By Matthias Lukaschewitsch and Timo Beurich
Construction drama in Köpenick’s old town: two old Wilhelminian style buildings are in acute danger of collapse! Residents had to leave their apartments on Sunday. The first cracks were discovered eleven days ago – the fire brigade and police had to arrive on Sunday evening to evacuate the tenants.
The location of the drama is Parrisiusstrasse – the two rear buildings at numbers 33 and 37 with 50 tenants are affected. There is a vacant lot in between. With a dug pit. Apparently the cause of all evil.
The shocked tenants had to be taken out of their houses by the fire department and police on Sunday. 20 have been accommodated in hotels. 30 were able to stay with relatives or friends. The tenants are not allowed back into the houses for the time being.
A decision on “stability” had not yet been made on Monday, said Sabine Kirmse, spokeswoman for the Treptow-Köpenick district office, upon request. The apartments have been sealed since Monday.
Tenant Mario B. (42) lives in one of the affected rear buildings: “We are staying in the hotel.” Photo: Timo Beurich
According to spokeswoman Kirmse, the first cracks in the walls of the two houses were “reported by tenants on September 7th”. The affected tenants are stunned: Christian H. (42, he lives at number 37) reports: “There is a crack in my living room from floor to ceiling, five centimeters wide.”
The cracks on the house facade spread like “a spider web,” he says. “The doors in the houses are already jamming, the forces at work are so strong.”
How could this happen? District office spokeswoman Kirmse said: “According to the district office’s current assessment, the construction site at Parrisiusstrasse 35 is the cause. Among other things, the groundwater was lowered there.”
On Sunday evening the fire brigade evacuated the 50 tenants on Parrasiusstrasse Photo: Spreepicture Photo: Spreepicture
However, this result is still preliminary. It was initially not possible to find out why the question of stability had not yet been decided. The construction supervisory authority in the district has been in discussions with the construction management and structural engineers since the accident began on the construction site.
Tenant Mario B. (42, lives at number 33): “We have now been accommodated in a hotel.” Ingrid B. (74) from the front building makes serious allegations: “A structural engineer was there on Saturday and he said it bluntly And it’s clear: there is an acute need for action here.” But only on Sunday evening. – 24 hours later – was evacuated.
Resident Ingrid B. (74): “A structural engineer already said on Saturday that there was an acute need for action.” Photo: Timo Beurich
There was already trouble with a construction site at number 31, a front building, 25 years ago. At that time a new house was being built next door. Liquid concrete in a wooden formwork pressed against the old building wall and blew the wall open. Concrete poured into an apartment.