Alex Trelinski
THE FIRST steps to restore the Valencia apartment block that was devoured by a fire on February 22 began on Monday.
In less than an hour, 10 people died and over a hundred families were left homeless in the Campanar district.
Despite the blaze, an expert report has concluded that there’s no structural damage and the building will be totally renovated.
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Work started on Monday with debris clearance at the block consisting of two towers containing 138 homes.
The work with a budget of €1.5 million will be paid for by the insurers and is expected to take four months.
Enrique Salvador, president of the Campanar Owners Association(Aproicam), said: “This is a step forward that makes the owners very happy so that we can return to our homes as soon as possible,”
The Giticsa company will remove the debris with most of the homes open without any partitions.
Tasks will include clearing out the remains of appliances, furniture and belongings.
Thousands of tonnes of material will be removed including pavements, metal carpentry, window and balcony glass, elevator cabins as well what’s left of the facade.
Meanwhile architects Arqueha, which designed the Ikon tower in Valencia- a posthumous work by Ricardo Bofill – has been working since July on drafting a reconstruction project.
They have been given a €1.1 million budget and seven months to produce a design.
Aproicam’s Enrique Salvador said the owners will run a tender process to decide which construction company will then carry out the rebuilding work.
“What is clear is that the entire facade must be cleaned and it will be the neighbours who will vote on what material the new building will be of,” he added.
“The structure will be the same, but otherwise the complex will be completely new.”
Rebuilding will last between two and three years but Salvador was unable to say whether all the displaced residents would want to return.
