Australian specialist demolition contractor DEMEX has been named joint winner of the 2024 World Demolition Award for Contract of the Year Under US$1 million.
Selected from a shortlist of four impressive projects, the task involved the clean-up of Wild Duck Island, a remote island resort on a lapsed tourism lease of 118 hectares.
Located 23 kilometres north-west of Stanage on the Central Queensland Coast, the project presented enormous challenges, requiring extensive planning and on-the-job innovative solutions.
DEMEX’s team overcame the constraints of transport by road and sea, extreme seasonal tides, cultural heritage protection requirements, environmental and degraded waste from demolition in a remote location where all accommodation, power, food, water, and communication services needed to be brought in.
The work involved the systematic demolition of 20 two-bedroom mostly derelict resort units; removal of all above ground services; a concrete batching plant, vehicles, heavy plant, trailers, plant attachments, equipment from the construction; and a bulk fuel tank.
Detailed comprehensive planning, adaptive innovations and a dedicated solutions-oriented team of six ensured successful, safe completion of demolition of structures and facilities on Wild Duck Island in keeping with client QBuild’s extensive regulatory requirements.
About the Awards:
The annual event celebrates the most outstanding achievements in the demolition sector, showcasing projects that set new benchmarks in innovation, safety, and environmental stewardship.
The evening was marked by a showcase of exceptional talent and groundbreaking projects, honouring companies whose efforts have elevated industry standards.
In 2020, DEMEX won the Best New Entrant category, and since then has been shortlisted for a number of projects in the sector.