Breaking into a Bank Vault

Jan 14

A drawing of a bank vault that shows the reinforced doors, walls, and ceiling of the vault. It illustrates the vault that Corderman dismantled to prepare for the renovation of the space for a new JPMC.

We are underway in Malden, MA on our latest project for JPMorgan Chase!

Lead by Corderman Superintendent: Joel Ashton, the demo phase included the removal of an existing vault within the space—which proved to be a true challenge.

Vault Structure:

- The vault was constructed with individual steel panels, each featuring a plywood base wrapped in 6-12 layers of steel mesh.
- These panels were welded together at the seams on both sides to form the ceiling and walls, which were then secured to the vault’s base.
- The base was reinforced by welding the structural panels to a reinforced iron plate, which was set into the concrete slab.

How we broke in:

- A jackhammer and a 10” metal saw were used to cut through the joints, starting at the ceiling and working down through the walls.
- Due to the weight of the panels, a skid steer was used to push them out and into a 30-yard dumpster for removal.
- The vault door frame was too heavy for the skid steer to handle alone, so it was cut in half for easier removal.

With some planning, coordination, and the help of SOS Corp. Construction Services, we were able to remove the vault!