Gone in 4 seconds
KASERNE BUILDING: DEMOLISHER USED TECHNIQUE SUITABLE FOR THIS KIND OF STRUCTURE
The Kaserne building was imploded in Johannesburg yesterday. It took 783 non-electronic detonators and just four seconds for the building to be flattened. It was condemned last year due to structural damage from a fire that broke out at least three times on separate occasions.
Before the detonation, the building is ‘prepared’ on the inside.
It took only four seconds and 783 non-electronic detonators to bring about the successful implosion of the Kaserne building in downtown Johannesburg yesterday.
The City of Joburg (CoJ) metropolitan municipality department of housing condemned the building last year, following structural damage after a number of fires.
The implosion was undertaken by Phoenecian, appointed by Joburg Social Housing Company (Joscho), an entity of the CoJ. It worked under Mbongiseni General Services to implode the five-storey building and prepare the site for its proposed redevelopment.
“We have carried out work for the CoJ before. Implosion is a demolition technique especially well-suited for this type of pre-existing structure,” says Phoenecian’s contracts manager, Sne Khanyile.
The demolition expert had to carry out minimal “soft” work within the building from a structural perspective.
This included pre-weakening certain structural elements such as the lift shafts and stairwells to ensure the successful implosion.
“It took three months of detailed preparation and careful planning to achieve this,” said Khanyile.
Following the implosion, Phoenecian will break the rubble down further so it can be re-used as a platform substrate for the next stage of the overall development of the site.