Machines are now working to demolish the Ibis Centro Hotel in Málaga, which caught fire in May. The demolition will last about two months and is taking place next to the Guimbarda tunnel, which will remain open to traffic with restrictions.
The demolition of the Ibis Centro hotel in Málaga began this Monday, three months after the fire that devastated the building. A large crane has been installed next to the construction, at the entrance of the brotherhood house of the Cofradía de la Humillación, and the work is being carried out by the demolition company AGI, based in Almería.
According to Diario Sur, the estimated time for the hotel to disappear is about two months, although this may vary depending on the difficulties that arise during execution. The operation is delicate due to the characteristics of the bearing soil, which once required a lighter foundation, and its location next to the tunnel under the Guimbarda corridor, one of the busiest traffic routes in the centre.
The false tunnel will remain open to traffic, but specific signage has been installed and the right lane has been marked off with a new fence to ensure vehicle safety. The bus lane in the tunnel will continue to be closed in its first section, and normal traffic, including that lane, is expected to be restored within two to three weeks. The streets Padre Jorge Lamothe and a section of Cerrojo will remain closed to traffic until the work is completed.
The demolition paves the way for a new, taller construction. The property, a company linked to the hotel group Accor, has been processing an urban planning file for two years to increase the volume of this hotel and two others it owns in the Guadalmedina area: the Ibis Budget and the Suite Novotel. The operation is supported by a decree from the Junta de Andalucía from 2021 that allows an increase of up to 20% in the built area of hotels if it means an increase in category.
According to the document drafted by the architecture firm Domingo Corpas, the Ibis Málaga Centro, which had 189 double rooms (378 hotel beds) and 47 parking spaces, could add 19 more rooms and gain three additional floors in its two current volumes. It would change from ground plus three and ground plus four to ground plus six and ground plus seven. The increase has already received the approval of the Culture delegation of the Junta, but is still awaiting final approval from the City Council.
The fire originated on May 25 at 1:20 a.m. in the kitchen of the Grand Café bar, according to the investigation by the National Police, which found no evidence that it was intentional. The rapid explosion generated a fireball that was recorded by the Mobility Area cameras in the Pasillo de Santa Isabel. More than a hundred guests were evacuated, and there were no injuries, although an officer nearly fell due to the partial collapse of a slab on the top floor.
The building burned from the inside for weeks due to confined spaces and wooden structures, which necessitated partial demolition work, such as the dismantling of the air conditioning equipment on the roof. The main steel structure held up well under the thermal load.
Once the City Council approves the volume increase file for the three hotels, the new construction conditions for the Ibis plot will come into effect, allowing the replacement building to have the newly authorized height.
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