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ANSWER TO A SPECIFIC NEED This controlled demolition technique refers to a specific need: when a building has to collapse as close as possible to its footprint to minimize physical damage to its immediate surroundings. DISAMBIGUATION The term ''Building Implosion'' can be misleading to Laymen , although its name includes the word ''implosion'', it is not an Implosion phenomenon. Implosion occurs when the difference between internal to external pressure is such that a structure collapses on itself. When external pressure on a structure is greater enough than its internal pressure, the structures implodes. The building implosion technique does not rely on the difference between internal and external pressure to pull the building down, but simply on the effect of Gravitational Pull . HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Building implosion is part of the Demolition industry history which itself depends directly on Explosives history. Earliest documented attempt to a "building implosion" demolition is the razing of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Waterford Ireland . This 1773 event involved 150 pounds of Gunpowder , a Low Velocity Explosive . Although it is not clear to which extent this attempt was successful in lowering collateral damage, the demolition was a successThe Irish Times reported that the structure "succumbed to a deafening boom, and was instantly reduced to rubble." quoted from "A History of Structural Demolition in America" by author Brent L. Blanchard With the first Skyscraper s being built and Dynamite , which is a high-velocity explosive, being made available in the 1900's, other considerations for the use of explosive demolition of building emerged: the safety of workers and spectators and limiting collateral damage to surroundings. This is the starting point of experimental research that will eventually lead to building implosion technique being developed. Profiting from dynamite advantages and borrowing from techniques used in rock-blasting such as delaying detonation and use of several smaller charges instead of a massive one, demolition moved towards more and more efficient building implosion results. Soon after the end of World War II European military experts had gathered enough practical knowledge and experience in demolition to be able to bring down large structures in dense urban area with no harm to adjacent properties. A History of Structural Demolition in America" by author Brent L. Blanchard" The post-WW2 period saw the emerging of a demolition industry, which grew during the second half of the twentieth century to come to maturation, in the meantime research conducted to improve high explosives efficiency see RDX for more details and non-electrical firing systems were developed. These combined to make this period of time an extensive use of the building implosion technique. This evolution in mastering controlled demolition lead to the world record Seattle Kingdome is the world's largest structure by volume to have been demolished by explosives.[http://www.controlled-demolition.com/default.asp?reqLocId=4] demolition of the Seattle Kingdome on March 26 2000 [http://www.controlled-demolition.com/default.asp?reqLocId=7&reqItemId=20030317140323 details and video availaible on www.controlled-demolition.com website] FOOTNOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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