This report was made with the participation of companies from 18 European countries through an online survey, made from 6 to 15 May 2020.

The report includes graphics with the information at European level and country by country, as the situation differs substantially in each part of Europe, and even week by week.

Given the social and economic impact that the lockdown has had on the European demolition industry, the EDA Board has been meeting regularly to monitor the situation and support the industry, exchanging best practices and valuable information for the members.

The impact of the COVID-19 on demolition makes 63% of projects have had to be rescheduled in Europe, leaving only 9% of planned activity intact.

Although between 5 and 20% of the projects have been canceled, this percentage represents only 28% of the total number of current projects of the companies.

Particularly noteworthy are Denmark (where 56% of the projects have not been affected at all) and Finland (where 100% of the projects have been rescheduled but remain in force).

In general the demolition industry has temporarily stopped its activity for some weeks (53%), although there are several countries where activity has not stopped, such as Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands.

A significant percentage of companies from France and Russia, have been forced to close between 1 and more than 2 weeks.

For the first half of May, nearly half of the European demolition sites are currently open, suggesting that the industry is continuing or has returned to a kind of normality.

The only case where the proportion of open and closed sites currently is similar is in Greece.

After getting through March and April, when several European countries had problems with the supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs), nearly two-thirds of survey respondents now said they have sufficient material.

Countries such as Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands or Serbia showed hardly any incidence regarding PPEs.

Asked about the reduction of staff, the numbers show how COVID has impacted in Europe in a social and economic way.

A total of 64% of European demolition companies have been forced to reduce their staff, although 27% have been temporarily reduced.

The economic incentives that National Authorities have implemented to mitigate the consequences of the crisis are particularly remarkable in Ireland, France and Finland where a significant percentage have reduced their staff only temporarily.

The Netherlands, Denmark and Italy are the countries least hit by the layoff.

The full report is available here

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More than 50% of the European demolition projects rescheduled - RECYCLING magazine

Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists, where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like theres an MMA show every other day.

In one of the cooler quirks of this past weekend, Alistair Overeem finished his main event fight with Walt Harris at UFC on ESPN 8, just minutes before the calendar turned over to May 17, the date of Overeems 40th birthday, on the East Coast. It was the 46th win of his career.

Overeem also became just the second man to win a fight in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s), a list that includes he and Aleksei Oleinik and thats it. Vitor Belfort could join them when he debuts with ONE Championship.

To celebrate, lets look back on the earliest days of The Reem, before he became an MMA Mainstay, and a couple of his K-1 clips just for funsies. It should be mentioned that most of these bouts appear to be of the mixed rules variety, as opposed to pure MMA as we know it.

AL: Look at this young gunner. Thats a 19-year-old Overeem fighting for the first time. His opponent? The absolutely terrifying Ricardo Fyeet. Were going to be talking a lot about how Overeems look evolved over the years, but I dont know if he ever matched whatever it is Fyeet had going on here.

JM: Well from a pure style point, no. No one has ever matched Ricardo Fyeet here, except maybe Rufio in Hook.

Can we mention again how wild it is that Overeem is one of two fighters to ever win bouts in FOUR different decades. Hes the Vince Carter of beating ass!

AL: The graphic is cut off, but it looks like this event was sponsored by some sort of live sex show. At least now he works for a reputable company that works with such sponsors as Reebok and Manscaped.

JM: You know, I was just wondering what the official electric trimmer of the UFC was, and now I have my answer. I can finally sleep tonight.

AL: A good sign that Overeem was marked for greatness? He rockets out of his corner with a flying knee. Thats the first strike he threw in his MMA career...think about that.

JM: We might as well get this out of the way now: If youve never seen early Overeem fight, youre in for a bit of a culture shock, dear reader. Before he became THE REEM, Overeem was a beanpole kickboxer with a wicked sharp grappling game, as you see here.

AL: Seventeen of his first 31 wins were by submission!

