NASDI Projects - Buildings

The Massachusetts Mental Health Center opened its doors in 1912 and was among oldest public teaching hospitals in the U.S., training several generations of leaders in American psychiatry. NASDI was hired to perform the structural demolition of over 400,000 square feet of the former state mental hospital. NASDI’s scope of work includes structural demolition affiliated with asbestos and PCB-containing building materials, as well as universal waste removal. NASDI will perform the crushing and site back-fill, along with the soil remediation associated with the tanks. NASDI was also hired to be the Construction Manager of the asbestos, hazardous waste, universal waste and PCB abatement, as well as the underground storage tank removal.

City Square is a $563 million multi-phased public/private commercial real estate project and is the largest development project in Massachusetts, outside of the Boston area. The scope-of-work requires the demolition of more than 2 million square feet of the former retail shopping mall; it includes asbestos abatement, hazardous waste removal, universal waste removal, PCB abatement, destruction and take-down of the mall and parking garage, and onsite crushing of reusable materials. This public/private venture will create more than two million square feet of commercial, medical, retail, entertainment, and residential space.

NASDI contracted with the NYC Parks & Recreation Department to perform foundation and site excavation work associated with the construction of a state-of-the-art indoor athletic facility, in Staten Island, NY. The foundation of this facility will require approx 4,500 CY of structural concrete. NASDI is responsible for the following items: installation and tie-in of all site utilities, from street to building; installation of an asphalt parking lot, including storm water drainage structure & piping; installation of concrete sidewalks, curbing, and retaining walls around the site; construction of one-half acre storm-water retention pond; and all planting and landscaping at the site.

The Harvard University Fogg Museum, built in 1927, is the university's oldest museum. The museum--designed by Coolidge, Shipley, Bulfinch, and Abbott, Architects--was built around a central courtyard influenced by a 16th century Italian church. NASDI was selected for this project due in large part to its outstanding health & safety program and safety record. The Scope-of-work was as follows: removal of all hazardous materials, selective demolition of the original Fogg Museum structure (built in 1927), and complete structural demolition of the 1991 additions.

*On this project, NASDI is proud to be short listed for the Contract of the Year Award at the 2010 World D&RI Demolition Awards.

In 1989 the former General Motors Automotive Assembly Plant closed its doors. The plant manufactured many of the GM brands such as: Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Chevrolet. A few of the models coming out of the facility were: Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Pontiac Le Mans, Chevrolet Chevelle, and Pontiac GTO. The facility, at its peak manufacturing output, employed as many as fifteen-hundred workers. Today, the facility is the home of the ADESA Automobile Auction House. NASDI contracted to remove six-hundred thousand square feet of the existing facility; the scope of work included removal of all asbestos containing materials, complete structural demolition, and salvage-operations.

With a footprint of only 20 feet wide on Broadway, but 160 feet long on John Street, stands the historic Corbin building. The historic structure rises only eight stories above street level, but when it was designed in 1888, it towered over its neighbors. Its architect, Francis Kimball, was a pioneer in the design of skyscrapers—the Corbin Building is recognized as one of the country’s earliest and therefore oldest skyscrapers. NASDI’s scope-of-work on this high profile landmark building, owned by New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority, provides for all labor, material, and equipment to carefully perform selective demolition on floors one through eight, roof, and basement & sub-basement.

The former Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, a brick & steel structure with 7 boilers from 4 to 7 stories tall, has been shut down for more than 30 years. The scope-of-work required the removal of the boiler house down to its slab and leaving in place the Turbine hall. The separation of the turbine hall from the boiler house was a complicated task because a section of the boiler house was located over two (2) 15,000 gallon underground storage tanks. The underground tanks, less than 25 feet from the Assonet River’s edge, were filled with No 6 oil. Also included in NASDI’s scope-of-work was demolition and removal of 4 ACM roofs and hundreds of asbestos containing piping valves.

Due in large part to its work history and safety record operating in heavily trafficked urban environments, NASDI was contracted to perform the deconstruction of this 46th Street and 2nd Avenue project. The building site is adjacent to the highly sensitive and heavily trafficked United Nations campus. NASDI’s scope-of-work provides for all labor, material, equipment, scaffolding, hoisting, temporary protection, and supervision required to manually deconstruct the building. The existing cellar to slab-on-grade, pits, foundation walls, and footings, are not part of the contract and will remain.

After 80 years, the Cenacle Sisters Building, sitting on a 45 acre campus in Long Island, is being redeveloped. NASDI’s scope of work on the four story retreat included asbestos abatement, regulated material removal, and full structural demolition. NASDI also demolished the adjacent barn; cleared, grubbed, and stripped topsoil on approximately two acres; mulched and stockpiled vegetation; installed 6000 linear feet of fence and hay bales; and installed the construction entrance.

