibility when
it comes to the environment. However, explosives are still a necessary part
of the process. Sometimes, once the useful materials have been salvaged, the
remaining parts of a building need to come down with a bang.
Redyke has been blasting for over 25 years, a venture that has taken him
around the world. His main function as a demolition expert is to manage building
explosions. Redyke summarizes his job: "I blow and go."
But as you probably guessed, Redyke's responsibilities are certainly not
as simple as his catch phrase.
In addition to drilling holes, filling them with explosives and detonating
the explosives, he deals with important legal and safety preparations. "We
assume the liability, provide the insurance, design the preparation requirements,
[and] tell these people what needs to be done."
In fact, planning and preparation are what Redyke loves about
his job. "I enjoy the planning and the organization. The planning and seeing
it all come to fruition. After it's all over, the satisfaction comes from
knowing that you figured it all out," he says.
According to Redyke, the ideal candidate for a position as a demolition
expert would have a diversity of skills and experience. "I'm looking for people
that are not just laborers. I spend an awful lot of time in the office looking
at drawings and looking at projects and figuring out how I'm going to do it,"
he says.
Before he even gets to the actual demolition, he'll spend some time behind
closed doors. "I'm doing a 20 storey now in Baltimore. I'll spend three days
figuring out what I'm going to do, [and] when I'm going to do it."