Theres some wild brawling, but for the most part Overeem realizes its a good idea to trip Fyeet down when he can to slow the pace of the fight. Eventually he just grabs the dudes head and chokes him out. Thats a recurring theme in the early stages of his career, as a lot of his wins came from him tripping up less well-rounded kickboxers.

JM: Yeah, Overeem can kickbox. Hea a K-1 champion after all. But why get punched in the face when instead you can just twist some hapless fool up into a pretzel?

AL: After dropping a decision in his RINGS debut to Yuriy Kochkine, Overeem bounced back with his first TKO victory in his fight against Watts. This fight lasts longer than his first one, but hes even more in control here. Watch how he spams that clinch knee-trip combo. If it aint broken, dont break it, like Charles Oakley used to say.

JM: Im really in love with the pumping house music that is introing all of these fighters.

AL: Maybe the best part of this whole exercise.

JM: I think that is whats wrong with MMA. The culture never advanced past the 2000s Affliction era, when really, it shouldve stagnated with 90s everything. Give me house music and Saved by the Bell color schemes all day.

AL: Dont forget the hair styles. But well get to that.

JM: Overeem beats Watts by unveiling the devastating knee attacks that will go on to be a staple of his game for over two decades. But Im more interested in the start of this bout. Overeem walks to the ring without gloves on, but then, he has them on when its fight time. Did he not get his hands wrapped? Has this always been the case with RINGS, and Ive just never noticed before?

AL: Yes, thats right. Hes literally fighting a Can here.

JM: Oh man. This is definitely the best music so far.

AL: This would be perfect for a Jordan Jamming edit.

JM: Im vibing this hard. Almost as much as Im digging Allister Overeem. Just think of the possibilities: Allister The Alligator Overeem.

AL: Ah yes, how could I forget the MMA tradition of having the spelling of your name butchered to begin your career? First it was Allistair and now, Allister. Getting colder.

JM: Also, poor Can. More like Cannot, amirite?

AL: Once again, we see The Reem using intelligent grappling to control his opponent. See? We told you there was a pattern. The difference this time around is, he blows Sahinbas away with a knee, as he would to so many future victims.

JM: Yeah man, Overeem was four fights into his career, and we already saw the bones of all of his success. Slick grappling and savage knees.

AL: Were really just mentioning this fight because of Overeems hair. Brutal.

Lets just pretend this was an homage to Kevin Randleman if that makes it any better.

JM: He went full Melvin Guillard (except for the part where he immediately started grappling). Never go full Melvin Guillard.

AL: Overeem was just 4-3 heading into this one and coming off of the first losing streak of his career. This win over Verschuren was the first of 12 straight, and he wouldnt lose consecutive fights again until 2006, when he faced a murderers row of Lil Nog, Ricardo Arona, and Shogun.

JM: Now that is all true. And far be it from me to disparage The Great and Powerful Reem. But uh, that win streak doesnt exactly jump out at you as far as a whos who.

AL: I know youre not dismissing the likes of Sergey The Kid Kaznov, Moises Swamp Rimbon, Dave My Name is Almost a Palindrome Vader, Aaron The Frijolero Brink, and Mike Batman Bencic.

JM: Just saying, Travis Fulton had a win streak of 40 at one point, and not one of them was a porn star, as far as I know. (I kid, I kid. While Aaron Brink was never good, he fought some good names in his time, including Alistairs older brother, Valentijn #themoreyouknow).

Also, shouts to the commentator here who sounds stunningly sophisticated while talking about a dude getting his arm snapped in half.

AL: You know we had to include this for the walkout alone. Look at that manly man. Bas Rutten was handling ring announcing duties, and Im nearly certain that when you see Overeem whisper into his ear, he said, Hey, dont forget the whole Demolition Man thing.

JM: 2 Hot 2 Handle is one of my favorite MMA organization names of all time. I think it might just be because of 2 Fast 2 Furious.

AL: Needs no further justification.

JM: Im a simple man.

Also, speaking of porn stars, Overeem comes out to this fight looking like a male stripper who just missed the cut for a Village People cover group. Maybe its just the music, but shouts to the producer who cut to the woman in the audience when Overeem started his sledgehammer walkout.

