During the UAB Townhouse demolition, the sidewalks on 20th Street South and University Boulevard will be closed. As this map shows, this coincides with sidewalk scaffolding and closures on the east and south sides of the McCallum Basic Health Sciences Building, where renovation work is underway.

UAB is embracing its urban setting and the campus master plan reflects that. UAB is placing emphasis on improving its inventory of buildings in two ways:

• by razing low performing, low quality, inefficient buildings and
• investing in more efficient and purposefully built spaces, whether new or renovated.

Because of these intentional changes, the campus and local community recently have seen several buildings come down, including the old UAB Police Headquarters, former Jefferson County Department of Human Resources, and Worrell Building. Up next is the UAB Townhouse building on the corner of University Boulevard and 20th Street South. The building is already in the first stages of demolition, but what does that mean?

Here are seven things you should know about how the UAB Facilities Division prepares and demolishes buildings on campus:

1. Professional abatement – Following a bid process, we have contracted with Bhate Environmental Associates, Inc., a professional firm that provides services related to abatements and demos, to help UAB with the Townhouse demolition. The standard process includes testing the site for materials like asbestos, and then abating the building of those materials using proper containment, supervision, and protective measures. The timeframe can vary for the abatement process, but for UAB Townhouse it will take 4-5 weeks.
2. Power outages – During some projects it is necessary for the Facilities Division to work with local utility companies to briefly shutdown electrical service to a building or several buildings to ensure safety. These outages are scheduled to be as convenient as possible and those affected are notified in advance.
3. Removal options – There are many ways to raze a building, including the traditional method of breaking it apart using a long-arm machine or implosion. When deciding the best option for removal, the location of the building is a major factor. The UAB Townhouse will be removed using the traditional method, and demolition will begin in June.
4. Vibration monitoring – During demolition, the site’s vibration levels are monitored to ensure they remain in the safe range for the specific area and the buildings nearby.
5. Air quality – Precautions are put in place to limit the amount of dust impact from demolition sites. Standard air monitoring systems are used to measure air quality to ensure it remains in the safe range as determined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, the demo will be “wet,” meaning water will be used to spray down materials as they are removed to limit dust from being carried by the wind.
6. Traffic impacts – Depending on the location of a building, sidewalks and streets may be impacted by demolition. During the UAB Townhouse project, the sidewalks on 20thStreet and University Boulevard will be closed for the safety of all pedestrians. Additionally, it may be necessary to temporarily close one lane of traffic on either 20th Street South or University Boulevard. Facilities project managers work with all parties, including contractors and city representatives, to ensure that any closings are done during off-peak hours when possible. Safety precautions, such as flagmen and signage, are used during a lane closure. Notices of traffic impacts are communicated through UAB channels, including emails, websites, or social media.
7. Reuse standards – UAB encourages contractors to find opportunities for material reuse and recycling that divert waste from Alabama’s landfills through its Construction and Demolition Waste Management Planthat has become a standard for university projects. The UAB Townhouse project will follow this same standard.

The process requires the expertise of Facilities Division team members and outside vendors and the patience of our campus and local community. The precautions and process outlined above are necessary to ensure the safety of UAB employees, students, and patrons. Please let us know if you have any feedback by sharing through our actively monitored online feedback form.