# Do they still demolish buildings with cranes and wrecking balls?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 2, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099 "2026-08-02T19:18:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099/21 "2026-08-03T22:07:18Z")

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Taking down 1 or even 3 story buildings is time for the big jaws on tracks and some dump trucks to haul debris. So simple.

Taking down a 5, 10, 30, or 75 story building are each vastly different propositions from that ~~low-~~ non- rise stuff.

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**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099/22 "2026-08-04T12:01:14Z")

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The guy using that HUGE Cat long reach at the top has the coolest job in the world. I’ve used track hoes. But holy cow.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099/23 "2026-08-04T17:56:25Z")

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How about [Acme building disintegrators](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80UjzxfNugs)? Have those caught on yet?

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**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099/24 "2026-08-05T21:29:45Z")

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> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Why don’t they dismantle a building by just taking it apart piece-by-piece in the opposite order that they mantled it in the first place?

I saw a video recently about Japan demolishing a skyscraper (in Tokyo, probably, or some other huge city with little space between buildings), where they took it apart one floor at a time from the top down. After first creating a big chute in the middle they could toss the debris down, with trucks on the first floor ready to haul it all out. The time-lapse was pretty cool to watch. Not quite “piece-by-piece” but still pretty interesting, I thought. The buildings and streets around it were completely undisturbed.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099/25 "2026-08-06T02:55:34Z")

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There’s no need to create a vertical chute; they can just reuse one of the elevator shafts after removing the cab and machinery.

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**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099/26 "2026-08-06T18:09:18Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> How about [Acme building disintegrators](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80UjzxfNugs)? Have those caught on yet?

Still in beta testing. Let’s just say I am not impressed:

[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3X2ALG9iGPg/hqdefault.jpg "Disintegration Pistol") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X2ALG9iGPg)

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