AL: Shes really buzzing about it! Strong bachelorette party vibes.

JM: Hes carrying a sledgehammer. Into a fight! Id be buzzing too.

Also, Im going to stop poking fun at The Reem, because I dont want him to ever knee me like that. It looks unpleasant, to say the least. When someone is asking you, Whats your name? What day is it? You know youve made a mistake somewhere down the line.

AL: This was Overeems last fight before making his PRIDE debut. As you can see, by this time, theyd got that whole name thing down. Hed finally made it.

JM: The Demolition Man is such a blah nickname. For one, hes mostly tapping people out. For two, he looks like hes 17 years old. Man is a stretch.

And for three, if youre going to be The Demolition Man, you need to go full send on it. Get the bleach blond Simon Phoenix flat top. Dont just carry around a hammer. Commit, dammit!

Also, this music slaps. I recognize that has nothing to do with anything else, but Overeem needs to come out to jams like this again. Recapture that youthful magic.

AL: Hed bleached his hair enough up to this point, thank you very much.

Theres a new wrinkle here as he shows some ground-and-pound in addition to just controlling Vuori when he gets him down. This is one reason why Overeem has been able to stay relevant. You see a fighter with no ego, one who is constantly learning and adapting. He looks so much more refined just two and a half years after the Fyeet fight.

JM: Maybe its that hes getting better. Maybe its that he fought a 0-0 fighter in his 13th professional fight. Who can say?

Not gonna lie, having never done a deep dive into early Overeem before, it makes a lot of sense why they matched him up with Chuck Liddell in round one of Pride Total Elimination 2003 trying to set up a Murilo Bustamante rematch for Liddell. But Quinton Rampage Jackson mucked it all up.

AL: The objective of this feature was strictly to focus on Overeems career before making the jump to the big show. But wed be remiss if we didnt include at least a couple of his kickboxing ventures.

There was the first meeting with kickboxing superstar Bard Hari in K-1, that ended with Overeem crumpling him with a vicious left hook.

JM: Youre not gonna catch me saying anything bad about K-1 Overeem. Man did some real things here. I will just note this is when Overeem officially locked in the Barry Bonds parallels though.

AL: Yes, perhaps readers needed more of a warning before we jumped seven years ahead from 2 Hot 2 Handle to the Ubereem era.

JM: The MMA world didnt get much of one.

Overeem got SWOLE and focused on his power game, and he stopped doing the things that made him actually awesome (grappling/anything other than power hitting). And like Bonds, the manner in which he got SWOLE is hotly contested.

AL: Vitamins, water, and a healthy sleep schedule.

JM: Horse meat, bruh. Horse meat.

AL: And then there was the legendary knee knockout of Ewerton Teixeira that actually resulted in K-1 changing their rules surrounding the legality of clinch knees.

JM: Whenever you literally break an organizations rules because youre so violent, you know youve done something either incredibly wrong or incredibly right. In this instance, its a bit of both as The Reem provides us with A++ violence, but also probably took a few years of Teixeiras life.

AL: It was a safe bet that Teixeira would not have as long a career as Overeem after this. Then again, few ever will.

JM: The man only just turned 40. Its not inconceivable to think he could keep fighting for another decade.

AL: See you all back here in 10.

If you know of a recent fight or event that you think may have been overlooked, or a promotion that could use some attention, please let us know on Twitter @JedKMeshew and @AlexanderKLee using the hashtag #MissedFists.

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Missed Fists: The beginning of Alistair Overeems two decades of demolition - MMA Fighting

Armed with automatic weapons, riot gear and black ski masks, the Albanian police and Special Forces units moved under the cover of darkness in the early hours of Sunday when the capital was sleeping and stormed the premises of the National Theater in Tirana, detaining a handful of artists and activists that had barricaded themselves in there.

The activists were forcibly put into police vans and detained, while a bulldozer moved in to turn the building into rubble, before dawn broke and the citys residents awoke to discover the nighttime raid.

