Taisei method of demolition

Knocking Down Huge Buildings Quietly, Floor by Floor – Japanese construction firm Taisei has developed a new system for taking down a building that reduces noise and dust pollution dramatically.  It involves housing the crew and machinery in a structure at the top of the building, called the “big hat.”  As each floor is demolished, the structure is lowered to the next floor.  The post includes a half-minute time lapse clip.

It’s never raining inside the “big hat,” so crews can work through the worst weather. The emission of dust into surrounding neighborhood is cut by 90 percent, according to Taisei, and noise pollution is greatly muffled. Also, in a process much like regenerative braking, the cranes use the weight of their loads to create electricity, which in turn powers lights and machinery on the construction site.