Hanoi takes heavier hand with fire code violators

Residents of Discovery Complex protesting against the violations of Kinh Do TCI

Hanoi Water Limited Company has just issued Document No.1645 on stopping supplying water for Discovery Complex (trade centre, offices for lease, and premium apartments) at 302 Cau Giay, Hanoi developed by Kinh Do TCI JSC.

Hanoi Power Corporation ordered Cau Giay Power Company to supervise the developer Kinh Do TCI during the completion of the pre-acceptance test of fire prevention and fighting in the committed timeline.

Earlier, the Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention inspected and detected violations at this building. However, some households have moved in, thereby the developer has violated the regulations on fire prevention and fighting stipulated in Article 17 of Decree No.79/2014/ND-CP dated July 31, 2014 of the government.

On May 15, 2018, the Hanoi’s People’s Committee issued a decision to penalise Servico Cau Giay JSC, a subsidiary of Kinh Do TCI, for the administrative violations of the fire code.

On May 28, the Cau Giay District People’s Committee issued Decision No.1228/QD-UBND on suspending the construction of Tower B and the basement floors of Discovery Complex, as well as recommending organisations, individuals, and households not to enter and live in the building, which has not been granted a certificate on fire safety yet.

Discovery Complex is one of Hanoi's large real estate projects with the total investment of around VND5 trillion ($220 million) on an area of over 10,200 square metres, including a 54-storey apartment building and a 43-storey complex of offices for lease and trade centre. The project has entered the handover phase to be managed and operated by CBRE.

Along with this complex, in Document No.3623 dated May 21, the Hanoi People’s Committee asked to supervise and report on construction violations at two other projects developed by Kinh Do TCI, including the apartment building at 8B Le Truc, Ba Dinh district and 102 Truong Chinh (Capital Garden), Dong Da district.

At the end of March, residents in Capital Garden raised banners to demand the developer to complete the project and ensure compliance with the fire code. The developer also changed the structure of the building, raising the number of apartments by 100 compared to the original design.

The project at 8B Le Truc has already made headlines due to its violations in the number of storeys and by clashing with Hanoi’s urban master plan. It has been 11 years since the developer started this project, and three years since the Hanoi People’s Committee ordered the developer to remove several of its top floors, and the people who bought apartments at the project still do not know when they can move in.

Hoa Phat Group's Mandarin Garden 2 project in Hoang Mai district

Additionally, the Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention has just issued a penalty of VND40 million ($1,760) for the administrative violations of the developer of Mandarin Garden 2 at 493 Truong Dinh Street, Hoang Mai district. Hoa Phat Group, the developer of this project, has put the building into operation without a fire certificate.

The agency detected numerous violations of the fire code at the complex of 26-storey and 30-storey towers. For example, the construction of the commercial service area from the first to the sixth floor has not been completed, and the fire detection and fighting systems are not operational.

In addition, the glass walls and fire doors in the elevator’s basement buffer room do not guarantee fire resistance in line with the approved design documents. There are numerous violations related to the exits and the fire safety system.

The agency asked the developer to immediately stop the operation of the building and remove occupants. The developer needs to fix the mistakes and get a fire certificate before letting people enter the building.

The Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention has also asked Hoang Mai Power Company and Hoang Mai Water Business Facility not to supply power and water for Mandarin Garden 2.