Demolition
The free-fall felling of the 25,000 ton concrete dome alone would have created over 9 billion foot-pounds of energy, sufficient to do
widespread damage given soil conditions in the area. To control vibration, CDI designed a program that would detonate small explosives
charges to soften the roof structure so it would crush on impact (consuming energy) rather than letting it fall to grade intact. The
implosion program divided explosives detonations into two distinct but integrated phases, creating a sequential collapse to spread out
the impact of debris at grade. Seating elements and ramps were pre-crushed by Aman were placed as windrows across the playing
surface, below the dome, to further assist in controlling vibration from the fall of the structure.
CDI had Aman’s drilling subcontractor drill 5,905 holes for CDI’s explosive placements in the tension and compression rings, roof ribs,
columns and support structure under the Kingdome. During loading operations, CDI laid 21.6 miles of detonating cord and placed more
than 4,700 lb. of explosives in critical locations to control the fall of the structure and reduce vibration. The explosives detonation
sequence utilized over 900 delays both to control the fall of the structure, mitigate air overpressure and to enhance fragmentation of
resultant debris.
The Kingdome
Officially known as the "King County Domed Stadium", and often referred to as
simply "The Dome", was an indoor sports and entertainment arena owned and
operated by King County, Washington. It was located at the north end of Seattle's
Industrial District, just south of Pioneer Square. The building was completed in
1976 on reclaimed tideflat land formerly occupied by the Burlington Northern and
Santa Fe Railway's freight yards. The cost to build the stadium is $67 million. The
footprint is now occupied by Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks.
History
The Mariners history at the Kingdome was relatively short. They moved in for the
start of the 1977 season, and moved out in the middle of the 1999 season. The
most memorable game occurred on October 8, 1995 when the Seattle Mariners
defeated the New York Yankees 6-5 in 11 innings in the rubber game of the
American League Division Series in front of 57,411 raucous fans. Ken Griffey Jr
scored from first on a hit, his slide into homeplate was the winning run.
