Watch: Company uses 700 soap bars to literally move 220-tonne historic hotel building
Canada
Engineering is essentially problem-solving. And problem-solving may not always involve attacking the issue with fancy, expensive machinery, but it needs out-of-the-box thinking. Such thinking may have been on display as 700 soap bars were (probably) taken out of the box and used to move an iconic hotel building that weighed 220 tonnes.
The unique solution was employed in the case of the hotel located in Halifax in Canada. The building in question was built in 1826 and was later converted into the Victorian Elmwood Hotel. There were plans to demolish the structure in the year 2018. However, the historic building was purchased by a real-estate company, Galaxy Properties. The company planned to move the hotel building to a new location. Multiple media reports have said that the company plans to connect the building to a new apartment that will be constructed.
Unique solution to a problem
The biggest problem was to move the entire structure safely without any harm to it. The responsibility was reportedly undertaken by S Rushton Construction- House Moving Experts.
For a smooth shift, the company used 700 Ivory soaps so that the building would gently glide over making use of the softness provided by the soaps. The soaps were used along with two large excavators and a wrecker.
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The building was reportedly moved 30 feet this way across a steel frame.
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The company has posted a time-lapse video of the entire operation on Facebook.
“The historic Elmwood hotel in South End Halifax, made its first journey in almost 200 years, but not its last. After weeks of preparation, the move of approx 30 feet went as smoothly as..... soap. About 700 bars of it,” it said in its Facebook post.
In its Facebook post, the company has said that the building will be moved to Barrington street and then will be taken to be placed on its new foundation in the future.
(With inputs from agencies)