Dundee company Safedem will play a central role at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by blowing up five of the six remaining Red Road tower blocks.
The biggest demolition event of its kind in Europe will be beamed live to a ceremony at Celtic Park on a 100-metre screen and to an estimated global TV audience of more than one billion people.
Safedem, one of the world’s leading demolition and dismantling companies, are renowned for their ability to perform technically complicated projects under the watchful gaze of large audiences.
This was witnessed in Dundee last year with the demolition of the Derby Street multis on a restricted built-up site and the “munching down” of Tayside House.
On its starring role at the games curtain raiser on July 23, managing director William Sinclair said: “It is Safedem’s job to bring the buildings at Red Road down safely and successfully.
“To achieve this we will be implementing our tried and tested planning and coordination procedures, developed over the past 20 years, that have already been successfully applied on two previous Red Road demolitions.
“For Safedem this is very much business as usual.”
Five of the six remaining Red Road blocks will be blown up in just 15 seconds under controlled conditions using more than 1,250kg of explosives.
Eileen Gallagher, independent director on the Glasgow 2014 board and chairman of the ceremonies, culture and Queen’s baton relay committee, said: “By sharing the final moments of the Red Road flats with the world as part of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow is proving it is a city that is proud of its history but doesn’t stand still. A city that is constantly regenerating, renewing and re-inventing itself.
“Glasgow’s story is always one of its people; their tenacity, their genuine warmth, their ambitions. Marking the end of Red Road is very much a celebration of all of those things.”
The Red Road flats were the highest in Europe at 89 metres when built 50 years ago. Originally there were eight, two have already been demolished and the remaining one is being used by asylum seekers.
They were designed for 4,700 residents but their popularity waned and they slipped into decline and appeared in that context as the setting for a Scottish BAFTA-winning film.
Council leader Gordon Matheson said: “The opening ceremony will be like no other, showcasing our city’s unique style and personality. We are going to wow the world, with the demolition of the Red Road flats set to play a starring role.”
David Zolkwer, artistic director for Glasgow 2014, said: “Over the course of just a few seconds the city’s skyline will be transformed forever.
Scotland’s Commonwealth Games Minister Shona Robison said: “For many people, these games are more than sport, they are a chance for regeneration, renewal and having better places to live and work.”