The year was 2009, and the demolition industry was given one of its greatest challenges yet – bring down a brand new hurricane-proof tower that held the world record for the tallest concrete reinforced building ever to be imploded.
The responsibility was given to the team at CDI, who had never encountered anything like this before. This was no ordinary building; Ocean Tower, as it was known, stood at thirty-one storeys high and had three massively reinforced cores, boasting 30 inches of concrete and rebar each. However, the robust construction was not without a price. Ocean Tower was sinking into South Padre Island’s soils, making it a perilous threat to nearby residential developments and ecologically fragile dunes.
What followed was a story of perseverance, innovation and challenge, as the team at CDI pushed the limits of demolition engineering to bring down the towering giant. It was a shot at a world record, but it could also end up being a world-class disaster.
The documentary ‘World Record Tower Demolition’ captures the intensity of this challenge, the complexity of the engineering involved and the dedication of the CDI team. It’s a must-watch for anyone interested in engineering marvels and the power of innovation.
