Successful implosion of Kaserne building in Joburg
This article has been supplied.
It took only four seconds and 783 non-electronic detonators to bring about the successful implosion of the Kaserne building in downtown Johannesburg on Sunday 15 May 2022, reports Kyle Perkin, Explosives Engineer: Demolition and Earthworks Division at Phoenecian Group.
The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Metropolitan Municipality Department of Housing condemned the building last year following structural damage after a fire. The implosion was undertaken by Phoenecian, appointed by Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSCHO), an entity of the CoJ. It worked under Mbongiseni General Services cc to implode the five-storey building and prepare the site for its proposed redevelopment.
“We have carried out work for the CoJ before. Implosion is a demolition technique especially well-suited for this type of pre-existing structure,” says Phoenecian Contracts Manager Sne’ Khanyile. 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.
“It took three months of detailed preparation and careful planning to achieve this,” highlights Khanyile. Perkin concurs: “There is a huge amount of planning involved as you only have a single attempt to implode such a structure successfully.”
Following the implosion, the Phoenecian bulk earthworks division will move in to break the rubble down further so it can be reused as a platform substrate for the next stage of the overall development of the site.
“This is an excellent example of the full turnkey service we offer our clients,” says Khanyile. He concludes: “Our health and safety standards are at the centre of our business practices. We carry a 5 Star Platinum NOSA rating, a high standard that we strive to always maintain in everything we do.”
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation