Work continues to deconstruct the Old Harbour Board Building. Photo/John Stone
Work continues to deconstruct the Old Harbour Board Building. Photo/John Stone
Deconstruction work on the Old Harbour Board building for the Hundertwasser project in central Whangārei has picked back up after stopping to focus on asbestos.
Project spokesman Greg Hay said work had stopped last week while the asbestos removal plan was reviewed.
He said the contractors always had the knowledgethere was asbestos in the building, but it was a case of working out the best way to deal with it once they had reached it.
Hay said extra safety precautions were taken, including extra spraying and monitoring, and the bricks concerned were packaged up and taken away according to regulations.
The deconstruction process is in full swing, with uncontaminated bricks from above ground being taken to the recycling centre at the Old Army Hall where a team of volunteers are chipping off the mortar.
John Park chips away at a large pile of bricks from the Old Harbour Board building outside the Old Army Hall on Walton St. Photo/John Stone
A rough estimate of 15,000 bricks will be reused as part of the Hundertwasser building on the same site.
Hay said people can expect to see activity to pick back up at the site this week.