Madrid skyscraper to be razed
2005-02-17 21:02
Madrid - The 31-storey Madrid skyscraper gutted by a fire last weekend will be razed, the city's mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said on Thursday.
A municipal report found that the Windsor Tower, a 106m tall building, was in ruins and the demolition couldn't be avoided because of the extent of the damage, the mayor said.
The dismantling of the building will probably be done from the exterior using large cranes, but that will be confirmed next week, as well as how much it will cost and how long it will take, Gallardon said at a news conference.
The mayor also said the security perimeter around the office building will be reduced from 500m to 60m, which will allow more people to resume their activities in the heart of Madrid's financial centre.
According to the report, prepared after a visit by experts to the scene on Wednesday, the risk of a partial collapse of the tower remains.
The cranes must bring down the structure of the building to the ground, an operation that needs to be carried out "with a lot of care", said Pilar Martinez, municipal adviser on urban affairs.
- AFP