B&B Wrecking gets to grips with Ohio nuclear test facility.

Like everyone these days, we get a lot of emails. And we have perfected a system of scan reading that weeds out the what from the chaff, the good from the bad.

But if there’s one thing certain to shift an incoming email to the top of our “must read” pile, it is one marked “nuclear reactor demolition”. So, having received one such email just a few moments ago courtesy of Mark Ramun at Cleveland-based B&B Wrecking, we quickly downed tools (well, coffee) to share that video with you.

The film is a time-lapse movie of the work carried out by B&B Wrecking at NASA’s Plum Brook Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, once the US’s most advanced nuclear reactor test facility.

You can read more about the contract in this excellent article or view the video below:

Launch of new independent industry magazine now just eight days away.

As those of you that follow us on Facebook or Twitter will be aware, we have been beavering away in a darkened room for the past few months to bring you the latest evolution in demolition coverage; a new industry magazine that will (initially at least) be available in paper form here in the UK and electronic form in the rest of the world*

Like DemolitionNews itself, Demolition magazine is designed to be totally independent and carries with it no political baggage, trade association bias or geographic boundaries. It is designed to be inclusive, not exclusive. And it is designed to reflect the fact that demolition is the job that you do, it is not who you are.

So while 95 percent of the content will focus on demolition matters, methods and machines, we’re not afraid to take a wider look at the needs of the modern demolition man. We plan to include items on things like smart phones and apps, cars, vehicles and clothing for on-site and off, and – as is the case in our first edition – watches.

We have deliberately designed the look and feel of the new magazine to make it equally at home on the coffee table in your company reception area, or on the coffee table in your front room at home.

But those that are interested purely in the big bangs and big diggers will not be disappointed. And rather than paying each item lip service, the size of the magazine constrained by advertising yields and print costs, we aim to cover subjects in depth.

In the first issue, an interview with respected UK industry veteran John Mould runs to six pages; a look at the OilQuick system in action with Bond Demolition in Wales runs to five pages; and our look at the systems and solutions available in the dust suppression field covers 12 full pages. And there is much more besides in our awesome-looking 60-page strong launch edition.

Of course, we couldn’t have done this without the support, assistance and (in some cases) blind faith shown by the advertisers seeking a new way to get their message in front of demolition professionals like you. We sincerely hope that you will repay their faith by checking out their ads and finding out more about their products and services. That is the only way the magazine will survive and thrive.

And so the countdown has begun. Eight days from now, the magazine landscape of the demolition industry changes forever. So whether you find a copy on your doorstep (if you’re in the UK) or in you Inbox (if you’re elsewhere, we hope that you enjoy our first issue and we hope even ore that you will take the time to tell us what you think (good or bad). As an independent publisher, we are as flexible as an Olympic gymnast and will gladly shape the new magazine to suit your specific needs.

We are now heading back to that darkened room to start work on Issue 2 which will be out at the end of March…Watch this space.

*Overseas readers will be able to buy paper copies if they wish.

High definition video captures machine in action near Frankfurt airport.

Let’s be honest. Demolition videos should all be about big machines and big implosions, right? And here’s a perfect example of precisely what we look for in a demolition video.

Big machine? Check. High definition footage? Check. Booming rock soundtrack? Check.

If that’s the kind of thing that floats your visual boat, you’ll love the following video of a Liebherr R954C Litronic excavator in action at a former Ticona plastics factory near Frankfurt airport in Germany. And if it’s not the kind of thing that butters your optical parsnips, what the hell are you doing on DemolitionNews?

Man risks life to take excavator short cut onto roof.

Over the years, much has been written about man’s inhumanity to man. Here at DemolitionNews, however, we tend to focus more on man’s crass stupidity to himself.

Take, for example, this certifiable lunatic who needed to get onto the roof of a partially demolished building. Apparently, stairs, ladders and MEWPs are all too good for him. And besides, none of these show off just how manly he is.

So instead, he decides to hitch a lift on an excavator’s grab.

There’s one born every minute…which is just as well because, based on this, these people could be dying at roughly the same rate.

