How Safedem and Brandis A/S blasted two tower blocks

On the 13th May this year two tower blocks in Copenhagen were imploded through a collaboration between Brandis A/S and Safedem. The EFEE Newsletter has a detailed and fascinating article on the work involved, the blast design, and the risks involved in the job.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

The two concrete buildings, 15 and 13 stories, 14,100 t and 16,500 t, were constructed in 1954 - 1956. Because of outdated design and high cost of renovation, the owner, AAB cooperative housing society, decided in 2006 to demolish the buildings and hired NIRAS for planning and management of the demolition work. The options for demolition: Blasting, crane and ball, long range concrete breaker, deconstruction from the top lifting elements by crane, and demolition from to top using small machines were assessed with respect to safety, environment protection, cost and time. The result of the assessment showed that the blasting solution was the safest and most advantageous method.

After tendering procedure the Danish demolition contractor Brandis A/S together with the Scottish blasting company Safedem won the contract.

The demolition work contract started in October 2011 with stripping the buildings and preparation for blasting, scheduled in May 2012...

You can download the EFEE Newsletter and read the full article as well as 16 pages of other content.