Congee Noodle House ordered to close after construction cave-in (PHOTOS) | Urbanized – Daily Hive

Congee Noodle House, located on East Broadway near Main Street, was ordered by officials on Saturday to shutter its doors and bar entry to all individuals until further notice after thecave-in of the construction site next door.

The retaining wall of the construction pit collapsed late Friday afternoon, and caused much of the restaurants ground-level parking lot at the rear of the building to fall into the pit.

There were no injuries nor damage to any vehicles, and the building itself does not appear to have sustained any major structural damage at this time.

Site of the construction pit collapse at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Site of the construction pit collapse at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

On Saturday, officials from WorkSafe BC and the City of Vancouvers engineering services, development, and licensing departments convened with the building developers geotechnical engineer to determine the next steps.

In a follow-up email to Daily Hive, the municipal government stated the geotechnical engineer has provided directions to the construction contractor to begin remedial work to the construction pit, where the wall caved in.

That work has begun and the excess water has been pumped out from the site, said the city.

Congee Noodle House forced to close by City of Vancouver and WorkSafe BC. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Site of the construction pit collapse at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

According to the city, after an assessment was made on the on-site conditions, WorkSafe BC has issued a Stop Work Order to the restaurant. As a further precaution, city officials also provided the restaurant with a Do Not Occupy notice.

However, the restaurant was already closed at the end of the week for other reasons; as it turns out, Congee Noodle House informed customers it would be closed starting Friday onwards to allow for BC Hydro maintenance work.

Such incidents of construction pit retaining walls caving in and severely affecting adjacent properties are exceptionally rare. It is unclear whether Fridays heavy rainfall was a contributing factor in the collapse.

Site of the construction pit collapse at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Congee Noodle House forced to close by City of Vancouver and WorkSafe BC. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

The construction pit is being excavated for a project named Grand a new six-storey infill building with 18 condominium units, as well as two underground levels for vehicle parking.

Construction was originally scheduled to reach completion by Summer 2020, as the buildings structure will be made out of prefabricated modular units stacked together. The modular construction process carries a far shorter timeline than conventional construction methods.

Artistic rendering of Grand at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Ankenman Marchand Architects)

Artistic rendering of Grand at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Ankenman Marchand Architects)

Artistic rendering of Grand at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Ankenman Marchand Architects)

Artistic rendering of Grand at 138 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver. (Ankenman Marchand Architects)

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Congee Noodle House ordered to close after construction cave-in (PHOTOS) | Urbanized - Daily Hive