Developer files for permission to demolish Thai tower undermined by subsidence.

The developers of the “Leaning Tower of Pathum Thani” on Thursday filed for permission to demolish the seven-storey apartment building that was left listing and on the verge of collapse after a subsidence on the night of March 31.

Representatives from Don Muang Grand Plaza Ltd filed an application for permission to demolish the 30-million-baht building at the Khu Khot municipality office in Lam Luk Ka district.

Khu Khot deputy mayor Narong Ausap, who oversees public works, said once the company had submitted all the required documents, it would have 120 days to tear down the building.

Authorities were waiting for written documents of demolition safe working practices from the company to ensure the work would not affect local residents and nearby property.

Experts would be able to give an official conclusion on what caused the building to subside and list after the demolition was completed, he said.

Read more here.

The moment a man almost lost a leg caught on film.

A Lincolnshire builder’s leg has been saved by Nottingham surgeons after it was ripped off when the garage he was demolishing collapsed on top of him.

Former paratrooper Jake Weir had to dig himself out of a huge pile of bricks and concrete after the accident, in which his severed leg was left hanging from his body by only a strand of skin.

He said: “I’ve had flashbacks of that moment, it still haunts me. Honestly, I thought I was gone, I thought that was it.”

The exact moment the father-of-one got crushed was caught on video by the man who had commissioned Weir to demolish his garage.

Read more here or view the thankfully-not-graphic video below:

Demolition underway at one of UK’s largest regeneration projects.

One of Tower Hamlets’ most ambitious regeneration schemes reached a new milestone yesterday (18 April) as demolition works commenced to clear part of the site for new homes and community facilities.

Bringing nearly 1,600 new homes to Poplar – of which up to 698 will be affordable – the Blackwall Reach Regeneration Programme will transform the local area and have a lasting, positive impact on the lives of thousands of residents and people living in neighbouring areas.

It has also just been listed as the 50th largest regeneration scheme in the country, in a ‘Top 100’ list compiled annually by Planning magazine.

In addition to delivering much needed new homes, the scheme will transform public areas on the existing Robin Hood Gardens estate, create better transport links, improve community facilities by funding an expanded primary school, and deliver employment and training benefits for local people.

Yesterday’s demolition works will kick-start the whole project, by clearing part of the site – land at the north east of the Blackwall Reach site, north of Woolmore Street, between Robin Hood Lane and Cotton Street and to the north east of Bullivant Street – for phase 1A; the first part of the regeneration plans.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said:

“Housing is one of my top priorities and the regeneration of Blackwall Reach will bring life changing improvements to hundreds of Tower Hamlets families.

“The demolition works mark a huge milestone in this development, and will pave the way for the construction of new homes over the coming months.”

Read more here.

Possibly our favourite demolition-related video of all time.

You know that constant frustration of your hard hat falling off, costing you excessive downtime and inconvenience and exposing you to all manner of hazards? Nope, me either.

So we were somewhat surprised to learn that not only is this a known issue, there’s actually a product to address the problem.

And, having watched this video, I am sorely tempted to invest, if only to get friends and colleagues to try to knock my hard hat from my head:

Time lapse video captures Hunter Demolition at work.

BAM is building a new £70 million 110 Queen Street office development, in the heart of Glasgow.

The Grade A office and retail development, developed by BAM Properties, will offer a highly sustainable and desirable environment, and is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating.

The works comprise the demolition of the existing multi-storey office building and the construction of an eight storey office development, above a retail floor with a basement car park.

It will provide approximately 105,000 square feet net floor area and will improve landscaping, footpaths, services and infrastructure in Glasgow’s city centre.

The following time-lapse video captures the very beginning of this prestigious development; Hunter Demolition taking down the existing structure.

Construction equipment giant makes one millionth machine.

JCB employees today joined in the celebrations to mark the production of the company’s one millionth machine.

The landmark is being marked in vivid style with the whole of the glass frontage of the World HQ at Rocester, Staffordshire, UK, being encased in a graphic wrap marking the achievement.

Nestled behind the glass in the reception area is the actual one millionth machine, a 22 tonne JS220 tracked excavator in shimmering silver. Staggeringly, if all of the one million machines made by JCB were laid out end-to-end they would stretch from the UK to Australia.

JCB Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford said: “It’s taken JCB more than 67 years to produce its millionth machine. Incredibly, one third of those machines has been produced in the last six years. Reaching the million milestone is the result of a huge effort by the JCB team past and present and it’s an achievement everyone can be justifiably proud of. Given our continuing growth, JCB’s two millionth machine will be produced in considerably less time.”

Quick coupler system proves its worth on Swiss demolition contract.

Having seen the OilQuick system in action with the likes of AR Demolition, Bond Demolition and Northbank Demolition, it’s fair to say that we are pretty much convinced that this quick coupler can make a huge contribution to demolition productivity.

But for those that are still yet to take the plunge, check out this new video from leading Swiss demolition contractor Eberhard which once again illustrates just how easy attachment changes can be made with the OilQuick system:

Safedem readies locals for weekend blast.

Having already demonstrated the prowess that earned it the World Explosive Demolition Contractor of the Year at Glasgow’s Red Road in June last year, Safedem is making final checks on the second major blast at the site which is scheduled to take place on Sunday 5 May.

The latest block to fall is 21 Birnie Court, a 31-storey, Brutalist-style, steel-framed tower completed in 1969

The company is warning local residents to avoid the area and advising that there are no clear views of the building anywhere near the exclusion zone.

According to the mini website established to keep Red Road residents informed ” there will be a great deal of dust being blown through the air from the collapsing building. We strongly recommend that you avoid the area completely.”

Look out for video footage of the blast here on Sunday 5 May 2013.

Concerns over presence of dioxin means demolition misses deadline.

A 175-foot Peninsula Plywood mill chimney stack that fought being felled April 8 — before saws and torches did the trick — is still in a fractured pile while its remains are examined for levels of dioxin, a toxic compound, Port of Port Angeles Director of Engineering Chris Hartman said Friday.

That means this Friday’s deadline date for completing demolition of the 439 Marine Drive industrial site will be delayed by a few days, he said.

The dioxin levels are “considerably greater than what we thought,” Hartman said.

The initial test results “came back so high, we started asking questions,” he added.

The dioxin is in ash that coated the inside of the 1,000-ton structure, port environmental specialist Jesse Waknitz said.

Hartman said the dioxin does not pose a danger to anyone who walks on the site or lives or works near the area, located on the edge of the downtown business district where Front Street meets Marine Drive.

Tests on the dioxin should be completed by May 8 and the rubble hauled off the site by May 31, Hartman added.

Read more here.

Unstable Indian building falls the wrong way during demolition.

It never rains, it pours goes the old saying, and that was certainly the case with this building in India.

According to reports, excavation work close by had undermined the building and left it unstable. Engineers worked frantically to underpin the structure but to no avail, so a decision was taken to demolish it.

But the building had the final word, falling in totally the wrong direction, scattering onlookers and sending plumes of dust into the busy streets. Thankfully, no-one was hurt in any of these episodes.