First job for Volvo CE EC480D high reach
Full-spec demolition excavator in first job
HTP ordered the Volvo high reach machine last year before even seeing the finished product
The first-ever full factory specification Volvo CE EC480D-Series high reach excavator has been used for a building destruction job by demolition specialist HTP in Geneva.
The EC480HR D-Series is Stage IIIB compliant, and HTP ordered the Volvo high reach machine last year before even seeing the finished product, adding to its fleet of 25 excavators, most of them Volvo.
“When we made the decision to invest in the Volvo EC480D HR, it didn’t actually exist,” says Yves Huguenin, founder and managing director at HTP.
“The engine was new in terms of emissions, and the hydraulics had been optimised, so we felt it was a good machine for us and the right size. Furthermore, we knew and trusted Volvo. Now we have the machine on site, and I am delighted with our decision.”
In April HTP was contracted to demolish former governmental offices at the front of the busy Rue du Stand in Geneva, Switzerland – a main street where a tramline, pedestrian pathways and road traffic made the project a real challenge.
The demolition will create about 2,000 m3 of material, and some 900 m3 of this will be crushed on site and reused for site preparation and construction of the new building. The remainder will be taken away for recycling, with only a small percentage going to waste.
Safety on site is paramount. “There is a protective screen for the operator along the front of the four-story building, but this is only for small fragments and dust and certainly wouldn’t keep out any large-scale debris,” says Thierry Truffat, site manager for HTP. “This is a highly controlled demolition process, which requires precision and great care. The machine enables us to conduct a safe deconstruction with real efficiency and high productivity.”
HTP began by taking out the windows, electrical cabling and insulation. During this phase it also had to deal with some asbestos contamination, which required special attention. But thanks to the productivity of the Volvo high reach machine, the team has already made up for lost time.