Built between 1938 and 1939, during the Italian occupation of Albania, the National Theatre Complex was first built as a cultural centre. Designed by the Italian architect Gulio Berte, it was originally named the Skanderbeg, after Albanias national hero, and comprised two parallel buildings, housing a cinema and a theatre, divided by a pool.

In 2018, the government proposed to demolish the historic building and replace it with a new theatre designed by the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, through a Public Private Partnership, PPP, scheme with a Tirana-based developer and government contractor, Fusha Sh.p.k. Under the proposed concessionary agreement, Fusha sh.p.k would build Ingels project in exchange for public land and the right to construct six tower blocks adjunct to the new theatre, worth 119 million euros.

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Why a Theatre's Demolition Has Sparked Outrage in Albania - Balkan Insight

by: Staff | newsweb@everythinglubbock.com

LUBBOCK, Texas On Monday, the demolition of Hotel Ava continued as the date marked almost a month since the demolition permit was issued.

The demolition of the hotel comes after a few months of turmoil for the property including a murder and the sudden request for residents to leave.

As previously reported, a murder was committed on the site earlier this year. Gilbert Cardona III, 26, was indicted for the shooting death of Joshua Gomez back in February.

RELATED STORY: Hotel Ava murder case indicted by Lubbock grand jury

Later in the month of February, residents of the hotel were abruptly asked to leave the property. In most cases, they were given less than 24 hours to gather their belongings and leave the hotel.

A sign was posted on the door following the residents departure saying the hotel had been closed for deep cleaning and sanitation issues.

RELATED STORY: Hotel Ava guests upset, sent away on short notice they said

After a little more than a month of this, a demolition permit was filed with the City on March 30. The permit was granted on April 2.

Demolition of the property began shortly after that. Use the gallery below to view pictures of the demolition. You can also use the video player above to watch a slideshow.

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NEW PHOTOS: After almost a month, demolition of Hotel Ava continues - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

A salvage crew clears the historic Bonneville Elementary School before demolition.

Mark Dahlquist, Executive Director of Neighborworks Pocatello, said "we were very transparent with our plans to remove that building and make it into some housing."

As plans to tear down an iconic yet abandoned building in Pocatello begins, the future plans look bright for the city.

With affordable housing being an issue for many citizens, neighborworks believes that this new development should help.

Dahlquist mentioned that, "we think that that development inside the city limits and what we call infill development, is really great for the community."

But what kind of affordable housing will be developed in this area?

Dahlquist answered,

"they'll be housing units versus an apartment complex and will be something that we think will just be very congruent and complimentary of the neighborhood."

Giving home owners the option to buy a new house within the $150,000 range.

Mark also mentions how the Bonneville development helps save the community money.

"One really great asset with this development is the location and we're using existing infrastructure which is just a lot economical and not taxing on our municipal systems."

The one pressing question that many might have is how is the pandemic affecting the plans for the new Bonneville development.

Mark says that plans look to continue forward without a hitch.

"You know frankly it has not slowed down, that our plans are to really move forward full steam ahead."

Further planning for the Bonneville development site will be held in the summer.

Details such as what type of housing, grant approval, and more will be released during that time frame.

Continued here:
Update in the Demolition and Future Plans for Bonneville Elementary School - KPVI News 6

Crusader Staff Report

Demolition has begun on Garys historic, 111-year-old water tower. Clad in scaffolding from top to bottom, the wrecking ball will soon demolish the high rise where for more than a century it towered over Gary and could be seen for miles.

The 133-foot tower was built in 1909, three years before Gary was founded. One of the citys oldest structures, the tower is a crumbling Indiana landmark whose days are numbered.

The Indiana-American Water Company has cleared the way for the structure to be demolished.

Indiana-American Water spokes- man Joe Loughmiller says the white steel storage tank is beyond its useful life and can no longer be used. Loughmiller says the structure has been maintained, but inspections have found significant deficiencies that could jeopardize safety if it is not demolished.

In January, 2020, Indiana-American Water began building a new 500,000-gallon elevated water tank to replace the existing 290,000-gallon filter backwash tank.

