World Demolition Awards Shortlist - Contract of the Year over US$1 million

Congratulations to the following companies who made the Contract of the Year over US$1 million shortlist.

Contract of the Year over US$1 million

American DND

COUNTRY: US

PROJECT: West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Phase 1 A Decommissioning - Facilities Dispositioning

CLIENT: CH2M Hill BWXT West Valley LLC (CHBWV) [Prime contractor to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)]

STATEMENT:

Photo: American DND

From 2011 to 2025, American DND was part of the original teaming organization, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, LLC, contracted with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to perform decommissioning and facility dispositioning at the West Valley Disposal Project (WVDP), the site of the nation’s only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant.

American DND provided our unique demolition and decommissioning (D&D) expertise, personnel, equipment, and services to perform and support the safe demolition of structures and facilities at WVDP.

We supported planning and development of D&D plans, work sequencing, scheduling, and coordination, enabling best practices and lessons learned shared across the complex.

This project included the first-ever open-air demolition of a DOE site vitrification facility (10,000 square feet), accomplished using a real-time radiological monitoring system providing instantaneous readings, absolute control over demolition operations, and proactive mitigation of potential spread of contamination.

Over our tenure of more than 330,000 hours worked over the 14 years, American DND successfully demolished 100,000-plus square feet of above- and below-ground contaminated and potentially contaminated facilities, structures, and foundations without a single safety incident.

Demolitions required equipment with specialty attachments to demolish heavily reinforced containment structures of up to six-foot-thick concrete and to achieve below-grade excavations down to 25 feet. We also performed contaminated soil remediation and site restoration to help advance the site toward closure.

Our crews used specialty, custom American DND–designed dust-suppression equipment and techniques, including our innovative turbine high-lift contamination-control system, to mitigate worker risk and substantially reduce exposure, through the system’s remote-operation capability.

Brandenburg

COUNTRY: US

PROJECT: Ford - DIG Powerhouse Demolition

CLIENT: Ford - Devon Industrial Group

STATEMENT:

Photo: Brandenburg

Brandenburg Industrial Service Company, in collaboration with Devon Industrial Group (DIG), safely and successfully completed the abatement and demolition of the historical Ford Rouge Power Plant inside Ford & Cleveland Cliffs sprawling River Rouge Complex.

The massive steel and brick structure powered the production of the expansive River Rouge Complex from 1921 until the power plant suffered a tragic explosion in 1999.

In 2024, Brandenburg along with DIG, was contracted to perform the abatement and demolition of the power plant and the remaining towering eight boilers.

With exposure to the elements for over 20 years, a significant environmental clean up and abatement effort was undertaken to prepare the power plant for demolition.

With active utilities near the demolition zone, both below and above grade, supporting ongoing Ford and Cleveland Cliffs operations, meticulous planning and protections were put in place to proceed with the demolition work. Eight historical arches were identified and salvaged to be used later at the Henry Ford Museum.

A combination of conventional methods involving torch work and cables to pull over the turbine hall structures and the East boilers along with mechanical methods used to demolish the West boilers.

In excess of 20,000 tons of steel was recovered for recycling. Brandenburg’s crew of over 50 employees contributed over 71,000 hours to complete this complex and intricate project on time, on budget and with zero safety incidents.

Colemans

COUNTRY: England

PROJECT: University of Oxford - Science Area Campus

CLIENT: University of Oxford

STATEMENT:

Photo: Colemans

Oxford University is one of the world’s most famous academic institutions, dating back to 1096. The university manages a portfolio of over 250 builds / establishments, most with significant historical interest and significance.

As a recognised specialist in the industry, Colemans were appointed by Oxford University to plan, coordinate and complete the complex de-build, demolition, stripping and associated alteration works on 2 of the Science Area buildings, Le Gors Clark and Sherrington at the same time during the academic term.

