The end of an era has come for Napier with the demolition of the city council’s 55-year-old Civic building getting underway this week.
The demolition of the building is being carried out by Ceres New Zealand.
Napier City Council’s Acting Executive Director of Community Services, Darran Gillies, says Ceres New Zealand was engaged for the works as the company fulfilled Council’s criteria of working in an environmentally sound and cost effective way.
“Ceres will use demolition techniques that ensure we maximise our ability to recycle old building materials such as timber and concrete,” said Mr Gillies.
The demolition has begun with the safe removal of asbestos to allow the interior strip-out of the building. Once the building interior has been removed, Council says large demolition excavators will work from the south of the building to the north, demolishing the building’s structure from the top down.
The method ensures that the new building will achieve a Green Star 5 rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council, said Mr Gillies. A 5-star rating represents New Zealand excellence in a healthy and sustainable building.
“Our priority is ensuring that the Civic building is demolished in a way that ensures value for money for our ratepayers with the added benefits of being environmentally responsible,” he said.
“For our new library building to achieve a Green Star 5 rating, it must take into account the demolition of what previously stood there.”
The Civic building was constructed in 1967 and vacated in 2017, along with the library and adjoining tower, when the buildings were discovered to not meet earthquake safety regulations.
A new library and civic area is planned for the site, with development of a detailed design set to begin later this year.