At a staggering 1,417 feet (432 meters) high, the Omega Transmission Tower in Darriman, Australia, was the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until its demolition on April 22.
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Contracted by Australia’s Department of Defence to carry out the demolition, Liberty Industrial, Sydney, used explosives to bring the redundant naval communications tower to the ground.
In the lead up to the blast, Liberty Industrial’s project management team prepared comprehensive blast management plans and detailed work method statements as well as other documentation critical for safely managing demolition works involving the controlled use of explosives.
The project team, including experienced explosive demolition experts, structural engineers and a licensed shot firer, carefully engineered and precisely execute the safe and controlled demolition of the structure.
Explosive cutting charges were used to sever the tower’s inner support cables, causing the lattice truss tower to destabilize and collapse upon itself in four large sections.
As a precaution, traffic on the adjoining South Gippsland Highway was halted for a short time while the demolition was undertaken and representatives from Victoria Police, Worksafe and the Department of Defence attended the demolition to observe, record and support the project. Once the structure was safely grounded and all explosive charges accounted for, the team began clearing the site of debris. A 36-metric ton excavator was mobilized to process the steel structure before removing the material from site for recycling.
Project Manager Todd Solomon says that Liberty Industrial’s relevant experience and stringent safety and environmental standards were likely key factors in their appointment to the project.
“Liberty were well placed to see the tower was safely and reliably removed having recently completed the demolition of the Garden Island Hammerhead Crane for Defence. We have demonstrated experience with large scale, technically challenging demolitions and we understand this type of project extremely well” he said.
The 432 meter Omega Tower is the tallest structure demolished in the Southern Hemisphere to date, according to Liberty.
Click here to watch a video of the demolition.