To address the issue of the lack of student
accommodation in close proximity to campus, ADA Consulting Engineers has been
involved in a greenfield construction project for a Southpoint building on
Jorissen street, in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
“Owing to Braamfontein being a densely built-up
area, a project of this kind has not been constructed in the area in the past
20 years, making it unique. In such an area, it is a known fact that, with
taller buildings, there is less cost involved in the development of related
infrastructure,” says ADA Consulting Engineers director Paul Maitre.
He adds that the 18-storey building is situated
across the road from University of the Witwatersrand and is expected to be
completed in November 2020, ahead of the 2021 academic year.
With ADA Consulting appointed as the consulting
civil and structural engineers for the project, Maitre explains that the
project has very stringent local requirements, with regular meetings being held
with the local councillor to ensure that there are employment opportunities for
locals, as well as skills development.
Maitre notes that a new type of masonry system,
called the autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block, manufactured by fibre
cement manufacturer Everite, is being used for the project.
AAC is a lightweight concrete material used for
manufacturing of building blocks. The main constituents of ACC are cement,
sand, fly ash, gypsum and water.
AAC is lighter than conventional building blocks
and, therefore, results in cost savings, for example, in the support
structures. It also increases productivity, as the building blocks are lighter
and allow faster construction.
AAC also provides good thermal and fire
characteristics, improving temperature control as well as offering better
resistance to fire.
The advantages of a greenfield project are that
greenfield buildings can be designed and built from scratch and built for
purpose in terms of room sizes, services and lifts.
Further, repurposing existing buildings can become
complicated as the entire building will have to be redesigned to the building’s
new requirements.
“There will always be more of a preference to build
from scratch as opposed to repurposing, which is difficult, complex and
costly,” he says.
Meanwhile, ADA Consulting Engineers is involved in similar projects in Auckland Park, adjacent to the University of Johannesburg, as well as in Soshanguve, outside Pretoria, to deal with the same issue. https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/new-buildings-will-provide-student-accommodation-closer-to-institutions-2019-08-05