At this former state hospital, NASDI performed asbestos abatement and structural demolition of 26 abandoned buildings of deteriorating condition. Prior to the start of work, NASDI worked with the Massachusetts DEP to implement an asbestos abatement program to safely remove all asbestos containing materials. A shoring system was designed and installed to support the perimeter walls of three center buildings that were being preserved. The scope of work called for NASDI to crushed on-site all masonry debris and to backfill, compact, and grade the basements.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) selected NASDI to begin the redevelopment of Hunters Point South Waterfront Park. This 6 acre site, abutting the East River, offers exceptional views of the Manhattan skyline. NASDI’s scope of work included asbestos abatement, hazardous material removal, structural demolition, and construction debris removal of the existing buildings and tennis courts. Also, NASDI's contract called for performing the site work to prepare the grounds for the next phase of development.

Located in Boston’s downtown shopping district is the former Filene’s Department Store. The facility was comprised of four interconnected buildings occupying one square block. NASDI’ scope of work included asbestos abatement, interior strip out, hazardous and regulated materials removal, and building deconstruction. NASDI was selected for the project in large part due to its expertise in working in heavily trafficked urban areas. A comprehensive site specific Health & Safety Plan detailing a Traffic Management Plan was implemented to keep safe both the workers and the public.

The Hingham Shipyard was acquired by the US Navy in 1941, after the outbreak of WWII, and was rapidly outfitted for the construction of U.S. Navy warships. By the conclusion of the War, the shipyard manufactured 227 vessels and employed more than 30,000 workers. To help in the redevelopment of this historic Navy Shipyard, NASDI was selected to perform asbestos abatement, hazardous material removal, demolition and removal of twenty-two buildings. The main ship building facility was a six hundred thousand square foot heavy, reinforced steel structure.

The Howland Hook Marine Terminal, operated by The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, is a container port facility located in Staten Island at the entrance to Newark Bay, north of the Goethals Bridge. The PANYNJ selected NASDI to perform the following scope of work: utility disconnections, hazardous material removal, and deconstruction of buildings fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five, and fifty-six. The scope of work also called for the demolition and removal of two utility bridges, and one pedestrian bridge; the removal of all foundations, footing, and piles; and rough grading of the site.

Polaroid discontinued its operations on its 110 acre, 18 building site in Waltham, MA after decades of production. NASDI was selected to help prepare the site for the next phase of its useful life. NASDI’s scope of work included: utility termination, phased asbestos abatement, deconstruction, and salvage operations on more than one million square feet. Among other buildings, the Polaroid campus comprised a power plant, corporate offices, chemical processing plants, research and development laboratories, and a water filtration plant.

NASDI was contracted by the developer to assist in the budget and design phase of this project. And to perform the asbestos abatement, hazardous waste remediation, and deconstruction of the former drug manufacturing plant located in Rockville Centre, N.Y. Working with the New York Department of Environmental Protection, NASDI removed hazardous soil (classified as “non-hazardous”), based on rigorous sampling and known release occurrence prior to the RCRA standard. This value engineering saved the owner over one million dollars and helped to streamline the project.

This fast-tracked elementary school abatement and demolition project called for an aggressive schedule; NASDI had 5 weeks to conventionally abate and mechanically demolish a 150,000 SF concrete-masonry structure. After the school was successfully abated, demolished, and removed from the site, the scope-of-work called for excavation and remediation of 17,500 tons or buried ACM debris and three 10,000 gallon underground storage tanks. This part of the project was the unearthing of the former high school, which burned and was buried in 1967. NASDI was also responsible for foundation & footing excavation, backfilling, sub-grade preparation, and installation of site utilities.

Sithe Energies, Inc. contracted with NASDI to remediate, decommission, demolish, and dispose of all buildings and equipment associated with the former generating station.  The fast track, turnkey contract, with milestone liquidated damages, included the removal and disposal of asbestos in eight 125 foot boilers; removal and disposal of hazardous materials ( PCBs, lead, and heavy metals); removal and disposal of above-ground and underground storage tanks; and excavation and management of oil and contaminated soils.

The Russia Wharf site is located on the eastern side of the Boston Peninsula, occupying the northern side of Congress St. between Atlantic Ave. and Fort Point Channel. Russia Wharf was first notable as the vicinity of the Boston Tea Party in 1773. NASDI was hired by the developer to undertake the demolition of two, seven-story brick structures. An important component of this project addressed the historical facades along Congress Street and Fort Point Channel; the facades were saved to be incorporated into the new high-rise design. Saving the building's facades required shoring, as seen in the adjacent image.

