Vibration Monitoring During the Demolition of Old School Buildings

Case Study Overview

Inverurie Academy is a secondary school based in Aberdeenshire, which facilitates the education of over 1,000 students. The school is currently undergoing a huge improvement project and the next phase is to demolish the former community centre, swimming pool, and school building to make way for a full-size all-weather sports pitch, a seven-a-side sports pitch, a multi-use games area, and additional parking.

Challenge

The school is located in a residential area and concerns had previously been raised regarding vibration levels. The HSE guidance states that vibrations should not exceed 1mm/s Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) for occupied residential and educational buildings to ensure the safety of pupils, staff, surrounding residents and construction workers. It was important for the Project Manager to start monitoring vibrations from an early point in the project and continue to do so throughout every stage.

Solution

The RVT consultant recommended the installation of 5Monitex Vibration Monitors, which were positioned around the perimeter of the site, at points where residential properties were situated within 20m proximity. These Vibration Monitors provide automatic, real-time alerts via text and email, allowing those onsite to know if vibration levels are close to or exceeding the agreed threshold.