The Kaserne Building is seen in Johannesburg, 13 May 2022. The five-storey building is set to be imploded on Sunday morning, by the Phoenecian Group, after the building was condemned last year and deemed structurally unsafe following a number of fires. Photo: The Citizen/Michel Bega
The Karsene building in Johannesburg is set for demolition on Sunday, 15 May 2022. The event will be live-streamed on social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.
The Department of Housing is expected to lead the process after the building was condemned last year due to structural damage from a fire that broke out at least three times on separate occasions.
“Due to the numerous fires that broke out, it has then compromised the safety of the building thus the decision to implode the building which will then be used for the purpose of redevelopment,” said the City of Joburg in a statement.
The Department has appointed Phoenecian Group, which is a dynamic demolition, civil, building, and geotechnical specialist to lead the demolition processes.
The five-storey building came under the spotlight following the fire, which killed nine people.
The department of housing has taken a lead in the inner-city rejuvenation programme.
“The Kaserne implosion is a step closer to reviving the inner city and this will boost investor confidence.
“We acknowledge that there are more resources that need to be injected to rejuvenate the inner city and we will welcome private investments,” said the city.
The implosion will make way for a new Vertical Mixed Use (VMU) housing development that will accommodate about 2,000 families as part of the larger precinct development.
The VMU housing development, which includes a commercial and retail element, will create jobs during and post-construction.
Phoenecian had to carry out minimal ‘soft’ work within the building itself from a structural perspective, as another sub-contractor that is part of the professional team cleared out all of the internals.
“This is to ensure that these structures do not remain standing while the rest of the building collapses around it,” explained the City.
After the demolition, the service provider’s bulk earthworks division will move in to break the rubble down further so it can be reused as a platform substrate for the next stage of the overall development of the site.
The public is urged to use alternative routes as roads in surrounding areas will be temporarily closed off from 9am to 12pm.
NOW READ: Building ablaze in Joburg CBD
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