Dismantling while operations continued

Challenges in the selective dismantling of a 1.3 million m³ production building while operations continued

In March 2023, AWR Abbruch GmbH (Mülheim-Kärlich) was commissioned to carry out the dismantling of Building Complex 36x, previously used as an assembly building, on the Mercedes-Benz AG plant site in Sindelfingen.

The goal was to provide, upon completion, a build-ready, load-bearing, level site with a surfaced asphalt finish for subsequent use (new construction).

Because the building to be dismantled was located in the heart of the plant, directly adjacent to production facilities still in operation (including the paint shop) and social buildings (including the works canteen), special requirements applied to noise and dust emissions, as well as the avoidance of vibrations during dismantling. In addition, heavily trafficked internal plant roads nearby posed major challenges for on-site construction logistics.

All uncontaminated mineral materials generated during dismantling were, in accordance with the client’s planning, to be processed on site into recycled aggregates and reused for site preparation. The same applied to uncontaminated excavated soil arising from below-ground dismantling. Due to a lack of interim storage capacity on the plant premises outside the construction area, materials intended for reuse had to be temporarily stored within the work zone.

Because of tight scheduling constraints, subsequent structural works had to begin as quickly as possible. As a result, completed partial areas could not be used for interim storage of materials intended for reinstatement; instead, they had to be handed over immediately to the general contractor for structural works as soon as they were finished. This created additional challenges for materials management and site logistics.

Intensive preparation for the dismantling operation took place between March 2023 and October 2023, while production was still fully ongoing. After partial clearance of inventory still in use by the client and disconnection of the building complex from the plant’s utility network, dismantling work began in early November 2023.

Given the schedule with structural works planned to start in March 2025, completed partial areas had to be handed over to the general contractor before the overall site was fully completed.

In total, the project generated around 170,000 tonnes of waste for disposal—equivalent to approximately 10,000 transports. The project duration was around two years, or roughly 450 working days. Overall, approximately 1.3 million m³ of gross building volume had to be dismantled across an area of about 73,500 m².