TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei’s Urban Development Department and Sunty Development Co. began demolishing the city’s biggest sea-sand building on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old building, which spans about 3,107 square meters and was designed for 223 households, is located in the city's Xinyi District. It was identified as a sea-sand concrete structure in 2000, per CNA.
The department said a new 312-unit residential complex, featuring 24 above-ground floors and five basement levels, will be built on the site after the demolition. The project is expected to be completed in 2031.
According to the department, a demolition ceremony took place on Tuesday, attended by Taipei City Government Deputy Secretary-General Wang Yu-fen (王玉芬), Urban Development Department Director Chien Se-fen (簡瑟芳), and Taipei City Council Speaker Tai Hsi-chin (戴錫欽).
Wang said the city government’s efforts to initiate the demolition spanned 25 years, including four coordination meetings with residents about the project. She added that there are 25 urban renewal demolition applications under review, with three being executed by the agency.
Hung Ku-lan (洪谷蘭), head of the building's community association, said the urban renewal process is lengthy and residents often struggle to reach a consensus with the government. She hopes the government will amend relevant laws to accelerate urban renewal efforts.
Sunty Development Co. said that safety concerns emerged in 2007, when incidents such as ceiling collapses began occurring in residential units. The company subsequently applied for redevelopment in 2009 and completed the application process in 2022.
Taiwan has more than 34,000 sea-sand concrete housing units, primarily in Greater Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Most of these buildings were constructed before 1995.
The ministry reminded prospective homebuyers to check the registry for sea-sand buildings before purchasing. It noted the government offers subsidies of up to NT$200,000 (US$6,200) for the structural reinforcement or reconstruction of such buildings.
