Demolition and Explosive Demolition
in the Scottish Highlands
After an eight-way competitive tender, Hunter Demolition was appointed by BSW Timber to demolish the ex-Arjo Wiggins paper mill in Fort William which they had purchased to be the site of their new sawmill.
This was a large and complex project where scheduling and flexibility – and the vagaries of a Highland winter - were key factors. We had a tight deadline to enable our client to begin their new build.
Ten buildings had to be demolished. They were a mixture of concrete frame or metal frame construction and in many places had floors 0.5 metre thick and foundations 1.5 metres deep. The buildings also contained extensive asbestos throughout, which was removed by our Asbestos Removal Division.
We used explosive demolition to fell the 64-metre high, 3,500 tonne powerhouse into a small target area. Below is a video of the blowdown.
Please note that this video contains sound. You may wish to adjust the volume on your speakers before playing it.
In the final phase of the project, we crushed and screened 40,000 tonnes of concrete and masonry to Type 1 specification for re-use in the new build.
With Ben Nevis as a backdrop in the east – and our removal of the paper mill with its iconic powerhouse from the town’s western horizon - nowhere else has our strapline ‘creating new horizons’ been more apt.
