I’m not sure that there are many things more satisfying to watch than a good demolition video and 2015 was full of them. Emerging technologies, like drones, only make the views even better. We’ve compiled our favorite demolition videos from the past year, from the incredible to the heart stopping. Enjoy!
9. Three Year Long Bridge Demolition Timelapse
Not every demolition can be completed in a weekend and this 64 year old, 4 lane, 6,630 foot long Port Mann Bridge bridge took roughly 3 years to complete. The entire demolition was documented in a timelapse video, which you can watch below.
Full story: Timelapse Video Shows 3 Year Long Bridge Demolition
8. Historic Detroit Hotel Implosion
In order to make room for the Detroit Red Wing’s new hockey arena, this 13 story, 81 year old hotel had to be imploded. 200 pounds of dynamite were required to take down the Park Avenue Hotel, which was built in 1924. TheGadgetGuy1 caught a great view of the collapse with his drone and shared it for our viewing pleasure on Youtube.
Full story: Watch Drone Footage of a Historic Detroit Hotel Implosion
7. Historic Michigan Power Plant Implosion
93 years is a long time and this Marysville, Michigan lived a long and productive life before being imploded in November of 2015. The “Mighty Marysville,” as it was known, provided a peak load of 167 megawatts of electricity and employed as much as 250 people at one time. A development company had to remove the building for their planned shopping center, condominiums, and hotel. Video of the implosion was captured by CarWarz.
Full story: Implosion of Historic Michigan Power Plant
6. Smoke Stack Collapse
This video went viral almost immediately after it was posted to Youtube, and for good reason. It’s pretty incredible to watch and the excavator operator is lucky to be alive after it. Om the video, contractor Tim Phifer is attempting to knock down a 112 year old, 2.6 million pound smoke stack that used to accompany a mill. After 2 failed implosion attempts, the structure collapsed right on top of Phifer’s excavator, completely destroying it. Phifer was able to walk away unharmed, but Youtuber Kevin Anderson’s drone was able to catch the collapse on video.
Full story: 2.6 Million Pound Smoke Stack Collapses on Excavator During Demolition
5. Plano, TX Water Tower
It’s not often that you get to see a water tower be demolished and this video and accompanying post happened to be our most popular article of 2015. Much like a lumberjack chopping down a tree, this 178 foot tall Plano, TX water tower was weakened on one side and “tipped” to bring it down.
Full story: Have You Ever Seen a Water Tower Fall Over?
4. Six Scottish High Rises Imploded Simultaneously
Demolishing one building is fun enough, but six at the same time?? That’s six times as fun, even if a couple of them failed to fall completely down. Four of the Glasgow, Scotland high rise residential units fell as they were supposed to, but the fifth left 13 stories still standing and the sixth left 11 stories left. The cleanup after these implosions is going to take an additional 2 years.
Full story: 6 Scottish High Rises Imploded Simultaneously. Well, almost.
The video below, uploaded to Youtube by Green hand gang, has some NSFW language at the 9 second mark.
3. Ten Hour Highway Overpass Demolition
Up against a time crunch and threats of liquidated damages from the city for any delays, Priestly Demolition successfully completed a demolition and clean-up of a 6 lane highway overpass in Ontario, Canada in 10 hours. The company employed eleven pieces of heavy machinery all night: 6 excavators (2 shears and 4 hammers), 3 loaders, and 2 bulldozers.
Full story: This Timelapse Video of a 10 Hour Highway Overpass Demolition is Poetry in Motion
2. Chinese Overpass Demolished and Replaced in 43 Hours
Demolishing and cleaning up a highway overpass in 43 hours is tough enough, but this Chinese company had to also completely replace the highway and open it back up to traffic within that same time frame. The new overpass was prefabricated and rolled over to its final spot, which you can watch in this incredible timelapse video.
Full story: Freeway Overpass Removed and Replaced in 43 Hours
1. Two Power Station Chimneys Crash Into Each Other
This one is my personal favorite demolition video of 2015, because it not only involves explosions, but it’s so precise and perfect that it could also be considered art. The demoltion contractor, BAM, not only had to keep the two 487 feet tall stacks from falling into a nearby building, but also had to keep them both from falling into the water. Not only did they do both things, but they also managed to have the towers crash into each other before falling to the ground.
Full story: Watch Two Power Station Chimneys Crash Into Each Other in an Incredibly Controlled Demolition
On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.