Godesberger Allee Former Saudi Embassy being torn down
Bad Godesberg · Signs on the metal fence and demolition containers are visible to motorists driving along the B9. The demolition of the former Saudi Arabian Embassy on Godesberger Allee has begun.
At the end of last year, the city granted a permit for the demolition of the 22-meter high building, which formerly housed the Saudi Arabian Embassy. The building had become fully covered with graffiti. According to Markus Schmitz of the city press office, it is unclear what will come in its place. “We do not have any building permit requests or anything similar,” he said.
It is clear, however that it will take some time before a new building can be constructed there. “At first, we have demolished a small building off to the side because the pollutant cleanup and disposal was not so costly there,” explained construction manager Werner Klaes from the Neuss firm P&Z. After that will come the main building, which contains asbestos and PCBs. “We have to remove the contaminated materials manually, and only when the building has been officially cleared are we allowed to tear it down,” said Klaes.
The Saudis sold the four-story building to a Bonn businessman in 2008. In 2015, it changed hands again. (Orig. text: Silke Elbern)
