WebUrbanist » 16 Sweet (and Scary) Building Demolition Videos: From Amazing Explosions to Botched Implosions

16 Sweet (and Scary) Building Demolition Videos: From Amazing Explosions to Botched Implosions

Amazing Building Demolition sans Implosion [Above: Inverse building demolition in London via Neatorama]

Nothing last forever and that includes the most grandiose skyscrapers, luxurious hotels and beloved sports stadiums. It seems amazing at times that so much money, energy and material is invested in structures that ultimately get torn down so quickly. Some of these demolitions are simply damned impressive while other implosions are downright frightening.

In true Las Vegas style the New Frontier went out with (sorry, the pun had to be made) a huge bang. Watch explosive fireworks shoot outward through the windows of the building - all captured in closeups as it happens. Truly a genius way to destroy something.

Watching this one it is almost impossible to believe that it can end well: you have an extremely tall building surrounded by other structures that has nowhere to go but down. Sure enough, though, the experts did their homework and went off quickly and without a hitch.

If you had to make a list of frightening, gigantic and durable structures that might seem impossible to destroy a nuclear cooling tower would probably be pretty high on the list. The Trojan tower’s destruction actually happens surprisingly fast in the first video so be sure to watch the second one to catch it in slow motion!

This stadium really goes down like dominoes on a scale you’ve never seen before. While the above video gives you a general idea of how it happens you should be sure to check out this video (which couldn’t be embedded here) for a more comprehensive view of the events.

OK, so this isn’t a building demolition in the typical sense: it is just one crazy individual with a sledgehammer and no sense of self-preservation whatsoever. It starts off a little slow but as you might guess while watching the beginning: the end is worth sticking around for.

The burning question on everyone’s mind regarding this building is of course: was it supposed to fall on its side? It seems like any other implosion until a few seconds in when the building stops collapsing and begins to simply lean and then fall over still partly intact. Was it planned that way or simply a dangerous mistake?

Something clearly went wrong here. Could it be that they didn’t lay out enough explosives, or that perhaps they were put in the wrong place? Whatever went on one has to wonder: who is going to get close enough to this half-toppled building to set up more explosives and try again!

The sequencing on this one (with or without the background musical beats) is pretty neat. You can watch as they blow out each floor with bits and pieces flying from the structure before the whole thing collapses. Also, the video’s creator has a slow-motion version at the end.

Like the New Frontier: if you’re going to blow up a building anyway, why not blow it up in style? When the infamous Stardust was destroyed they decided to do just that. The building’s implosion is accompanied by fireworks that mingle with the explosions as the structure breathes its last.

Many building implosions start equally all around the base of the structure or are set off in such a way that they that the structure collapses in toward the center. This one seems to lean ominously as explosions start from one corner and the building falls slightly more to one side.

This structure and implosion are both fairly modest. What stands out in the video is how close the onlookers seem to be and the visibility of the explosions going off inside the building. This appears to be a big event in a small town judging from the cheers.

This one goes by extremely fast. It sort of looks like some high-speed racer shot into the building’s base at one side and plowed through to the other, collapsing the structure along the way.

Now this Intel building is a bit unusual: it sat idle for almost a decade, partially constructed, before they gave up on and decided to demolish it. The net result is a somewhat strange demolition of what is essentially a collection of columns, beams and unfinished floor platforms.

The Jamestown Bridge in Rhode Island went down in what can only be described as a choreographed dance of destruction. Almost elegantly simultaneous, the explosions help the main bridge structure shed all of its tension supports in a matter of seconds. Beautiful.

And now for the grand finale! The above shows a number of buildings being blown up (or down as the case may be) and it is still just the tip of the iceberg. Be sure to see more building implosion and demolition links to videos, images and more at Look at This dot Com.

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Posted by Urbanist March 5th, 2008
Architecture, Urban, Urban Videos, Various
Comments: 36

Comments

Comment from Lowan
Time: March 5, 2008, 6:43 pm

In regards to the seventh video, yes, the building was meant to fall on its side. I saw the whole demolition on a TV programme once and it explained that because that the whole structure consisted of steel load bearing members, gravity alone wouldn’t be enough to collapse such a rigid structure directly downward. The only way to do it is make it collapse side-ways, causing the loads to be exerted along an axis where the steel is the weakest.

