CSUEB Warren Hall: Implosion Preparation

California State University, East Bay has been preparing for the implosion of Warren Hall on Saturday, Aug. 17.

There are 1,100 detonation charges placed on the Warren Hall building — which is 463 pounds of explosive material. Officials explained that the decision to implode the building was due to safety of the workers, the public and of course the university. The implosion of the building allows crews to control the dust and keep it to a minimum.

“You have the same quantity of dust, but that dust is limited to a few minutes on a given day, with a known time, with proper planning so that same quantity of dust can be dealt with effectively,” says Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition, Inc.

After the implosion, crews will be recycling the debris— made up of steel and concrete — and using some of the concrete for the foundation of the new administration building on the other side of CSUEB’S campus.

Geologists from U.S. Geological Survey were also busy Thursday putting seismometers around Warren Hall. There are a total of 600 seismometers being placed in a two-mile radius around the building, with help from many citizen-scientist hosts and volunteers.

The implosion is expected to create s signal similar to a 2.0 magnitude earthquake. With the help of the seismometers, scientists will be able to measure how seismic energy travels through the geologic layers of the East Bay. Scientists can then determine which areas may shake more than other areas.

Loizeaux reminds the public that they will not be allowed on campus to watch the implosion.

“Stay home, watch it on TV,” says Loizeaux. “This is not a spectacle event.”