Loughmiller said the historic water tower is beyond its useful life and would be too expensive to save. He said in one news report that it would cost $1 million to rehabilitate the foundation, while it would cost $900,000 to demolish the structure. Falling debris and a crumbling foundation are reportedly safety concerns.

Loughmiller said inspection reports found significant safety and operational deficiencies in the structures that would require extensive amounts of time and funds to correct.

According to Indiana Landmarks, shortly after the citys founding by U.S. Steel in 1906, the Gary Heat, Light, and Water Company constructed the utilities necessary for tens of thousands of new residents and businesses.

The company hired civil engineer John W. Alvord of Chicago. He drew on his experiences observing waterworks around the world and supplying water for the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition to capture the fresh water of Lake Michigan nearly three miles away.

The centerpiece of the waterworks was a Beaux-Arts pump house that no longer stands, and the 133-foot water tower on Garys west side that still stands. Completed in 1909, the towers tank measured 30 feet in diameter and sat on eight 90-foot steel columns. Rather than settling for an exposed steel skeleton, the Gary Heat, Light, and Water Company added a concrete block shell that transformed the utilitarian tower into an octagonal landmark, complete with decorative cornice and parapet wall.

According to Indiana Landmarks, in 1911, the city lit a fire atop the tower in the hour leading up to the July 4 fireworks, signaling the radically transformed landscape. Indiana American Water Company continues to use the site and tower, now one of the earliest structures on the citys skyline.

Wood from the masons scaffolding was repurposed to create the narrow wood staircase inside Garys water tower, and a large bell hangs inside once used to signal fires and other emergencies in town.

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Demolition begins on Gary's 111-year-old Water Tower | The Crusader Newspaper Group - The Chicago Cusader

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING AND HEARING DATES FOR A PROPOSED DEMOLITION CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS LOCATED

AT 141 West 9th Street

Notice is hereby given to consider a proposed Demolition Certificate of Appropriateness submitted by Maurice D. Regan Jr. for a garage building located at 141 West 9th St., Leadville, Colorado. Legal description of the property is LOT 20 & WEST 4 FEET OF LOT 21, BLOCK 67, S & L. The proposed Certificate of Appropriateness will be considered by the City Council at a public meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.

Zoning of the property is in the Transitional Retail & Residential (TR) District, and it is located within the Leadville National Historic Landmark District. All interested parties are urged to attend. All written comments, other than those presented at the public hearing, must be received at City Hall, 800 Harrison Avenue, Leadville, CO 80461, by mail or personal delivery by 3:00 p.m., Thursday, May 14, 2020.

This public notice given by order of Sarah Dallas, Administrative Services Manager, City of Leadville, submitted on April 27, 2020, and published in the Herald Democrat on April 30, 2020.

The City of Leadville complies with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and thus requests 24 hours prior notice to make reasonable accommodations at any City meeting or hearing for any individual with a disability covered by the ADA.

Published in the Herald Democrat April 30, 2020

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PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING AND HEARING DATES FOR A PROPOSED DEMOLITION CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS LOCATED - Leadville Herald...

People have been flouting Government guidelines by turning up to watch the demolition of a big office block in Dudley. This may tell us something about the state of free entertainment in the borough. I am reminded of my family's remote little village in the Yorkshire Dales which was so deprived of things to do that people would traipse three miles to the butcher's in the nearest town to gaze in awe at the bacon slicer.

As an act of charity, I have spared Fleet Street's sub-editors the arduous task of dreaming up yet more bash-the-Government headlines for the coming week. The first tests on Covid-19 patients have begun, using antibodies and existing drugs. If these therapies work, the headline is: Miracle cure why did bungling Government wait so long? And if the treatments don't work: Bungling Government killed my 'guinea-pig' gran. Get the idea?

It always pays to read the story behind a headline. The classic yarn is of a man who with his bare hands killed a pitbull terrier as it attacked a toddler in a Scottish town. For its first edition the local newspaper carried the headline: Hero saves toddler from devil dog. Later it emerged that the hero was a tourist from Wolverhampton. For later editions the headline was. Englishman kills family pet.

