An ecological way to demolish one floor at a time without blowing up

What was once a luxury hotel in Tokyo’s Akasaka district is slowly but surely shrinking. By use of a new demolition method, the height of the former Akasaka Prince Hotel is becoming shorter by 6.4 meters every 10 days. The job is expected to be complete by April of this year. According to Taisei Construction Company, which is involved in the task, this is only the second time in Japan the new demolition method called the Taisei Ecological Reproduction System or “tekoreppu” for short, which works down from the top but leaves the building’s roof intact until the end, has been utilized. Using temporary pillars to support the existing roof, the building is lowered two floors at a time. Afterwards, the jacks attached to the pillars are lowered. By demolishing materials while leaving the roof intact, dust and noise is reduced. Using cranes to lower the scraps also generates energy, which can be used to power illumination and others. This is an extremely environmentally friendly demolition method that could be said to be the diametric opposite of utilizing explosives.