The Institute answers
What is a demolition engineer?
The short answer
A demolition engineer plans and controls the safe taking down of buildings and structures. They work out how a structure carries its load now and part-way through removal, set the sequence and method, specify temporary works and protection for neighbours and the public, and make sure surveys, notices and CDM 2015 duties are in place before work starts.
What this rests on
- BS 6187:2011, Code of practice for full and partial demolition
- The British Standard for planning and carrying out demolition, covering surveys, method, sequence, structural stability and protection of adjoining property and the public.
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 20
- Demolition must be planned and carried out so as to prevent danger, and the arrangements recorded in writing before the work begins.
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
- Asbestos must be located before demolition, normally through a refurbishment and demolition survey, so it can be removed safely first.
- Building Act 1984, sections 80 and 81
- The local authority must usually be notified before demolition and can set conditions such as shoring and making good.
What a demolition engineer does
Taking a structure down safely is harder than putting one up. Once removal starts, a building stops behaving the way it was designed to, and every stage of the work leaves something partly supported. The demolition engineer’s job is to understand that before anyone starts, and to plan the work so nothing comes down before it is meant to.
| Stage | What the demolition engineer does |
|---|---|
| Before | Reviews drawings and surveys, including the asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey, services and the condition of the structure and its neighbours. |
| Planning | Chooses the method (by hand, by machine, high reach, deconstruction or explosives), sets the sequence, and checks the structure stays stable at each stage. |
| Temporary works | Specifies propping, shoring and support for adjoining buildings and party walls, and exclusion zones to protect the public. |
| Paperwork | Writes or reviews the method statement and demolition plan, and makes sure the Section 80 notice and CDM 2015 arrangements are in place. |
| On site | Checks the work follows the plan, deals with the unexpected, and signs off changes to the sequence. |
Where they work
Most demolition engineers work for demolition contractors, planning jobs and supervising them. Others work in consultancies advising clients and principal designers, for clients with large estates, or in decommissioning, including the nuclear sector, where structures are taken apart under strict control. Many started on site and moved into engineering; others came in from engineering or construction degrees.
How a demolition engineer differs from a structural engineer
A structural engineer designs structures to stand up. A demolition engineer plans how a structure is safely taken down, and how it behaves while partly removed. The two often work together, particularly on temporary works and partial demolition, but demolition is its own discipline with its own risks, standards and assessment.
How to tell if one is qualified
The Institute of Demolition Engineers has assessed demolition engineers since 1976. Its graded membership, from TechIDE through AMIDE and MIDE to FIDE, is earned by examination and professional interview, and every current member can be checked on the public register.
If you are appointing a demolition engineer, check the grade on the register rather than the letters on an email signature. Search the register →
Thinking of becoming one? How to become a demolition engineer →
What this does not mean
- "Demolition engineer" is not a legally protected title in the UK. Anyone can use it, which is why assessed membership and the public register matter.
- A demolition engineer does not replace the duty holders under CDM 2015. The client, principal designer and principal contractor keep their own duties.
- Specialist work such as asbestos removal, explosives and work near live services needs its own licences and competences on top of demolition engineering.
- This page describes practice in the UK. Other countries regulate demolition differently.