Meanwhile, the Guardian claims there is a growing belief among hospital management in the capital that the Nightingale (hospital), built to great acclaim over just nine days, was becoming a 'white elephant'. What is any government supposed to do? If you don't build a new hospital for the worst-case scenario it's complacency. If you do build a new hospital for the worst-case scenario it's a white elephant.

Very few people were warning about a pandemic before it happened. But it seems I was, although I admit I was surprised to unearth it while trawling idly through my archives recently.

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote about the huge number of alleged global threats which, over the decades, had scared us witless. My list included: global communism, alien invasion, nuclear proliferation, mad-cow disease, Aids, biological warfare - and what I called "the Coming Pandemic."

I also suggested that climate change and plastic pollution, such fashionable fears a year ago, might prove to be "the 100 per cent genuine article, the unavoidable horrors that, after so many false alarms, will engulf our planet and wipe out Homo sapiens." I ended with: "If they are not, you can be assured that a year or so from now another even worse apocalypse will be unveiled." All done entirely without a crystal ball.

After my recent item on pop-up adverts, this one suddenly appeared: Seniors love relief sock. Moving swiftly on . . .

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Peter Rhodes on predicting a pandemic, watching a demolition and the stories behind the headlines - expressandstar.com

Crews will finish demolishing about 70 structures in May on Kents West Hill to make room for Sound Transits light rail extension.

Most structures are either gone or permitted (to be demolished), others to be permitted will be down by next month, said Kelly Peterson, the citys Link light rail liaison, in a report April 7 to the Kent City Council about the 7.8-mile extension from Angle Lake in SeaTac through Kent to Federal Way that is expected to open in late 2024.

An apartment complex and small mobile home park are among the areas that have been cleared. Crews tore down the Terra Villa Apartments just north of the Lowes store in January.

Two light rail stations with parking garages will be built in Kent, one near 30th Avenue South and a new South 236th Street, and the second one at Star Lake near South 272nd Street and Interstate 5. About 500 parking spaces are planned for Kent/Des Moines and another 1,100 at Star Lake.

The total cost of the Federal Way Link Extension is an estimated $3.1 billion with federal grants covering about 25 percent of the cost, according to Sound Transit. About $1.5 billion is expected to come from Sound Transit dedicated sales, rental car, motor vehicle excise and property tax revenues. Another $629 million will come from the federal loan to be repaid by Sound Transit tax revenues and about $145 million is covered by Sound Transit bond proceeds repaid by tax revenues.

We are in the peak of permitting for the project, said Peterson, who added permitting will continue through February 2021 when work on the Star Lake Station and garage is expected to be approved.

Seattle Public Utilities is expected to start work in May to remove materials from the eastern edge of its former Midway Landfill that is just west of I-5. The land needs to be cleared for the light rail line along the freeway as well as a new southbound lane the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) plans to build from Kent Des Moines Road to near South 272nd Street as part of the State Route 509 extension to I-5.

Peterson said WSDOT right of way extends into the landfill and the agency has an agreement with Seattle Public Utilities that it would remove material if the state wanted to expand the freeway.

They will remove the landfill waste to an approved facility, Peterson said.

Because of the property that will be cleared, the light rail guideway will be at-grade rather than elevated along the edge of the landfill and next to the freeway, Peterson said. While light rail is expected to open for service in 2024, the freeway project isnt expected to be completed until 2028.

But Sound Transit, WSDOT and Seattle Public Utilities agreed to make room for the light rail and freeway extension during one project rather than going back later to make room for the extra freeway lane.

People will see a lot of changes along Pacific Highway South between South 240th Street and Kent Des Moines Road with the light rail extension. Three new streets will be built, South 234th, South 236th and South 238th.

South 236th Street will go underneath the elevated Kent/Des Moines light rail station similar to how South 200th Street goes underneath the Angle Lake Station in SeaTac.

Peterson said 30th Avenue South, which now is an asphalt road with no curbs, sidewalks, gutters or lights will become a concrete road with sidewalks, curbs and lights. The road will be concrete to last longer with the numerous buses expected on it to transport people to and from the light rail station.