NASDI was hired by the electric utility to undertake the decontamination of more than 1.5 million square feet of interior surface, at Salem Harbor Station, in Salem, Massachusetts. At all times, as work progressed, the facility's electric power remained live. NASDI personnel had to carefully negotiate around live plant electricity and numerous pieces of irreplaceable, highly sensitive equipment. At the time this project was undertaken, it was considered to be the largest asbestos remediation project of its kind in the Northeast. The project was completed safely, and within the agreed upon timeframe, allowing the plant operator to resume plant operations with minimum disruption.

The New York City Department of Housing and Preservation Development selected NASDI to perform this "emergency declaration" selective demolition project. The landmark 1883-1884 Corn Exchange Building, due to years of neglect, fell into disrepair. Due to the structure's close proximity to the light rail (it abuts the Metro-North 125th Street Platform), compromised structural integrity, and heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the building was deconstructed, by hand, down to the 2nd floor. The remaining two floors of the 125th Street and Park Avenue structure is secured. At the present time the future of this historic structure remains unclear.

NASDI was engaged by the General Contractor for this project in large part because of its experience with post-tension structures and working in congested urban environments. The former Mosteller Garage, a five level post-tension structure, was located in an area with heavy foot and vehicular traffic. In less than ten weeks, NASDI's highly skilled personnel demolished and removed the 170,000 square foot structure; the projects was completed on schedule and without incident. Fifteen thousand tons of concrete was crushed onsite; over ninety percent of the structure's concrete was recycled. The structure's metals were recycled as salvage materials.

NASDI was selected by the General Contractor to perform the deconstruction and removal of the Metropolitan Transit Authority-Long Island Railroad utility bridge. The scope of work for this Queens project included the deconstruction and removal of switchgear, steel canopy, base slabs, electrolysis drain cabinets, and transformers. A six-hundred ton crane was incorporated to lift and lower to the ground the superstructure. When the utility bridge was placed safely on the ground, it was resized for transportation using acetylene torches and excavators equipped with shears.

NASDI is under contract and is presently performing selective demolition services at the Saint George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, NY. The ferry terminal, operated by the New York City DOT, Division of Bridges, has been in service since 1905; the facility serves approximately 65,000 passengers per day. NASDI's scope of work calls for superstructure demolition of all existing decks; complete superstructure and substructure demolition of two bus ramps; complete demolition of the old viaduct; selective demolition of other structural members; and asbestos and lead abatement as required in fulfillment of its contract.

The demolition of the Old Boston Garden presented unique challenges to NASDI, most notable was the four inch clearance between the exterior walls of the Old Boston Garden and the New Boston Garden under construction. To further complicate matters, the Boston and Maine rail yard, the Commuter Rail Terminal, and the Elevated MBTA Line all were adjacent to the project site. The stadium portion of the facility was deconstructed, bay-by-bay, using shear-equipped excavators to clear a path through the building. This allowed for cranes to be positioned to pickup and lower the steel trusses. Two, 250 ton cranes stabilized each truss, while NASDI workers diagonally torch-cut the supports. The cut sections were lowered to floor level, cut again into smaller pieces, and transported to a recycling center.

NASDI performed the asbestos abatement and the demolition of Foxboro Stadium (the former home of the New England Patriots). Because of extended post-season play, the stadium was used beyond the proposed project-start-date. NASDI adjusted to the revised work schedule by accelerating its work schedule to meet the owner’s abbreviated timeline. The project was successfully completed on-time and within budget. On this project, fifty-thousand cubic yards of concrete was reprocessed on-site to serve as the base of the new parking lots.

The former J. L. Hudson Building was a 25 story, 2.2 million square foot building located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. At the time this project was undertaken, it was considered the largest urban building implosion attempted. The scope-of-work included the complete demolition and removal of all building structures; NASDI was responsible for all necessary materials and equipment, labor provisioning, supervision, and safety measures for the implosion of this urban office tower. Immediately after implosion, NASDI began the clean-up of streets & sidewalks, and the removal of the imploded 2.2 million square foot structure.

This decommissioning project for Borden Chemical consisted of complete demolition and removal of thirty manufacturing facilities, four towers, and numerous above ground and underground tank farms. The project included asbestos abatement, waste disposal, and removal of retired facilities. Prior to mobilization, NASDI generated a complete operational plan outlining the removal of hazardous materials, an investment recovery program, structural demolition permitting, and a health & safety plan unique to the project.

In the 1600s the Puritans used Columbia Point Peninsula as a landing site to disembark from their sailing vessels. Approximately 300 years later, the 420 unit, 160 acre Columbia Point Housing Development fell into disrepair; the entire facility was to be redeveloped. To prepare the site for its next phase of development, NASDI’s scope-of-work incorporated selective and complete demolition, asbestos abatement, and hazardous materials removal on the three to seven story structures. The project was completed safely, within budget, and on-time in eighteen months.