Canada: Hotel weighing 220-tonne relocated using soap bars
On Monday, the Elmwood Hotel, which has been a landmark in South End Halifax, Canada, for nearly 200 years, witnessed a spectacular event. The hotel embarked on its first journey as the massive 220-tonne structure was moved using hundreds of bars made of ivory soap. The hotel is set to continue its journey, navigating toward Barrington Street to continue the relocation process.
Why was the hotel shifted?
Built as a one-story home in 1826, the structure was transformed into the Victorian Elmwood Hotel approximately 120 years ago. It was planned to be demolished in 2018. However, the property was bought by a real estate firm called Galaxy Properties which wanted to shift the hotel to a new location. The moving task was assigned to the expert team at S. Rushton Construction.
How they shifted the building
A time-lapse shared video on Facebook, unveiled weeks of precise preparation that facilitated the seamless relocation of the hotel, shifting it nine meters from its initial position. The team used special ivory soap solution bars in place of conventional rollers. The structure moved smoothly with the assistance of two excavators, a heavy-duty wrecker, and the gentle touch of 700 bars of ivory soap.
Understanding structure relocation
Moving Elmwood Hotel is a case of "structure relocation" which though uncommon has been done by many in the past. In simple words, structure relocation is the process of relocating buildings from one site to another. This can primarily be done in two ways - moving it disassembled and then putting it back together at the new location, or moving it whole.
Largest hotel was relocated in 1985
In 1985, the Fairmount Hotel, Texas, USA was moved from the intersection of Bowie and Commerce Street, half a mile south to La Villita. Reportedly, a system of cables and pulleys, six gravel-filled dump trucks, a crane for torque, and thirty-six rubber-tired hydraulic dollies, were used to move the gigantic structure. After being moved, the structure was refurbished as a 37-suite hotel.
Punjabi farmer moved his house in 2022
In 2022, a farmer from Punjab named Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi moved his two-story house to make way for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. Although he was offered compensation, Sukhi did not want to build another house. A video shared by ANI saw a group of workers carefully working around the house and displacing it. Per Sukhi, the house was moved by 76 meters.
