All Implosions Articles

A redundant 17-storey tower block in Greenock, Scotland, has been successfully brought down by the controlled use of explosives, under the watchful eye of specialist consulting engineers RVA Group.

Dick Green, MD of UK-based IndEx Independent Explosives Engineers Limited, looks back on the first 12 months of his new company. Despite the challenging economic climate he has been busier than ever, and has been involved with more than a dozen blowdowns in the UK and abroad

UK contractor Safedem imploded the 24 storey Norfolk Court tower block in the heart of the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland

Contractor Safedem successfully used explosives to demolish two 16 storey blocks of flats in the Scottish city of Kincardine

Two 168 m chimneys are brought down by explosives by Erith Group

US contractor Controlled Demolition Inc set a new height record for an explosive demolition in December 2009, when it brought down the 116 m (380 ft) reinforced concrete Ocean Tower on South Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico. D&Ri reports

Safedem took the 2009 Explosive Demolition Award for its work on the 12-storey Broomview House in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. D&Ri reports on this project, the first explosive demolition of a totally prestressed, post tensioned tower block structure in the UK

Atlas Copco demolition tools speed processing of demolition debris from a bridge over the river Main in Germany

The general public often sees explosive demolition as being the spectacular side of the demolition business. D&Ri reports on the demise of a well-loved and recognised stadium in the US city of Indianapolis

The 18-storey Bank of Industry building in Lagos, Nigeria, became the subject of that country's first ever explosive demolition, according to a report on the Afrique en Ligne newswire.

VIDEO CONTENT: An office block was successfully blown down earlier this year in the centre of Dortmund, Germany. Explosives were used to bring the building down as other methods of demolition were ruled out due to a very confined site area and the close proximity of surrounding structures.

The RCA stadium in Indianapolis, USA, now has a date with explosive demolition. It will be partially demolished by a controlled implosion in October. With a height of 135 ft (38.1 m), the contractors involved consider that it is to high to easily demolish the upper part of the structure using other demolition measures. As a result, the upper seating section of the stadium will be imploded.

Damaged by the winds and storm surge of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the 11-storey Armed Forces Retirement Home building In Gulfport, Mississippi, was brought down by explosives specialist Dykon Enterprises on behalf of main demolition contractor CST Environmental. D&Ri reports on the blowdown

Lebanon's infrastructure was one of the targets in the crosshairs of Israel's military during its incursion into that country in 2006. This has left war-damaged structures requiring repair or removal and replacement. US contractor Controlled Demolition Inc was bought in to clear the way for the reopening on one of Lebanon's major transport routes. D&Ri reports