The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority says it will take more than a year to demolish one of Christchurch's most dangerous buildings damaged in the February quake.
The authority on Tuesday announced that demolition work on the 17-storey Clarendon Tower in the CBD will begin on 4 January next year.
General manager of operations Warwick Isaacs says the building is extremely dangerous and the demolition process will be long and complicated. It is expected to take 59 weeks.
Mr Isaacs says the structural damage on floors eight to 11 make the building extremely unstable and no one will be allowed inside the lower floors while the damaged areas remain.
Mainzeal has been awarded the demolition contract and will retrieve tenants' belongings, he says.
Work progressing on hotels
Demolition workers have almost finished at the site of the former Copthorne Hotel in Durham Street and are turning their attention to the Crowne Plaza hotel across the road.
The demolition of the 14-storey Copthorne Hotel was completed on 14 November, but since then work has focused on filling the basement with rubble from the building.
Leighs Construction, which is carrying out the work, says the site is being tidied up and is likely to be used as somewhere to stockpile material from the Crowne Plaza as it is demolished.
Managing director Anthony Leighs says preparatory work has begun at the Crowne Plaza, but taking it down will not begin until next year.
