17-storey office tower implosion taped from nearby balcony

03-08-2008 A piece of Birmingham's concrete past was consigned to the history books with the demolition of a 17-storey office tower at Edgbaston Shopping Centre. The 52-metre tall structure stood as a gateway to the city centre at Five Ways since the 1960s. But on Sunday, in a matter of seconds and amid a plume of dust, it was razed to the ground to make way for a 110 million retail and leisure development. About 90kg of explosives was used in the "blowdown" of Calthorpe House, creating some 10,000 tonnes of debris. Crowds of residents and other spectators gathered outside the exclusion zone to witness the building's dramatic last moments.