Urban transformation starts today with use of ‘explosives’

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

The urban transformation project in Istanbul’s Esenler district foresees the demolishing of apartments in the area and building 28-story-buildings instead. AA photo

Turkey’s 400 billion dollar urban transformation project starts today with the demolition of 10 buildings in Istanbul through the use of emulite (a kind of expolosive) .

The piecemeal project’s first step will be in the Havaalanı neighborhood in the Esenler district of Istanbul. The process will start with a ceremony with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar. The two will later also push the button for the emulite-powered demolition of ten buildings in the National Defense Ministry’s area in the Sarıgazi neighborhood.

Preparation works
According to information provided by the Environment and Urban Planning Ministry, a total of 5000 holes have been carved into the load bearing columns of ten buildings, the total carved area being 2,500 square meters. The preparation of the 440 kilograms of emulite and 8000 delayed capsules took ten days. To prevent pieces of concrete from scattering around the demolition area, a three step security plan was prepared, including the wrapping of columns with special materials on double levels.

The system saves time by reducing the demolition of tall buildings down to a few seconds.

Emulite is known as a safer material than dynamite and it is also more environmentally-friendly, due to the lack of harmful chemicals in its formation. The method is employed in many countries, not only in the demolition of buildings, but also in the breaking down of large rocks that emerge during groundbreaking.