CEBU, Philippines - The management of Gaisano Capital wants to demolish the entire building after finding out that the fourth to seventh floors have already caved in. The mall was gutted by fire two days before Christmas.
The management has applied for a permit to demolish and is submitting to the findings of the city government’s engineering department which said in a report that the building might collapse anytime because the fire last December 23 that lasted for more than eight hours could have possibly penetrated the reinforcing steel and caused it to shrink.
The shrinking of the reinforcement steel could “debond” it from the concrete and lessen the concrete’s tensile strength, according to the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW).
Eric Labrada, Gaisano Capital’s liaison officer, said the company’s structural engineer is yet to investigate and assess the building’s structural integrity but since the city government has already completed its report, the mall management decided to no longer wait for the assessment of its own engineer. Labrada said he has already secured a form for the permit to demolish from the Office of the Building Official. He said they comply with all the requirements the soonest possible time.
“We want to demolish the whole building because the owners want a new building to rise in the area,” Labrada said.
Mayor Michael Rama reminded the company that time is of the essence in bringing things back to normal along the Colon and Leon Kilat streets because there are many establishments there whose businesses are affected by the situation.
While the building still stands, there is always a possibility for accidents that may put in danger the people that pass the area or those staying within the vicinity.
Rama met with all the affected establishments yesterday and discussed with them the possibility of evacuation once demolitions starts.
“What’s important is we do something that will not compromise the safety of the public and will not prejudice all,” Rama said.
He said that the people working in the surrounding establishments may suffer from respiratory disease due to dust if the establishments stay in business while demolition is in progress.
Rama instructed the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) to formulate an effective traffic plan within the area when the demolition begins.
Engineer Ariel de la Cruz, DEPW’s structural engineer, said in his structural assessment report on the Gaisano Capital Building that half or one lane of the roads along Leon Kilat and Colon may be open to traffic. These are the lanes across the building.
Only one lane may be open to traffic for the meantime because the building must be provided a five-meter easement to give way to the demolition works that would include removal of cement plaster and other debris.
“The easement or half lane closure is for the safety of pedestrians from falling debris affected by the fire,” dela Cruz said.
The assessment conducted by dela Cruz shows that severe damage manifested on the last floor of the building including the roofing system. He said the critical portion that needs to be demolished immediately are the front main entrance façade on the upper floors, which shows highly damaged concrete frames and masonry walls. (FREEMAN)