Final preparations for the demolitions of the unauthorized Supertech Twin Towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, have been completed. According to a Supreme Court of India ruling, the approximately 100-metre-tall Supertech Twin Towers will be demolished using explosives in a controlled detonation at 2.30 PM today.
Edifice Engineering of West Bengal has been granted the assignment, and the firm has partnered with South African firm Jet Demolitions to demolish the pair of buildings in a controlled demolition. As the Twin Towers are brought down, here is a list of the 5 biggest controlled demolitions in human history.
Kingdome, Seattle, United States
A multipurpose sports venue with 65,000 seats, the Seattle Kingdome was inaugurated in 1976. With a diameter of almost 660 feet and a height of 250 feet above the playing surface, the stadium’s dome was the largest thin shell concrete roof in the entire world. A compression ring at the dome’s top connected to a concrete tension ring at the dome’s base through radial concrete ribs that were cast in place. There were thin concrete shells in between the concrete ribs.
Because of a design defect, the Kingdome’s roof had problems right from the start. The roof’s acoustic ceiling tiles were used as moulds to pour concrete over the roof sections because the stadium had a smaller budget compared to its contemporaries. Six metal clips were used to secure the tiles, however, when moisture from the polyurethane insulation accumulated in the tiles owing to ineffective water vapour management, their effectiveness deteriorated. As a result, three months prior to the stadium’s inauguration, leaks in the roof were discovered.
Subsequent attempts to fix the issue either made it worse or were quickly undone. Though it lasted for 24 straight years, but the issue could not be solved. Therefore, in 2000, the Kingdome was demolished, and its place was taken by separate baseball and football stadiums.
AfE Tower, Frankfurt, Germany
When the 381-foot-tall AfE Tower, built in 1972, was demolished in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2014, it became the highest structure ever demolished using explosives. The building was used by Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. The AfE Tower was initially intended to house 2,500 students. However, since its inception, the building was occupied by a substantially higher number of students, resulting in waiting times of more than 15 minutes at the seven elevators. Only five of the seven lifts were operational, and they were frequently stuck.
Finally, it was concluded that the university would acquire a significant number of new buildings on the Westend campus. The AfE Tower was rendered obsolete due to outdated technologies. As a result, it was decided that the building would be demolished.
The destruction of the AfE Tower began on July 8, 2013, and was expected to last ten to twelve months. Finally, in February 2014, the 50,000-tonne structure was brought down with around 10,000 onlookers watching using 950kg of explosives and proactive safety precautions such as 6.5m high barricades, water tanks, and a 250m exclusion zone.
Genoa Bridge, Genoa, Italy
A section of the Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, Italy, fell after heavy rainfall on August 14, 2018. The death toll was estimated to be 43, with a large number left wounded. The bridge was almost 1.2 kilometres long and carried the A10 highway over the city. It opened in 1967 and served as a significant conduit for commodities from local ports supplying the Italian Riviera and France’s southeast coast.
The collapse of the bridge sparked widespread concern throughout Europe about the structural stability of critical infrastructure. Several enquiries were set up and it was decided to demolish the remaining part of the bridge and construct a new one.
The demolition took place in 2019, with 80,000 tonnes of concrete left after it was demolished. The bridge was surrounded by 50 big water tanks to reduce possible air pollutants and prevent dust from spreading to the city.
Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, United States
The Dunes Hotel was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from May 23, 1955, to January 26, 1993. The Dunes’ architecture was influenced by stories from the Arabian Nights. The Dunes struggled despite its great debut because of its location at the southernmost part of the Strip at the time. After experiencing serious financial issues, the casino stopped operating in 1992.
Dunes, like many other famous hotels of the era, was unable to compete with the brand-new, thrilling megaresorts that were emerging. Following its financial struggles, on October 27, 1993, The Dunes was demolished in a spectacular celebration that featured large fireworks displays and the use of three “cannon bursts” from the English cruiser “HMS Britannia.”
Landmark Tower, Texas, United States
The Landmark Tower was a 30-story skyscraper in Downtown Fort Worth, Texas, located at 200 West 7th Street. The building was abandoned in 1990 and stood empty for more than 15 years until it was demolished in 2006.
The building changed hands several times over the years. Plans to convert it into a high-end luxurious apartment and condominium structure similar to The Tower, as well as opportunities to restore, reclad, and develop around it, were in the works, but the project was scrapped. Finally in 2006, it was demolished in a controlled way.
