Lawmaker Eddie Wu, president of the Macau Institute of Engineers (AEM), has called on the authorities to reinforce the safety of the former Hotel Estoril demolition site.
According to Wu, a security perimeter should be enforced and the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) should act quickly to investigate the causes of the incident that occurred late last week, TDM Radio Chinese reported.
In question is the falling of bricks and debris from the façade of the building, which is currently undergoing demolition to give way to a new Central Library.
The AEM president also wants government authorities to ascertain if the contractor was at fault for the incident.
Wu noted that it would be advisable to install temporary metal or wooden scaffolding around the whole building so that demolition work can be completed more safely.
In the meantime, the DSOP has said it is monitoring the situation. It has stated that the incident was caused by bricks falling from the façade, which were not caught by the site’s installed safety guard. The bricks fell to the road, and the incident halted the demolition work.
DSOP said that the works could only resume after the incident was investigated and preventative measures, so as to avoid a repeat of the affair, were enforced.
The new Central Library, located on the site of the former Hotel Estoril at Tap Seac Square, will occupy an area of approximately 2,960 square meters.
According to the project, the library will be three floors high, with a basement dedicated to storage.
The project will be implemented in two phases, with the first phase set to demolish the old Estoril Hotel and construct the foundations and underground level of the new library, with a maximum execution period of 450 working days – that is, until December next year.
Before the demolition works started, DSOP noted that, due to the particular characteristics and difficulties of the work and surrounding terrain, there was a need for the contractor to have extensive experience in excavating foundations, as well as be able to justify its approaches towards the job at hand.
The job was awarded to the Companhia de Construção e Investimento Predial Ming Shun, Limitada for a price of MOP69.78 million.
