Ritter Hall, once the site of many classrooms and labs, currently stands as only a concrete shell. The destruction of the large academic building, located on the campus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, began Dec. 11 of last year.
The company contracted to do the demolition is Clauss Construction. Bernard Clauss is the project manager in charge of the SIO project.
Vaughn Hall, where the aquarium used to be located, is also scheduled to be demolished. This will occur simultaneously with the Ritter Hall demolition.
Much of the material out of Ritter Hall is being recycled; 96 percent, according to Clauss.
“”The only material not recycled out of that building was the hazardous material,”” he said.
The first step to demolishing Ritter Hall was the removal of asbestos from the ceilings and other surfaces. The asbestos removal was completed last week.
The air inside the building was then tested to make sure no airborne fibers were present after the asbestos removal. These particles are a health hazard if people inhale them. The building was pronounced safe for workers, and demolition continued.
Steel, metal and wood materials were removed from the hall next and sent to be recycled. The metals go to a recycler, where they are melted to form new steel for reuse.
The wood products are either to be reused or sold as scrap wood.
“”When they’re all done with that, all there is is a concrete shell,”” Clauss said.
This “”concrete shell”” is currently still standing on the Scripps campus. According to Clauss, the demolition is approximately 75 percent complete.
Once the building has been completely demolished, the building will be crushed and used as road base or back-fill material. Road base is the layer put down on roads before asphalt or concrete is laid.
The steel rebar of the concrete structure is also recycled after the concrete is taken to be crushed.
The Ritter Hall and Vaughn Hall demolitions are scheduled to be completed March 23, 2001.
The space that will remain when the building is demolished will be turned into a park. The park will be built with funds provided by the family of a deceased Scripps graduate student as a memorial.
