Created in partnership with the National Demolition Association, “Demolition: Practices, Technology, and Management” is a new book by Richard J. Diven and Mark Shaurette available from Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, Ind.
The book’s promoters say it is “an invaluable reference resource for anyone involved in demolition projects, particularly students of construction management and engineering.”
Topics covered in the book include a range of technical and management issues encountered by demolition contractors and those who hire them. Topics include modern demolition practices, the impact of different construction types, demolition regulations, estimating demolition work, demolition contracts, safety on the demolition project, typical demolition equipment, debris handling and recycling, use of explosives, demolition contractors’ participation in disaster response, and demolition project management.
According to a news release promoting the book, during the 1990s the number of contractors grew by nearly 60 percent, and there are now more than 800 U.S. companies focused on demolition, with others offering this service as part of their portfolio. The industry also has become more complex, requiring a combination of project management skills, legal and contractual knowledge and engineering skills.
Co-author Richard J. Diven has nearly 40 years of experience in the demolition industry as a manager at structural demolition company ICONCO between 1964 and 2000 and then as founder of R. J. Diven Consulting LLC, Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.
Co-author Mark Shaurette is an assistant professor in Building Construction Management at Purdue University. He was previously president of Meridian Homes Inc. and a vice president at Ryan Homes, Reston, Va.
Purdue University Press, founded in 1960, is the publishing arm of Purdue University.
More information about “Demolition: Practices, Technology, and Management,” including how to order it, can be found at www.thepress.purdue.edu.