Local news reporter sealed in car to avoid stinging attack.

Demolition already comes with its own collection of risks and hazards. The last thing it needs is for Mother Nature to get all vengeful-woman-scorned on its ass.

Unfortunately for demolition workers charged with taking down the old Palm Beach Mall, that’s precisely what happened when Mother Nature unleashed a swarm of angry and newly-homeless bees. The bees attacked local residents, passing cyclists and forced one anaphylactic local news reporter to cower in the radio truck:

Seven minutes of bangs and crashes from the implosion kings.

We always look forward to the latest implosion video from Jim Redyke and the team at Dykon Explosives. So a “year in review” compilation of thier best work from 2012 is like Christmas come early (or late, depending on your viewpoint).

So pour yourself a coffee, crank up the volume and hit the play button for some of the biggest and best blasts of 2012.

24 hours to demolish a building? How about 12!

With the main part of the post-quake demolition operation now winding down in Christchurch, New Zealand, they are not hanging aorund.

Demolition company Shilton & Brown had just 24 hours to bring down the Vero Building in Christchurch, but succeeded in getting it down in under 12 hours. 11 hrs 56 minutes to be precise.

Industry veteran and passionate NFDC man takes step closer to possible future presidency.

In a strange twist of synchronicity, the stars of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors are aligning with industry veteran Paul Brown of Tilley & Barrett rising to the position of London & Southern Counties regional chairman just a few weeks before his lifelong friend William Sinclair takes up the role as Federation president.

There are few people more passionate about the NFDC than Brown, and his elevation to the position of regional chairman is the culmination of a longstanding commitment to the Federation and its numerous causes. Although the system of succession and the fact that each president is elected by his peers and fellow members means that there are no guarantees, Brown’s naming as regional chairman sets him on the path to potentially emulate his father – the late Claude Brown – who held the president’s chains of office between 1966 and 1968 and who left an indelible mark upon the Federation.

It is equally fitting that this should coincide with the accession of his friend William Sinclair who is scheduled to become NFDC president at the beginning of March. Sinclair’s father David was also an NFDC president, holding the title exactly 20 years after Claude Brown, and the young Brown and Sinclair effectively grew up together.

Indeed, whilst researching the NFDC’s 70th anniversary book “Seven Decades of Strength”, I came across numerous photos of boyish Brown and Sinclair at NFDC Conventions both at home and overseas.

We wish Paul Brown every success in his new role.

Steel truss bridge to be demolished at quadruple the anticipated cost.

A year and a half after its removal was approved by the previous Board of Supervisors, sitting supervisors have approved a contract for the demolition of the Goose Creek Bridge, but for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than anticipated.

Supervisors Wednesday night voted unanimously to approve a $648,500 contract with Shirley Contracting Company to demolish the steel truss bridge, which was built in 1932.

In July 2011, the previous board voted to move forward with demolition of the bridge to the tune of $195,000. Supervisors voted for demolition of the bridge rather than spending the around $1.6 million it would take to restore the structure.

However, the need for risk management in the demolition of the bridge has brought the price up by around $435,000. According to the county’s information, the lack of existing bridge drawings to confirm the sizes of the bridge’s structural members means neither the contractor nor the county can prepare a load rating for the bridge. That means the contractor cannot safely place heavy equipment on the bridge, and larger and more expensive equipment must be used to demolish the bridge safely. In addition, the project site is constrained with access to the east side of the bridge limited because of the Rt. 7 bridges.

Read more here.

Debris stolen from Laurel Mall demolition site.

Police are investigating an unusual theft at a Maryland shopping center site before it’s even open.

Once the heart of its corner of Prince George’s County, like many American malls, Laurel Mall fell into disrepair. Now it’s quickly being demolished, and all of the debris will be recycled as the city prepares to build a new town center at the location.

Neighbor Mike McLaughlin has been taking pictures pretty much every day, but since they normally don’t work Sunday, he missed a major development.

Thieves took dumpsters full of debris, including metals like copper. Laurel police estimate the value at up to $100,000. Police believe at least three full dumpsters and two large air condition units were stolen.

Read more here.