Purpose-led demolition: how clear contracts ensure safe, sustainable projects

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Demolition isn’t really about tearing down buildings or structures, or recycling materials – it’s about clearing the way for something better.

To thrive, you need contracts that are as precise and purposeful as the work you do.

Everyone on the project needs to know what success looks like. For example, in 2022 the Redcar Blast Furnace was demolished after years of preparation and research.

This furnace was a local industrial landmark since the 1970s, dominating the skyline at over 110m tall and a powerful symbol of the area’s manufacturing strength.

Demolishing it was a huge challenge for the team, not simply because site constraints meant they couldn’t bring in heavy equipment, or because of hazardous materials across the site; the team also had to manage the depth of local feeling.

This project is a great example of deliberate, engineering-led precision and purpose. It was not about blasting away the past… it was preparing the site for future use.

It required the whole project team to understand and focus on the project’s objective.

Why every demolition project needs a clear goal

The phrase ‘fit for purpose’ is commonly bandied as if we all understood exactly what it means. But it needs to be used with care in contracts.

If we consider a project to develop a new engineering plant, the phrase ‘fit for purpose’ is a byword for ensuring that the completed plant can achieve its required goal – whether that is generating a target power output, manufacturing a specific number of widgets per hour or producing an end product to a specific chemical formula.

Regrettably, this phrase regularly pops up in construction and demolition contracts without the same level of clarity as to what it means.

Fitness for purpose is generally interpreted as a strict obligation; so it doesn’t matter how much skill and care you apply during the project, all that matters is whether the end product meets its stated purpose. Does it do what it said on the tin?

That’s why it’s vital to be specific — not just about what will be done, but why it’s being done, and how success will be judged. Broad phrases look fine on paper but become expensive battlegrounds when expectations diverge.

Naturally with demolition or recycling the purpose needs to be specified, rather than left to be assumed or as a general idea.

Your agreement needs to set out what success looks like, to describe the shared project vision, as well as the future uses of the recycled materials or site.

If the project has sustainability targets, then waste indicators and recovery standards need to be agreed early and collaboratively.

Try agreeing to those objectives early with all key contributors — including subcontractors, plant suppliers, and consultants. If it’s measurable, it’s manageable.

How clear contracts prevent disputes

This purpose-led approach for a project is not second-nature to all the stakeholders on a demolition or recycling project.

Letting one party set the project’s objectives or targets brings with it a real risk that they are one-sided, technically impossible, ambiguous, vague or ill-defined.

For example, an outcome-based contract stating that the contractor will ‘maximise recycling and minimise environmental impact’ creates targets which are neither measurable nor helpful.

Neither the contractor nor the client has the means of knowing if the contractor has complied with its obligations.

There are numerous examples in the English courts of contractors being sued for failing to meet technical specifications which turned out to be impossible; and yet, because those standards were in the contract, they have to pay for failing to meet them.

If we take an engineering approach, your contract can set out jointly agreed realistic outcomes that are objective, measurable and easily tested.

A ‘clean site’ does not meet those criteria. Some site or below-ground hazards will need a more robust remediation strategy — especially where future use demands stricter environmental or structural standards.

Remediation of a site must reflect its future use, rather than general standards. Your targets need certainty – both in the standards to be achieved and how they will be measured.

Certainty is also critical to managing expectations and to building trust with your partners.

A community-ready site

As noted at the start of this article, some projects will require you to engage with the local community.

At the Institute of Demolition Engineers UK Conference in February 2025, one contractor told a harrowing story of helping to demolish local authority-owned apartments where there had been a devastating fire.

The project team spent hours with the tenants to help respect their wish to recover whatever belongings were accessible and to listen to their stories.

Community engagement isn’t a tick-box exercise — it’s a practical strategy. If you build trust early, you reduce resistance later.

At the contentious Miramar Resort in Shanyuan Bay, Taitung County, Taiwan, indigenous activists have won a series of legal battles against the construction of a luxury hotel and consequential demolition of local housing.

The local residents were not consulted and many turned activist when they were served with eviction notices.

The developer had not carried out a proper environmental review and this has resulted in legal battles which have lasted over 10 years… so far.

Community elements are deliverables, not extras.

The cost of misalignment: lessons from dust, recycling, and reputations

Misalignment leads to delays, disputes and damage – both compensation to be paid and reputational damage.

Dust Disaster: In 2020, Hilco Redevelopment Partners demolished a former coal stack in Little Village, Chicago, USA, triggering a public health outcry. Despite planning conditions and agreements requiring dust control, the implosion sent a massive plume across residential blocks during a pandemic lockdown.

The contractors had to respond to investigations, issue a public apology, deal with clean-up costs and try to repair its reputation. It really should have done more to meet those dust control measures that it had promised. In 2024, the contractor was ordered to pay over $12m damages to the residents.

Missed Recycling Targets: A 2015 study into construction and demolition projects in Dubai found that contractual promises to recycle waste were often missed in practice.

Despite high awareness of sustainability goals, most contractors simply dumped mixed waste rather than segregating and recycling materials – undermining both compliance and trust.

Whether it’s a missing permit, a community not consulted, or a scope that doesn’t match the future use, demolition without alignment costs more than anyone budgets for.

None of these projects failed because the demolition crew or project team lacked competence. They failed because the outcomes weren’t aligned, defined, or delivered.

Aligned teams mean successful projects

As a demolition professional, you pride yourself on precision and control. Your contract should reflect these values.

When everyone knows what the site is for, what’s being asked, and what the risks are, you are on the path to success.

Whilst success creates a happy client, you will also find the job itself becomes not just manageable, but meaningful.

So, take a look at your next demolition contract. Does it just say what to remove — or does it describe what you’re enabling?

About the author

Based in the UK, Sarah Fox is a contract expert with over 30 years’ experience in the construction and engineering sectors.

A former lawyer, she works with both UK and international clients and is an associate lecturer at the University of Salford.

Sarah specialises in creating concise, user-friendly contracts that promote clarity and reduce disputes. She is also the author of several books on construction law, including the ground-breaking industry title Small Works Contracts in Just 500 Words.