The owners affiliated with Aprecc said that several days have passed without the authorities having issued an official report on the matter, nor have they reported on the condition of other properties near the building where the collapse occurred.
SANTO DOMINGO.– The Association of Owners and Residents of the Colonial City (Aprecc) yesterday requested that authorities apply the corresponding soil studies to all construction projects, hoping that this measure will prevent collapses like the one that occurred at the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (Codia) on the night of June 10.
"We offer to collaborate with the authorities through citizen participation in everything necessary to make the Colonial City a sustainable territory," said Julie Carlo, at a press conference in which they also requested improvements from the authorities in the regulations for granting permits and inspecting works, as well as the special oversight that the buildings of the Colonial City must have, due to their structural characteristics.
The owners affiliated with Aprecc said that several days have passed since the incident, and yet the authorities have not issued an official report on the matter, nor have they reported on the condition of other properties near the building where the collapse occurred.
Regarding the $90 million loan granted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), residents and homeowners in the Colonial City argued that "this process, accompanied by large investments, is causing conflicts between different land uses, harming residential use (which should be a priority) compared to commercial, tourist, parking, or pseudo-room use (such as Airbnb homes and hotels).".
Osiris of León
Geologist Osiris de León, who accompanied the members of Aprecc, indicated that the buildings of the Colonial City are not made of concrete or cement, but of masonry, earth and brick.
The specialist said that this is why it is very important to conduct studies and take measures in the construction projects in the historic center of Santo Domingo, and that people have experience in the matter.
Regarding the collapse at the Codia building on Padre Billini Street, the expert pointed out that it was due to drilling beneath the columns, carried out by engineers working on a hotel under construction next door. He recalled that the same thing happened to the Hotel Francés in 2015.
The geologist complained that if the Directorate of Monumental Heritage had supervised the work, they would have noticed that the hole they made under the wall was not appropriate, because it is an edition that is many years old.
Given the age of the buildings and the projects on the agenda, a thorough study of the entire Colonial City area is necessary, de León stated.
