Residents of Brickell Key are being urged to prepare for the planned implosion of the former Mandarin Oriental hotel as if they were getting ready for a storm, according to the company overseeing the demolition.<\/p>\n
City officials with Miami Fire Rescue and Miami police said they have been planning the implosion for about a year.<\/p>\n
The demolition is scheduled for Sunday morning. The former luxury resort will be brought down to make way for a new residential and hospitality development. The structure now sits gutted with explosives attached to its concrete columns, which officials say will ensure a smoother implosion.<\/p>\n
Ivy Fradin, managing member of BG Group, which is overseeing the demolition, explained the process. “The tower will come down first, the parking garage will come down second, but to the public eye, it will look like one carefully choreographed event,” Fradin said.<\/p>\n
Fradin described the collapse as a “cascading fashion,” where the floor above collapses as the column below it gives way.<\/p>\n
For safety reasons, Brickell Key will be closed to residents and visitors from 7 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, with no access in or out of the island during that time. An 800-foot exclusion zone around the property will also be enforced.<\/p>\n
For those inside the exclusion zone, Fradin advised, “If you’re located within the exclusion zone, we ask that you stay indoors with doors closed. If you’re not in the exclusion zone, keep your doors and windows closed. It’s obvious \u2014 if you have things outside, bring them inside”.<\/p>\n
Some residents living within the exclusion zone expressed safety concerns. Brickell Key resident Ydais Laya said, “I have not seen anything to provide details regarding the city’s plans, if anything should go wrong during the implosion on Sunday, because in reality, no one knows”.<\/p>\n
Other residents were less worried. Alejandro Barahona, another resident, said the required precautions were “reasonable,” adding, “Either you get out, or you stay in, but it’s too much of a liability risk for the explosion and all that stuff”.<\/p>\n
The company conducting the implosion has previously handled several high-profile demolitions, including the historic Deauville Hotel, South Shore Hospital, and the remaining structure of the Surfside condominium building.<\/p>\n