Best Worst Building Demolition Evah.
January 1, 2006 6:19 PM   Subscribe

Simultaneously the best and worst building demolition ever. IMO, the best. In the opinion of the wrecking crew... probably the worst.
posted by five fresh fish (31 comments total)
 
Were I really a keener, I'd also have a dozen other demolition videos for you. Alas, I do not.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:20 PM on January 1, 2006


I love the reaction of the crowd.
posted by breath at 6:23 PM on January 1, 2006


Here's a good one [mpg]. Lots more from the pull-down menu here.
posted by mediareport at 6:27 PM on January 1, 2006


Any idea which building it was? I wanna google, find out how they ultimately brought it down. I can't imagine anyone was allowed back inside to place new charges.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:30 PM on January 1, 2006


They weren't trying to demolish it, they just wanted it moved over a bit and shortened.

Mission accomplished!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:30 PM on January 1, 2006


Another good one. Loved yours, too, fff...
posted by mediareport at 6:31 PM on January 1, 2006


Also, any idea what's happening on the ground outside the Kingdome, on the left? It turns progressively whiter seemingly instantaneously with some of the explosions. Shockwave disturbing dust on the surface, or ... ?
posted by five fresh fish at 6:32 PM on January 1, 2006


fff, it was the Zip Feed tower in Sioux Falls. - (link)
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:33 PM on January 1, 2006


It was the Zip Feed tower, the tallest building in South Dakota.

And it was eventually brought down by a wrecking ball.
posted by thirdparty at 6:38 PM on January 1, 2006


The tallest building in South Dakota? Really? Wow. I love the crowd reaction...as though they are beating death and ruin by virtue of the building refusing to fall down. Hee.
posted by dejah420 at 6:48 PM on January 1, 2006


Wow, someone should study the structure of that thing and build more of em. That's one strong structure!
posted by parallax7d at 6:58 PM on January 1, 2006


FFF,
not to threadjack, but the use of the word keener seems to me to be a particularly canadian term. In all my years in the US, I never ran across anyone who wasn't Canadian using it.
posted by isopraxis at 7:00 PM on January 1, 2006


Great. Thanks for sharing.

What a cool job those guys have. I just finished off all the videos, quite disappointed they do not have more of them.

The Kingdome video is the best. Some of the write-ups, though -- wow. Talk about some challenging conditions, eh?
posted by five fresh fish at 7:04 PM on January 1, 2006


Love to move the foward-back control under the quicktime box!
posted by ParisParamus at 7:06 PM on January 1, 2006


Hmm, the CDI dropdown menu doesn't have video of their most famous demolition, WTC Towers 1 & 2.
posted by nasim at 7:23 PM on January 1, 2006


Why couldn't the WTC Towers have been built like the Zip Feed?
posted by CrunchyGods at 7:48 PM on January 1, 2006





posted by strawberryviagra at 8:27 PM on January 1, 2006


It's like the explosion dropped the building to its knees, but it refused to die. Awesome.
posted by stevis at 8:48 PM on January 1, 2006


The architect was quoted as saying, "take that, bitches."
posted by monju_bosatsu at 9:09 PM on January 1, 2006


My first thought was that this link would go here... [PDF]
posted by kika at 9:17 PM on January 1, 2006


LOL, the year's only a day old and already strawberryviagra has a candidate for best comment.
posted by longdaysjourney at 10:22 PM on January 1, 2006


No video, but here are photos and my commentary on the failed attempts to demolish the Lindheimer Observatory on the Northwestern campus.
posted by dhartung at 12:34 AM on January 2, 2006


FFF,
not to threadjack, but the use of the word keener seems to me to be a particularly canadian term. In all my years in the US, I never ran across anyone who wasn't Canadian using it.


That's 'cause yanks are all keeners, making the term (insult?) superfluous.
posted by timeistight at 1:17 AM on January 2, 2006


five fresh fish: Also, any idea what's happening on the ground outside the Kingdome, on the left?

It is pretty strange looking... It isn't just the ground that gets lighter, whole sections of the building light up after each explosion, and they stay lit until the cloud of dust swallows everything. So anyway, I think it is reflecting in the new white dust created by each successive explosion... I wouldn't bet on it though.
posted by Chuckles at 2:53 AM on January 2, 2006


Actually, it isn't that the Zip Feed Tower was so strong, it's that the concrete wasn't strong enough. The wall on the right should have acted as a hinge to topple the structure to the left (that's why the photographer framed it to the right of the video frame). Instead it telescoped, and the upper parts of the building weren't set with charges because the whole structure was supposed to go over sideways.

They're gonna finish the job with a more prosaic crane and ball.
posted by localroger at 7:32 AM on January 2, 2006


That was damn cool.
posted by Smedleyman at 10:47 AM on January 2, 2006


I am (a) surprised that Controlled Demolition works for so cheap (their write-ups indicate a quarter-million dollar payout for significant building-felling); (b) wonder how horrific their insurance premiums must be.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:55 AM on January 2, 2006


Oh, keeerist. Dhartung for the win. What an incomparable cockup that was!
posted by five fresh fish at 11:01 AM on January 2, 2006


fff: it could be that they don't directly pay the inspremiums, but let the local authorities or whoever owns the building do the insuring part and refuse to work without one.

After all in a era of communist reponsability (everybody has it except me) it's probably far more dangerous to interact with the insurers then with explosives.
posted by elpapacito at 11:26 AM on January 2, 2006


some more here
posted by golo at 5:56 PM on January 2, 2006


It's definitely disturbed dust on the ground near the Kingdome explosion, the reason it lights up like that is because it's morning and the sun is low. You can also see the disturbed dust moving in front of the dust from the collapse of the dome.
posted by fred_ashmore at 3:07 AM on January 3, 2006


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