Concrete Parking Structure Safely Demolished with Diamond Tools

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Arts is located in Bentonville, Arkansas. It is a world class collection of art aside stunning architecture, as well as over five miles of sculpture and walking trails. The sprawling 120-acre park connects the museum to downtown Bentonville. According to their website, “The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature.” Established by arts patron and philanthropist Alice Walton, Crystal Bridges is a public non-profit charitable organization and welcomes all with free admission.

In Spring of 2021, it was announced in a news release that the museum would begin construction on a 6-story, 800 space parking garage. The new, large garage would help accommodate the museums future growth. General Contractor Baldwin & Shell was working alongside concrete contractor Cantera Concrete of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to manage the parking garage project. Unfortunately, after erecting the parking garage, it was discovered that there were quality issues with the concrete. It was determined that the fifth and sixth floor ramps, and the entirety of the sixth floor, including beams and the parking deck, needed to be removed as they would not pass the quality tests.

Ark Wrecking was contracted to demolish the fifth and sixth floors of the parking garage completely so the GC could start over. Ark Wrecking contracted CSDA member Fine Cut Drilling and Sawing to assist them with the removal of the damaged concrete. Fine Cut was given twenty days to complete their portion of this project, with the start date being October 10, 2022. The project would consist of nearly 7,000’ of 8”–10” of slab sawing and nearly 150 wire saw pulls.

Fine Cut mobilized trucks and equipment from both their Tulsa and Kansas City locations in order to be prepared for this project. On the first day of work, Fine Cut operators flew all equipment up to the sixth floor via crane and began slab sawing the ramp with three Husqvarna FS 7000 saws. The slab saws were outfitted with Husqvarna and Diamond Products diamond blades.

On days two and three, the team finished slab sawing the ramp and the sixth-floor deck. After that, operators installed a Hilti 1510 wire saw and a Husqvarna CS10 wire saw that were ran daily to complete the project on schedule. Both wire saws were equipped with Husqvarna C1000 diamond wire.

Because the concrete on the fifth and sixth floors didn’t come to strength in time, but the first through fourth floors needed to be preserved as they were structurally sound, Fine Cut operators knew that the only way to complete the project was with diamond tool removal methods. Diamond tools were used to keep the remaining structure secure by minimizing vibration and utilizing the shoring that was still in place from the initial construction.

The main safety concern was the structural integrity of the deck shoring once operators began removing slabs of concrete. While removing slabs of the concrete, it was possible that the slabs would stick to the shoring and create holes. To combat this, they inspected the deck after each piece was removed. If holes were found or created, they were covered immediately with new shoring. Operators also had to make sure there was no shifting in the shoring during the removal process. To guarantee that operators were safe, a full-time monitor was stationed below with radio communication to report on any shifting or issues with the shoring.

In addition to the shoring issues, two working days were lost due to inclement weather. Operators experienced freezing temperatures for one week causing equipment to freeze and lock up. To contend with the freezing weather that was making the saws inoperable, Fine Cut operators worked longer hours in the evening when the temperatures were above freezing.

Fine Cut’s portion of the project was completed in the requested twenty-day time frame. In total, over 2.5 million pounds of concrete were removed over those twenty days. Fine Cut operators, as well as the other contractors on site, were thrilled with the safe and timely results. Once Fine Cut was able to remove the affected concrete, the GC was able to pour new concrete to replace it and ensure it met all necessary standards.

Omar Martinez, Operations Manager of Fine Cut’s Tulsa location, said Fine Cut was chosen for this project due to their reputation and knowledge of large wire saw projects. “Fine Cut has a stellar reputation of finishing these projects on time and without issues,” Martinez said about this job, “Fine Cut has solid goals of providing superior service with a commitment to excellence. With this kind of attitude and determination, Fine Cut has grown into a premier and preferred contractor for difficult projects.”

It is always a contractor’s goal to exceed their customers’ expectations. On this project, they put together a great plan and adapted when necessary, resulting in a perfect execution. Martinez went on to say, “It’s a great feeling to know a customer is happy with your work and continues to thank you over and over. That’s when you know you have exceeded their expectations.”

COMPANY BIO
Founded in 2002 by Jim Ralston, Fine Cut Drilling & Sawing is a full-service concrete cutting and demolition company. Fine Cut services the Midwest with offices in Kansas City, MO, and Tulsa, OK, but will go anywhere their experienced services are needed. Their core leaders have been working in concrete cutting for over 20 years. They have a fleet of 10 trucks and over 40 employees. Services offered include wire sawing, slab sawing, wall sawing, hand sawing, chain sawing, grinding and polishing services, GPR scanning and even container rental for demolition purposes. Fine Cut has put training and safety at the top of the list. All operators have a minimum of OSHA 30, CSDA 101, CSDA 201, Silica Competent person & CPR Training. They have been a member of CSDA since 2016.

RESOURCES
Demolition Contractor
Ark Wrecking
CSDA Contractor
Fine Cut Sawing and Drilling
Contact: Omar Martinez
Email: omar@finecutusa.com
Tel: 918-934-8968
Website: www.finecutusa.com
Methods Used
Slab Sawing, Wire Sawing