The Science Area campus is located centrally to Oxford and both buildings in question are surrounded on all sides by other live academic buildings and the world famous Pitt Rovers Museum and Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Colemans scope of works included both traditional stripping off all deleterious materials in Le Gros Clarke and the sensitive deconstruction, dismantling and stilling of isolated areas of the building at Sherrington.

During works on the Sherrington Building, 80% of the buildings offices, lecture halls and communal spaces had to remain operational. To overcome this a bespoke designed temporary roof was designed and installed allowing this works to progress without disruption or damage from the weather.

During the 9 month programme on site, Colemans ensured our contracted scope was completed without delaying or impacting student studies, allowing the 4000 daily visitors to enjoy their time at Oxford University.

During our period on site, Colemans removed 2,800 tonnes of waste from site whilst maintaining a recycling / reuse rate of 99.62 %.

Demex

COUNTRY: Australia

PROJECT: Kalamia Sugar Mill Stacks Demolition

CLIENT: EDMS / Wilmar Sugar

STATEMENT:

Photo: Demex

DEMEX contracted with EDMS Australia to undertake demolition of two boiler stacks reaching 74 and 65 metres at Wilmer Sugar’s Kalamia Mill in Ayr, North Queensland, over 1,270 kilometres from DEMEX headquarters.

The two phase project presented numerous challenges to meet a hard deadline assuring demolition of two stacks would be completed, and a replacement stack constructed, before the new season crush.

Program of works commenced with inhouse engineering design and fabrication of a unique work platform for the 2.1 tonne Brokk demolition robot to be suspended over the stack by a 150 and 180 tonne crawler crane to facilitate top down demolition.

Working 24/7 to bring both aged stacks to ground required carefully synchronised communication between crane and robot operators, a challenge complicated by the inability to sense pressure, vibration, and depth. Any miscommunication could have been catastrophic.

Given the demands of completing works on ground and at heights in a live facility, integration of client and DEMEX safety systems to assure worker safety and regulatory compliance was critical. The record of zero safety incidents on this challenging assignment is testament to DEMEX’s professionalism.

Despite works continuing through seasonal Christmas closures, extreme summer heat, humidity, and cyclonic weather, including severe flooding events which impacted site access and program, the DEMEX team remained focused and composed, and met all project milestones.

Achieving a first for the asset owner, DEMEX innovated to complete works safely, ahead of schedule, on budget, and salvaged 90% of recyclable materials. (245)

Lindamood

COUNTRY: US

PROJECT: Demolition of the Frank Erwin Center

CLIENT: SpawGlass Constructors, Inc.

STATEMENT:

Photo: Lindamood

The demolition of the Frank Erwin Center redefined what’s possible in complex, urban deconstruction. Located at the heart of Austin’s medical and academic district, this 500,000+ sqft, six-story arena was surrounded by hospitals, highways, and the active University of Texas campus—making traditional implosion or heavy demo unworkable.

Lindamood, SpawGlass, and UT Austin formed an integrated team from project conception through completion, prioritizing stakeholder engagement, transparency, and safety above all else.

Strict engineering controls meant only compact equipment could be used for all interior and elevated demolition, preserving structural integrity and protecting critical infrastructure. Exterior and ground-level work relied on high reach excavators, 80K-150K support excavators, tractor trailers, roll-off containers, and carefully managed sequencing.

The project set a new benchmark with one of the largest engineered open-span mechanical drops on record, executed without incident or disruption.

Over 69,000 tons of debris were removed—86% of it recycled via off-site processing, with digital tracking (Procore, HCSS) ensuring full documentation for UT’s “living laboratory” sustainability study.

All work was completed ahead of schedule, under budget, and with zero safety incidents or interruptions to hospital or university operations.

The Frank Erwin Center project exemplified collaborative problem-solving, technical innovation, and community-first values. Transparent communication, campus walk-throughs, and ongoing updates transformed the demolition into a public teachable moment.

By working as one team, Lindamood and its partners paved the way for the next generation of healthcare, education, and sustainable construction in Texas.