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Demolishing Buildings
To demolish a building means to tear it down. (Say demolish like this: duh-maw-lish.) Most of the time, people demolish old buildings.
Why Do People Demolish Old Buildings?
Sometimes, an old building is not strong anymore. It is not safe for people. Other times, people want to put up a tall building in a place where there is no empty land. They tear down an old building so they can build a new one.
How Do People Demolish Buildings?
In the past, people often used a wrecking ball to tear down a building. A wrecking ball is a very heavy ball of metal that hangs from a tall crane. The ball swings into the building over and over again. Bit by bit, the building falls apart. This way of demolishing a building creates lots of noise and dust. A wrecking ball does not work well if the building is taller than the crane.
Today, people often use dynamite to demolish a very tall building. They put dynamite all around the inside of the building. Then they make the dynamite explode. The building falls down in just a few seconds. This way is much faster than using a wrecking ball, but it also creates lots of noise and dust.
Saving Old Buildings
People often try to save old buildings that others want to demolish. They don’t want to lose all the old buildings in their community. They might ask the people who run the city to stop an old building from being torn down. Sometimes an old building is saved, and sometimes it is torn down to make space for a new one.
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