THERE will be no dramatic explosions as Croydon Council's former HQ Taberner House is deconstructed floor by floor later this year.
Hoardings are going up around the 1960s office block this week in preparation for the start of demolition work in April.
Contractors will start from the top and work their way down, in time for a provisional December finish date.
There will be no explosives used so that noise, dust and disruption in the town centre are kept to a minimum.
The building will be cleared internally over the next three to four months before a crane lifts demolition excavators onto the roof.
The excavators will break the concrete slab beneath them until an opening is made and work their way down to the next floor.
The site will be strictly secured with hoarding for pedestrian and motorist safety and works will take place from 8am-6pm from Monday to Friday and between 8am and 1pm on Saturday.
Cllr Jason Perry, cabinet member for Planning, Transport and Regeneration, said: "We have taken every step possible to ensure that noise and disruption will be kept to a minimum while the demolition works are carried out and will be keeping residents and businesses informed of progress along the way.
"Taberner House has been a part of the Croydon panorama since the 60s and many people are nostalgic about it. It has always been an important site for the borough so it is fitting that the redevelopment will provide hundreds of much needed new homes and jobs and act as a catalyst for regeneration in our town centre."
The council is planning an 'American-style' redevelopment of the site, with more than 400 homes set to be built.
It expects to receive planning permission shortly.
Taberner House has been in use as council offices since 1967 and until the end of last year accommodated around 1,800 staff.
The council moved into Bernard Weatherill House in September.