Property east of the new parking garage will be used for transit-oriented development, projects still to be determined depending on interest of developers. Apartments with retail have gone up at other stops along the light rail line between SeaTac and Seattle.

Construction on the light rail extension will continue through 2023, Peterson said. Sound Transit will then spend about a year testing the tracks with electric power above the light rail vehicles before service opens to the public in late 2024.

The stay home orders from Gov. Jay Inslee has slowed work some on the project, although demolition of buildings can continue, Peterson said. He added design and permitting continue as well.

New maintenance facility

Sound Transit continues to study where to build a new Operations and Maintenance Facility for the light rail vehicles. One site in Kent on the Midway Landfill is under consideration along with two Federal Way sites. A draft environmental impact statement about the three sites is expected to be ready for public comment later this year.

The Sound Transit Board of Directors expects to pick a site for the facility in 2021. The facility is scheduled to open in 2026.

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Building demolition continues on Kents West Hill to make room for light... - Kent Reporter

Demolitions: Through the Eyes of an Artist

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I recently viewed a public art commission at Dubai's foremost cultural district - Alserkal Avenue: it was an installation by an artist collective - METASITU, who had transformed a warehouse on the Avenue previously known as Nadi Al Quoz, into a 21st-century ruin. The work titled: 'we were building sand castles_but the wind blew them away', was inspired by the perennial demolitions that have become an integral part of contemporary placemaking around the world. Through this piece of work, METASITU reflects on the extractive city-building processes, while contextualising them within different human and ecological timelines. The long-term vision of the artists was to deconstruct the building and return its constituent materials to their original state. Later this year, they plan to further deconstruct the installation into a public landscaped environment.

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To create the installation, large swathes of the facade of the Nadi Al Quoz buildings were carefully demolished and replaced with heaps of sandbags stacked up to cover the demolished section of the wall. Inside the warehouse, large trenches were randomly carved off the concrete foundation slab, exposing the natural ground upon which the building was built. Massive heaps of pulverised concrete from the demolished concrete floor lay on a corner of the warehouse, while heaps of the excavated soil lay on another. All across the building, fresh shrubs and small trees were affixed to the ground to create an illusion of active vegetation. And the lone internal wall of the building had a carefully cut opening that framed the view of an extensive wall-to-wall bed of fine sand within. For me, peering through this opening, unleashed a window of childhood reveries fond memories of play; where abandoned construction sites were often temporarily expropriated by us as children a rendezvous for our daily play.

In spite of my personal reservations about this sort of artistic expression, especially one which explores a delicate subject such as demolition, the installation presented a rare moment of creative laissez-faire, one devoid of the social schism or any other concerns beyond the artistic face value of this work of art. In the real world, demolition remains a very divisive topic, especially when its forced (I had written about this in the past). Demolitions are deeply emotive events, often birthing the twin emotions of angst and nostalgia, occasioned by memories hitherto created in the demolished spaces and the realisation that those moments would most likely never be re-enacted again. Nevertheless, beyond its artistic merit, the piece highlights the spatial transience that has become hallmarks of our constantly evolving cities. It demystifies existing spatial narratives of avant-garde cities like Dubai, which represents the grandest of the world's 'bling' architecture and urbanism and also demonstrates the ephemeral nature of contemporary megacities and of the latent reality that they could all end up in a landfill someday or become weathered ruins, whenever our flight of fantasies take us elsewhere.

METASITU, as the studio's website quotes, is a collective that explores the way we relate to territory across time and disciplines. Founded in 2014, METASITU's work has largely focused on shrinking cities in Eastern Ukraine and the Russian Far East; largely through their ongoing project 'The Degrowth Institute', where they explore ways of incorporating notions of degrowth in urban masterplans. More recently, they have been researching vacancy in office towers in Dubai, and ruinification processes. Their practice incorporates non-hierarchical pedagogies, architectural interventions, social experiments, and video.

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Demolitions: Through the Eyes of an Artist - ArchDaily