Armac Demolition and Thompsons of Prudhoe win at 2026 World Demolition Awards in Madrid

Armac Demolition has won the Best of the Best award at the 2026 World Demolition Awards in Madrid, with fellow National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) member Thompsons of Prudhoe taking the Collaboration in Demolition Award.

The NFDC said Armac Demolition also won the Civils Demolition Award, giving the UK contractor two trophies on the night. Thompsons of Prudhoe had said the ceremony would take place in Madrid on 5 November.

Thompsons of Prudhoe's award came for the demolition of the former Coursington, Allan and Draffen Towers in Motherwell. The three 20-storey blocks were brought down by controlled explosive blowdown on 7 December 2025, the company said.

Paul Turbitt, Demolition Project Manager at Thompsons of Prudhoe, said: "Delivering a safe and successful blowdown of these towers required outstanding teamwork".

The Motherwell blowdown

Turbitt said 4,120 charges and 135kg of explosives were installed for the blowdown, according to the council's release, which said the demolition was carried out by Thompsons of Prudhoe. The towers were built between 1969 and 1970 and together provided 351 homes, according to the council.

About 20,000 tonnes of rubble and debris were to be removed from the site after the blowdown, the council said, with plans in development for new homes on the cleared land.

Councillor Michael McPake, Convener of Housing at North Lanarkshire Council, said: "Today marks the end of an era for Motherwell's skyline, but it also represents progress."

The NFDC's winners list names Thompsons of Prudhoe's partners on the entry as North Lanarkshire Council, Perses Group and PDC Explosives Engineering. Thompsons of Prudhoe's own shortlist announcement described the job as delivered in close partnership with North Lanarkshire Council, Perses and Precision Demolition Company.

PDC Explosives Engineering, also of the UK, won the Explosive Demolition Award in its own right, according to the NFDC list.

Innovation awards for tools and plant

Two innovation categories went to European manufacturers. Plattner of Austria won Innovation: Tools and Attachments, while P. Olesen & Sønner of Denmark won Innovation: Plant and Equipment for a mobile brick cleaning machine.

Plattner has developed and produced wire saws, wire saw accessories and special machines since 1994, according to the company.

Other winners

The NFDC said 13 categories were contested. Despe of Italy took the Environmental Award, the Safety and Training Award and the Urban Demolition Award. Cardem of France won Contract of the Year under US$1m, Grant Mackay of the US won Contract of the Year over US$1m, and DEMEX of Australia won the Recycling Award.

The NFDC congratulated both of its winning members and every member whose work reached the shortlists. The shortlist was announced by Demolition & Recycling International on 25 August 2026, with five NFDC members among the nominees.

Background

Thompsons of Prudhoe previously won at the World Demolition Awards in Toronto in 2023 for clearing the former Redcar steelworks, a £24.5m job. Nick Shilling, Managing Director, said at the time that the team had delivered one of Europe's largest demolition schemes to date.