Brick-by-brick removal of broken wall half done

Colleen Schmidt, CTV Calgary Published Thursday, May 29, 2014 1:58PM MDT Last Updated Thursday, May 29, 2014 4:15PM MDT

Crews have reached the half-way point in the demolition of a crumbling wall at an office building in the core and city officials say a maintenance bylaw is in development to ensure the upkeep of Calgarys buildings.

Bricks started falling into the parking lot below from the east faade of a building at 608 7th Street S.W. on May 20 and firefighters and engineers were called out to assess the situation.

The wall was bowing and within a few days a large hole had opened up in the middle.

The city directed the buildings owner to hire an engineering and construction crew to safely remove the wall and work to demolish the faade brick-by-brick began on Tuesday.

The Citys Safety Response Unit continues to monitor the removal of the seven storey wall and says about 50 per cent of the bricks have been removed so far.

A temporary exterior envelope is being installed as the brick is removed and an interior wall will be put in place to protect the building from further exposure to the elements once the external cladding is done.

The city says that a maintenance bylaw is in the works to ensure the upkeep of Calgarys buildings.

We want to remind all owners and property managers that this week serves as an excellent reminder of why its so important to properly maintain your property for public safety, said Marco Civitarese, Chief Building Official with The City of Calgary. The Alberta Building Codes primary purpose is to provide safety, and to limit the probability of injury due to structural failure. Owners and property managers should perform preventative maintenance and inspections to ensure public safety and building performance.

Civitarese says owners are liable for ensuring due diligence is performed to maintain the upkeep of their buildings and that they can be fined under the current building code for creating an unsafe condition.

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Brick-by-brick removal of broken wall half done