5 Wild Facts About Demolishing High-Rises in Dallas

5 Wild Facts About Demolishing High-Rises in Dallas

When a towering structure disappears from the Dallas skyline, it isn’t by accident. Taking down a high-rise takes planning, science, and a serious amount of coordination. Demolition work in a fast-growing city like Dallas follows a detailed playbook, built for safety and built to meet urban challenges. If you think demolishing a building is all about swinging steel or chaotic explosions, these five wild facts are here to shake that idea up.

1. Wrecking Balls Are Basically Obsolete

The classic wrecking ball still comes to mind for most people, but it's almost never used on high-rise buildings. In Dallas, contractors rely on high-reach excavators or controlled demolition using timed explosives. These methods are much better suited for a busy city where space is tight and safety is the top priority.

Wrecking balls are unpredictable and harder to control. Modern equipment and planning allow buildings to come down in a way that limits risk to nearby properties and infrastructure.

Turns out Miley Cyrus got it wrong, at least when it comes to Dallas.

2. Implosions Take Detailed Planning

Explosives are used in high-rise demolitions, but not randomly. Each charge is placed and timed with incredible care, down to fractions of a second. Crews run digital simulations of the entire building to map out how the collapse should happen and identify risks before anything is set in motion. The actual event may last only a few seconds, but the planning can stretch out for months.

One well-known example is the 2019 implosion of the Affiliated Computer Services building in downtown Dallas. The demolition was fast and dramatic. The dust cleared before most people had finished their coffee.

3. Dallas Has to Worry About Underground Infrastructure

Demolition work in Dallas has to take what’s underground into account. Below the surface are gas lines, water mains, DART tunnels, and telecom cables that keep the city running. A mistake above ground could easily create major problems below it.

To avoid that, demolition crews work closely with city engineers, utility companies, and transit agencies. Plans are checked and re-checked to keep public systems intact while the structure comes down.

4. Asbestos and Lead Are Still a Thing

Older high-rises in Dallas often contain asbestos, lead paint, or other banned materials that require removal. Heavy equipment doesn't get started until abatement is complete. This process involves trained crews wearing protective gear and following specific safety procedures to remove hazardous materials from the site.

It adds both time and cost to the project. But city regulations make it clear that safety and compliance come first. In this case, the rules are strict for a reason, and demolition crews follow them closely.

5. Salvage Comes Before Smash

Demolition in Dallas often starts with material recovery. Before a single wall comes down, crews sort through the structure to remove anything worth saving. That can include copper wiring, steel framing, light fixtures, or marble panels. This process helps reduce waste and can lower overall project costs.

In some cases, items pulled from well-known Dallas buildings are reused in new construction or sold as premium architectural salvage. These materials can carry historical value or unique design features that make them desirable for future builds.

The next time you see dust rising over downtown, just remember: that's not chaos—it's choreography.