Photos capture demolition of South Pole research station entombed in 30 feet of ice.

In what is surely the most unique demolition project of its kind, engineers have imploded a former research station at the South Pole that has become entombed in more than 10 metres (30 feet) of snow and ice.

The Seabee construction battalion departed in January 1957, as drifting snow and ice quickly buried the buildings. Today, the entire facility is buried beneath the ice, having moved away from the geographic pole with the slow drift of the ice sheet.

But the surface above is unstable. In the last couple of years, several heavy machines have fallen through the snow. One Caterpillar Challenger broke through several stories into one of the IGY station buildings last season. The driver was unhurt.

Read the full, fascinating story here.

US contractor tells it like it really is.

“A man’s got to know his limitations“. So said that purveyor of diplomacy, Harry “Dirty Harry” Callahan in the movie Magnum Force.

Well, here at DemolitionNews, we certainly know our limitations. Despite writing about and for this industry for the best part of a quarter century, we will forever be outsiders looking in. We have never demolished anything other than the occasional pie, and are unlikely ever to do so. So, no matter how hard we try, we know that we are “for” rather than “of” the industry.

However, we would strongly urge readers to take two minutes to check out this blog post from Terrence O’Rourke of US contractor Champion Environmental Services Inc. This is written by someone on the inside of this business, and you will not read a more telling, informed and eloquent piece on the state of the demolition nation this year.

Court date set for Canadian company over asbestos exposure.

A company involved in the demolition of a former St. John’s children’s hospital is now facing charges of exposing workers to a potentially dangerous substance.

The province announced this morning that it has charged Kelloway Construction with six counts of breaching occupational health and safety rules.

The company allegedly failed to minimize workers’ exposure to airborne asbestos between April and September of 2009

Kelloway Construction is scheduled to appear in court on March 15.

Demolition begins on Bermuda’s “old hospital” building.

At first glance, three machines to tackle a disused hospital porch seems a little excessive. Until you realise where the video was shot.

This footage comes from the King Edward Memorial Hospital in beautiful yet mysterious Bermuda.

The only thing we can’t work out is whether the three machines were there to represent the infamous Bermuda Triangle; or whether they just wanted to get the job done so the crew could all put on their Bermuda shorts (in Bermuda, they’re just called “shorts”) and hit the beach.

Either way, we can certainly think of worse places to work.

Company gets the nod on major tower block implosion contract.

Safedem managing director William Sinclair clearly hasn’t been spending ALL his time messing about with desktop Jenga sets.

His company has just been awarded the contract to implode the Glenalmond, Hermiston and Weir Court tower blocks in North Sighthill, Edinburgh. This latest set of implosions – which are set for the end of this summer – marks a return to Sighthill for Safedem which imploded the nearby Broomview Court back in 2008.

The three landmark blocks set to be flattened have been heavily associated with anti-social behaviour and among them are some of the hardest to let of the 23,000 council houses in Edinburgh.

Read more here.

WRAP reports marked decline in waste to landfill levels.

Figures have been released by WRAP in its Signatory Report 2011. The figures come from 32 construction contractors who have signed up to a deal coordinated by WRAP; Halving Waste to Landfill Commitment.

Signatories are encouraged to register their baseline and targets within WRAP’s Waste to Landfill Reporting Portal.

The 32 construction contractors monitored and reported their annual performance for construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste.

Among them are some of the UK’s largest contractors and represent a total construction annual spend in excess of £21 billion over the reporting period.

The combined figures for the 32 companies show an absolute decrease of 28% in the CD&E waste sent to landfill between 2008 and 2009. This constitutes a cut from 3.1 million tonnes in 2008 to 2.2 million tonnes by year end 2009.

The data also showed that the companies had less waste arising relative to construction spend, indicating that the companies are taking action to prevent waste production.

Read more here.

Really good amateur video of Liebherr 944 high reach in action.

What can we tell you about this video? Well, it was shot in Den Haag (The Hague) in the Netherlands; it features a Liebherr 944 high reach excavator; and the man holding the camera speaks better English than anyone here at Demolition News Towers.

Aside from that, we know nothing! But it still makes for a great video.

TheVideoSong.com! Is Best video Site

If DemolitionNews appears unusually quiet today, you’ll know why.

Frustrated by Demolition Master? Bored with Demolition Company? Driven to distraction by Demolition City? Realising that you’re just too old for computer and video games? Then leading Scottish demolition company Safedem may have the answer.

The company has put a modern environmental spin on the familiar game of Jenga, using timber salvaged from demolition projects to create the miniature wooden blocks. Known in Safedem circles as “Knockemdoon” (it works best if you say it with a Scottish accent), these are packed in a branded Safedem box that displays the company’s explosive demolition expertise and some key facts about the company itself.

The game is the brainchild of Safedem managing director William Sinclair, and reflects both the demolition and recycling aspects of the company’s business. “The timber blocks came from the flooring of multi storey demolitions in Dundee,” Sinclair says. “I got a guy with a timber lathe to make them for us, and we then sent them to the printers to put our logo on. The whole set is only about 18cm tall – 7″ in old money – just the right size for use on a desk.”

Sinclair reports that he has some 500 sets ready for distribution, many of which are destined for local schoolchildren as part of the company’s renowned community liaison efforts.

DemolitionNews can report that the game is addictive and infuriating in roughly equal measure, but that it’s also a welcome throwback to a time when games were for all the family, not just those with square eyes and thumbs capable of moving at the speed of hummingbird wings.

To celebrate the launch of Knockemdoon, Safedem has very kindly provided us with a set to giveaway as part of a competition. For a chance to win that set, just answer the following simple question:

Answers should be sent via email to manthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk. The winner will be drawn at random from the entries received. Entries MUST be received by 31 March 2011.

Amateur video captures final moments of Pioneer grain elevator.

The town of Oyen’s most recognizable landmark – the Pioneer grain elevator – was brought down in an implosion Tuesday afternoon. And an amateur videographer was on hand to catch the action.

Read more here or watch the video below.

Predicted weather conditions look perfect for tomorrow’s implosion.

Weather conditions for Friday remain favorable for the implosion of the Mohave Generating Station exhaust stack, according to Gil Alexander, Southern California Edison spokesman.

The 152 metre (500-foot) structure will be brought down at approximately 9 a.m. PST and 10 a.m. MST, as part of the coal-fired power plant’s decommissioning process.

Alexander said the schedule continued to stand as of Wednesday, but he will reconfirm today “because weather conditions can change unexpectedly.” To illustrate the point, he said the implosion could not have been performed Wednesday.

The Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management requires sustained wind speed at the time of the implosion not exceed 10 miles per hour, and gusts cannot be greater than 20 miles per hour.

Read more here.