Roche prepares for demolition of building

CLIFTON A building on the Nutley side of the Roche campus it shares with Clifton has been draped in green tarp and tagged for demolition, but those in the region will not have to worry about a massive implosion because the building is coming down one piece at a time.

STAFF PHOTO/DALE MINCEY

Roche has wrapped one of its buildings in green tarp as part of the demolition process. The building will be taken down piece by piece and the tarp is a way of keeping dust and other health hazards contained to the property as it comes down.

Roche announced in July 2012 that the company would be vacating its 127-acre Kingsland Avenue property by the end of 2015 and, while various operations have phased out between then and now, Roche spokesperson Darien Wilson said this is the first big step in moving onward.

"[The building] housed corporate functions years ago," said Wilson. "Now it's old and in disrepair. We mostly consolidated those functions a while ago into the main high-rise with the logo on it. The demolition of this building has been scheduled for some time."

The green tarp and the word 'demolition' raised red flags from people in the area who thought the building might create a ruckus by being imploded, but Wilson explained the demolition process will actually occur over time as structural pieces are taken down piece by piece.

The primary reason for having to drape the building in green tarp is for environmental concerns, Wilson said, explaining it is a way of keeping dust and other health hazards contained to the property as it comes down.

Wilson said that after the building comes down, Roche officials have been discussing the idea of putting a park where the structure once stood so as not to have an empty void on the property.

Because of its condition, this is the only building on the property currently scheduled for demolition, said Wilson, adding Roche is taking extra care of the other, newer buildings in case the new property owner wishes to use them.

"Right now this year," said Wilson when asked what the next move is for Roche, "we're transitioning many functions to other areas of the globe. All that should be done by the end of the year, along with doing environmental remediation on the site. We have also been looking for a site planner to work with Roche and with Nutley and Clifton."

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Roche prepares for demolition of building