Feature Project
Re:Generation Edition 01
Fashioning a new Oxford Street
The nature of retailing is changing, and even London’s iconic Oxford St is having to adapt. 334 Oxford Street has been home to department store Debenhams flagship branch for many years. Its closing in January 2021 prompted a rethink about how the space should be used. The seven-storey building – topped with a glass atrium – is being transformed into a highly sustainable space with new facades. Of its 31,731m2 floor-plan, the new-look building will, in addition to its traditional retail, now include three storeys for Grade A offices with terraces.
It was General Demolition’s responsibility to return the building to its shell and ready it for its exciting new development. With the careful adaptation of the distinctive façade, we constructed a first-floor scaffolding gantry to facilitate the quick and effective removal of waste. Our in-house waste management facilities ensured over 98% of waste generated by the project was recycled.
Focus on sustainability: the plug-in electric compressor With most sites having some form of electric power available, the plug-in electric compressor is a game changer. Smaller, simpler, quieter, lighter and with running costs less than half that of diesel compressors, saving the earth has never made such good business sense.
Get in touch for the full case study. Email: enquiries@general-demolition.co.uk
Running costs cut by half
Flow dynamics
Thanks to electric mobile compressors, you can have a silent and emission- free source of compressed air on any working site. For a compressor with the same airflow and pressure, the electric variant even has a significantly lower physical footprint compared to diesel compressors. In addition to these advantages for the environment and surroundings, the running cost for an electric compressor is only half as much as the same diesel version. The E-Air’s integrated Variable Speed Drive permanent magnet electric motor only requires low power for start-up, so there is no need to oversize the power supply. The variable speed drive and permanent magnet motor also make an important contribution to efficiency. Combined, they offer the best-in-class efficiency at partial load and ensure that power consumption closely follows the air demand trend.
These electric mobile air compressors include the Atlas Copco’s PACE system (Pressure Adjusted through Cognitive Electronics). This enables users to control the pressure between 5 and 12 bar, in precise 0.1 bar increments, and adjust the flow to the optimal level for their application. Because of this, one compressor can handle various jobs that previously would have required several compressors. The E-Air features a seven-inch display allows a simultaneous view of several parameters, including pressure and flow. Consequently, there is no need to toggle around to check the flow at a certain pressure. Additionally, top structured alarm settings allow for operation monitoring.
The E-Air VSD range is also equipped as standard with an after-cooler, providing high-quality air for applications like sandblasting. As there is no need for an industrial power source, these compressors can even work from a common 16A socket; significantly increasing the possible power connections.
Pneumatic power has been the energy source of choice for a range of tasks on demolition sites for much of the last century – with few signs of that ending soon.
Diesel compressors have traditionally powered breakers and a wide range of hand tools (such as abrasive blasting) – but all that may be about to change, thanks to Atlas Copco’s E-Air plug-in electric compressor. Launched a couple of years ago, it has flown under the radar and gone largely unnoticed for much of that time. But with red diesel a thing of the past and fuel prices soaring, the E-Air’s time may have come. Demolition’s recycling expertise is the backbone of construction’s sustainability efforts, but there is still much that can be done to lower the carbon footprint in our operations and ways of working.
While battery powered compact equipment, such as wheel loaders and mini excavators, still struggle under high purchase costs and limited run times, plug in electric compressors are only marginally more expensive than their diesel equivalents, and can run continuously 24/7 – while emitting zero emissions. With no exhaust gases to worry about, it means they can work safely indoors and – with noise levels of 61dB (just about the level of a normal conversation) – productivity and noise safety are both enhanced.
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