Phoenecian demolishes multi-storey structure

By Leila Steed18 May 2022

Demolition and recycling specialist Phoenecian has demolished a five-storey building in Johannesburg, South Africa, using explosives.

The Kaserne building, which was condemned by city authorities last year after it suffered a fire that claimed the lives of nine people, was brought down in just four seconds by 783 non-electronic detonators.

Midrand-based Phoenecian carried out the implosion for the Johannesburg Social Housing Company, which is part of the City of Johannesburg council.  imploded the structure  the five-storey building and prepare the site for its proposed redevelopment.

Sne’ Khanyile, contracts manager at Phoenecian, said: “We have carried out work for the CoJ before. Implosion is a demolition technique especially well-suited for this type of pre-existing structure.

“The demolition expert had to conduct minimal ‘soft’ work within the building itself from a structural perspective. This included pre-weakening certain structural elements such as the lift shafts and stairwells to ensure the successful implosion on the day.

According to Sne’, the demolition project required three months of planning and preparation, which included the pre-weakening of key structures, such as stairwells, prior to the blow down.

Phoenecian’s demolition and earthworks division has no begun further works at the site to break up the rubble and ready the site for redevelopment. 

Johannesburg’s Kaserne building set for implosion South Africa’s Phoenecian Group to handle blow down of fire-damaged five-storey structure

Latest News
Detailing historical monument moving
Statue and monument moving requires highly sensitive rigging and an extreme attention to detail.
Bigge purchases first all-electric crawler crane in West Coast
The company acquired the all-electric crane to provide an environmentally conscious heavy-lifting solution.
BRADEN unveils new synthetic rope
The TRS Synthetic Rope is engineered and tested to complement TR Series Planetary Recovery Winches.