Comment from Tickerwiffer
Time: March 5, 2008, 11:37 pm

where’s the WTC?? :)
That truly belongs in the scariest demolitions collection!

Comment from bmattb
Time: March 6, 2008, 7:02 am

Any day I can start off with explosions is a good day. Thanks so much, love the site, keep up the good work!

Comment from Roon
Time: March 6, 2008, 6:55 pm

That is a collection of very impressive videos!

Comment from BB
Time: March 6, 2008, 10:38 pm

It takes years to built and seconds to demolish. Just show how unpredictable life is. Nothing last forever.

Comment from Matt S
Time: March 7, 2008, 10:13 am

Regarding the 12th video, that was shot with a big telephoto, you really can’t tell how close the onlookers are. Telephotos make everything seem close together.

Comment from Your Dark Lord
Time: March 7, 2008, 1:50 pm

When I look at those, it brings back the horror of 9/11.

Contrary to one commenter, I am glad it wasn’t included. That wasn’t a demolition; that was a mass murder.

Comment from Critias
Time: March 9, 2008, 12:53 am

No 9/11?

Comment from superficialdiva
Time: March 9, 2008, 3:17 am

Great videos! I’m glad too the 9/11 is not between these.

Comment from YellowMan
Time: March 9, 2008, 5:26 am

9/11 was not a planned implosion, therfore shouldnt be in this list.
im glad its not here.

Comment from e
Time: March 9, 2008, 12:30 pm

very few of these links work

Comment from Sammy
Time: March 9, 2008, 1:42 pm

Hey! I saw that second one live. It was downtown Fort Worth, TX a couple of years ago. :) It was pretty rad until we started breathing that cloud.

Comment from karen
Time: March 10, 2008, 5:36 pm

While, as a previous commenter said, the structure in the 7th video was meant to fall at an angle, it was supposed to all fall down.
This was the Zip Feed Mill in Sioux Falls, SD, where I used to live. The concrete was old. Instead of toppling over after a side of the building was blown out, the whole building sunk about 5 feet and was stuck at that weird angle.
A wrecking ball had to come and knock it down over a few days. Certianly not the spectacle that was originally supposed to be televised (that garnered its own 2 hour special on the local news stations), but a spectacle none-the-less.

Comment from Deiwos
Time: March 16, 2008, 1:26 am

We’re sorry, this video is no longer available.

Comment from Dan
Time: March 17, 2008, 5:47 pm

The fifth video is Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PA. I had the chance to be in one of the closest buildings near the demo site and it was incredible. It felt like an earthquake when it went off…insane!!!

Comment from davetiye
Time: March 19, 2008, 4:11 am

16 Sweet (and Scary) Building Demolition Videos: From Amazing Explosions to Botched Implosions Nothing last forever and that includes the most grandiose skyscrapers, luxurious hotels and beloved sports stadiums. It seems amazing at times that so much money, energy and material is invested in structures that ultimately get torn down so quickly. Some

Comment from Roscoe
Time: March 31, 2008, 11:35 am

Seems like such a waste of all those expert demolition engineers’ math, physics, and explosives science in their months of effort necessary to plan and execute such exacting, excellent work — when 9/11 showed us you can knock down THREE skyscrapers with the same speed and precision if you crash airliners into the top halves of TWO of them.
:)

Comment from Kristal L. Rosebrook
Time: April 19, 2008, 6:00 pm

Amazing
Kristal L. Rosebrook

Comment from DAMN_WInd!
Time: April 22, 2008, 2:23 pm

Just Stumbled Upon This Page..Not SomeThing I Typically Would Be Interested In However I Found Myself Watching All The Vid Clips On Here. Quite Interesting.

Comment from Decimus
Time: May 6, 2008, 4:09 pm

Yes, the WTC on 9/11/01 was mass murder, so it doesn’t belong here. However it was a pre-planned, controlled, albeit unconventional, demolition.
Over 350 engineers and architects [so far] agree. A leading Dutch demolitions expert was shown footage of 47-floor skyscraper WTC 7 (not hit by a plane) collapsing (without knowing it was in the WTC on 9/11) and had this to say: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7778438571360742389
WAKE UP.
YOU ARE DREAMING.
AMERICA IS BEING TAKEN OVER BY FASCISTS.