No Room for Error

November 18, 2025

When a company in Chesapeake, Virginia, needed to remove an aging concrete silo, it turned to NDA member East Coast Demolition (ECD) to execute a precise, controlled demolition. The 120-foot-tall structure, once used to store coal for a boiler plant, had become obsolete, occupying valuable space and posing a possible safety risk as it aged. However, its proximity to other assets — just 15 feet from a live boiler plant and an auxiliary water tank — made the project uniquely challenging.

“There was a lot of activity around the silo, including an adjacent train rail line and an active plant,” says Ricky Webb, chief operating officer of ECD. The company wanted to maintain the integrity of current operations while ensuring the ongoing safety of its employees.

A Trusted Partner for a Difficult Job

ECD was chosen for the job due to its extensive experience with similar high-risk demolitions. “ECD was called in because of the complexity of the project and because we were a trusted partner,” Webb says. “We had completed projects for this client in the past and had a proven track record for removing silos near live infrastructure. We also owned and operated a lot of our equipment, so we could control schedule and costs.”

The project began in June 2024 and took approximately three weeks to complete. Given the height and the tight confines of the site, ECD opted for a combined demolition strategy, utilizing both high-reach and robotic demolition equipment.

The Complex Top-Down Demolition Strategy

The demolition plan was anything but standard. At the top of the silo sat a 30-foot-wide, 25-foot-deep steel cone hopper, still attached inside. It also featured a concrete lid and a conveyor system, all of which had to be safely removed before the structure could be taken down.

“This created the complexity to the top-down demolition methods,” Webb says. “All the weight and this hopper were in the top 25 feet of the silo where the high reach could not reach. So, we had to figure out how to get that all out safely and without having any access to the inside of the silo.”

Without as-built drawings to show exactly how the cone was attached, the team had to proceed carefully, making real-time adjustments as they worked downward.

ECD brought in Concor Inc. from Greenville, North Carolina, to handle robotic demolition using a Husqvarna DXR 300, while ECD crews focused on cutting and torching the steel components. “Teaming up with them allowed ECD to focus on torching out the cone and detaching it from the silo while the DXR chewed into the concrete lid and sides to expose the attachment points of the cone for ECD to cut,” Webb says.

The Step-by-Step Process

1. Concrete lid removal: The DXR 300 began breaking apart the concrete lid at the top, with the material funneling down into the steel cone below.
2. Cone disassembly: Once the concrete debris became too large to fit through the funnel, the team torched off the bottom quarter of the cone and conveyor system.
3. Exposing the steel ring: As the DXR continued removing concrete, a steel support ring holding the cone in place was revealed. The ECD crew methodically cut the ring in sections, allowing the DXR to continue its controlled demolition below.
4. Containing debris: “All materials were removed in a manner that fell within the silo to help contain all debris, keeping 95% of the material within the footprint,” Webb says.
5. Transition to high-reach demolition: Once the structure was reduced to 100 feet, ECD’s Volvo EC480HR high-reach excavator took over, processing the concrete into small, manageable pieces to minimize the impact of falling debris. A crane held a 20-foot by 60-foot debris curtain to ensure material remained within the footprint.
6. Final cleanup: At 40 feet, the Volvo 300SB finished the demolition, handling foundation removal and load-out.

Equipment and Crew Expertise

The demolition required a well-coordinated mix of equipment, including:

• Volvo EC480HR high-reach excavator – Used for precision demolition from 100 feet down
• Husqvarna DXR 300 – Handled top-down robotic demolition
• Volvo 300SB – Managed the lower demolition, load-out and cleanup
• 80-ton crane – Held the demo robot and man basket for safe operation
• 150-foot boom lift – Allowed personnel to oversee and control demolition operations

ECD’s five-person crew executed the plan while ensuring the live infrastructure below remained undisturbed.

Overcoming Unexpected Challenges

The greatest hurdle was the unknown nature of the silo’s attachments. “The cone being attached to the top of the silo with no as-builts or way to really know how it was secured was the biggest challenge, as well as unknown weights,” Webb says. “We couldn’t see the cone until the concrete lid was removed.”

A high level of pre-inspection, engineering and planning went into the project before work began. The confined space and the necessity of keeping the plant operational meant every move had to be calculated.

A Safe and Sustainable Outcome

Despite the complexities, ECD completed the job without incident. “We consider it very successful,” Webb says. “We had no collateral damage, no injuries and we did not create any delays or downtime within the plant.”

Even better, the entire demolition was completed with sustainability in mind. “100% of the concrete, steel and soils were recycled,” Webb says.

Beyond the technical success, the project served as a valuable learning experience for the team. “Our crews showed that they can adapt and overcome unknown complexities within short time frames, all while safely working toward the end goal.”

For ECD, this project reinforced its reputation as a go-to demolition contractor for high-risk, high-precision jobs. With innovation and expertise, the company proved once again that even the most challenging structures can be safely brought down — one careful cut at a time.