I saw a photo of vacant lots in a very poor downtown neighborhood of Gary, Indiana, where huge buildings that had once housed big department stores (with full basements) had been torn down. I'm curious about how this is done, especially on the cheap: Is debris (bricks, plaster, etc.) from torn-down buildings ever buried to fill the hole, or is there nothing but dirt under these fields and parking lots? Kind of a silly question -- but I can't imagine where an impoverished city would get tons of dirt from, and I'm wondering if they simply pulled the buildings down and covered everything with dirt -- if that's ever done.
Basements actually form the major part of a building ,because it include the foundations and columns.Demolishing a building is much much easier than constructing it.Obviuosly, what you saw, was an uncompleted work by the contractor or municipality. With regards to dirts beneath parking, I would say no way. Ground is totally cleared and neat below our basements.
Actually a very good question. When the use an excavator to demolish these buildings or even a wrecking ball or explosives, they normally clear out all demolition debris from the building. Its considered trash and not allowed to remain at the site. Generally they will also remove the foundation. With the foundation removed the site has more value for future use. The demolition debris most often goes to the dump. Some companies do recycle industrial buildings for the metals and concrete. The only time you can't is when the materials are contaminated. On occasion, I know of businesses that have torn down a buiding, but left the slab behind. Generally you will expect to find that the ground under the building is contaminated, By leaving the concrete, less rainwater will penetrate the ground. This slows the amount of polution in the ground water. Debris is never used to fill the building (at least not legally). Really if you think of it, they are deconstructing the building. Its pretty much the opposite of building it. The biggest difference with construction you are careful that your finished work looks nice. Demolition on the other hand you only care that the site looks pristine when you leave. On a final note, I saw a program about people who make a living removing antique fixtures, windows, knobs, doors, etc. from old buildings to be resold for restoration or speciality work. They will do this prior to a renovation. Some fixtures from old home are buildings can be very valuable.
