Twin Towers Residence Hall Overview: facts, history, implosion information

May 21, 2008 -- ASU will demolish the vacant Twin Towers residence hall, 100 South Driver, by controlled implosion on Sunday, May 25, at 7 a.m. Preparatory work on the site began March 31, and all asbestos, lead paint, PCB ballasts, and mercury-containing light fixtures have been removed. The implosion is expected to take 15 seconds. For a map of the public viewing area and the safety zone perimeter for the implosion, click here. For an additional map of the Twin Towers public viewing area, click here.

Overview, facts, and history on Twin Towers Residence Hall:

·         Official name: Seminole Twin Towers, generally known as Twin Towers

·         Building design: Stuck, Frier, Lane & Scott Architects, Jonesboro, AR

·         Construction contract date: Feb. 21, 1966

·         Building contractor:  Harmon Construction, Oklahoma City, OK

·         Construction cost: $2,964,597

·         Building completion and occupancy:  Fall, 1967

·         Length of time to build: Approximately six months

·         Length of time for implosion: Approximately 15 seconds

·         Physical address: 100 South Driver, Jonesboro AR 72401

·         1967 Governor of Arkansas:  Winthrop Rockefeller

·         1967 ASU Board of Trustees: Joe Brooks, W. P. Gulley, Max Poe, Russell
     Owen, Van Smith, William Wyatt

·         1967 ASU President:  Dr. Carl R. Reng

·         1967-68 ASU Student Govt' Assoc. President:  Mike Gibson (current chair,
      ASU Board of Trustees)

·         Structure: Nine-floor concrete frame, spread footings, concrete block back-up
     with brick veneer

·         Building weight:  approximately 72,000 tons.

·         Building square footage: 175,204 square feet

·         Building height: 100 feet tall

·         Capacity: 1,129 male students; average occupancy was 700

·         Singles: Renovated mid-1990s to provide single rooms on every other floor

·         Number of rooms rented over building life: Approximately 23,600

·         Used as residence hall: 1967-2006 academic years

·         Subsequent use 2006-07: Training site for police and firefighters

·         Future use: Greenspace; possible future construction of academic building
     (contingent on funding)

·         Date of implosion: Sunday, May 25, 2008; Countdown begins 5 a.m., felling
     approximately 7 a.m.

·         Preparatory work and hauling of debris: Chandler Demolition, Memphis

·         Implosion sub-contractor:  Controlled Demolition Incorporated (CDI), Phoenix,
    Maryland

·         CDI website:  http://www.controlled-demolition.com

·         Total cost of demolition: $1,036,000

·         Preparatory work: Began on March 31, 2008

·         Preparatory work timeframe: Approximately eight weeks

·         Substance removal: Asbestos, lead paint, PCB ballasts, and mercury-containing
     light fixtures have been removed

·         Debris field:  Approximately 18 feet high

·         Debris removal timeframe: Approximately three months

·         Adjacent buildings: Fine Arts Building windows will be protected with plywood

·         Campus residents: Persons living within safety zone asked to vacate by 5 a.m.
     (hotel or breakfast provided); allowed to return when dust settles (projected to be
      by 8 a.m.)

·         Test charges: Will be set May 22 at 7 a.m.; no special preparations necessary

·         Safety Zone perimeter: Approximately 500 feet

·         Preparation: 1^st, 3^rd and 6^th floor structural supports removed; building wrapped to
    contain debris field; stairwells removed

·         Prevailing winds: Generally from the southwest at this time of year

·         Implosion: CDI is not "blowing up the building," but rather will use a minimal
    amount of small, strategically placed explosive charges in selected reinforced
    concrete columns to sequentially disable them and allow the building's weight and
    construction to control its failure in a predetermined area

·         Explosive charges: CDI will utilize approximately 200 pounds of
    nitroglycerine-based explosives which will be placed in 1,100 borehole locations on
    four levels of the building

·         Decibel level: Implosion should be no louder than clap of thunder

·         Vibration: minimal, no special preparations necessary

·         Debris: About 360 tons of debris is usually felled per pound of explosives

·         Debris destination: To become hardfill, will not go to landfill

·         Dust: Dust is a natural byproduct of construction and demolition activities. The
    quantity of dust generated during an implosion is the same quantity that would have
    been generated during conventional or mechanical demolition, with the advantage
    that with implosion, the generated dust prevails in the area for a short time (2-15
    minutes depending on wind speed). Most of this dust will settle within a few
    hundred feet of the demolition site.

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