wired: History venerates the builders of great bridges, dams, and towers. But rare are commemorative plaques for the un-builders—those charged with the equally heroic task of dismantling those grand structures, once they become dowdy, obsolete, or downright dangerous. Herewith, five case studies in the art of mega-destruction—starting with the old, seismically shaky eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. Also: remodeling NASA’s rocket assembly building, scrapping the world’s longest aircraft carrier, recycling a supercomputer, and moving a river to remove a dam. [MORE: The Dangerous Art of Tearing Down Bridges, Dams, and Aircraft Carriers]
