The earthquake-stricken Hotel Grand Chancellor in Christchurch will be brought down floor by floor, starting next week, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority has said.
The 26-storey building, one of the tallest in the city's red zone, will have its roof taken off on Monday.
The building sustained significant structural damage in the February 22 earthquake and has remained on a noticeable lean since the 6.3 magnitude aftershock.
CERA engineers gave a 3D model demonstration of how the building will come down at a press conference this morning.
It showed how the tower, on a highly visible one-metre lean, would be demolished by April 20, 2012.
The work is expect to cost 10 million dollars.
Fletcher Construction was granted the tender to demolish the hotel, with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority managing the work.
"This will be the largest demolition ever carried out in New Zealand," Christchurch Earthquake Minister Gerry Brownlee said earlier this year.
One-hundred-and-eighty-one people died in the earthquake.