Construction World August 2015

PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS

Summary of scope of works • 21 000 m³ bulk earthworks • 1 870 m² of lateral support consisting of excavation in 1,5 m stages in depth • Soldier piling comprising 147 No. 500 mm Ø CFA piles using a B125 Casagrande drill rig • Construction of the concrete capping beam. • Trimming and construction of gunite arches via dry- mixed, air-driven guniting • Installation of ground anchors and temporary steel walers at designed intervals • Installation of temporary dewatering system and sacrificial piling platform • Construction of temporary access ramp for foundation piling rig access at base level • Installation of Franki pile 600 mm Ø foundation piles using a Franki British crawler piling rig

The perched water table had to be constantly managed to ensure that the in situ soils would not become saturated.

at the final level in order to provide a safe working platform for the installation of the

EXPANDING INTO EDUCATION The NMC Construction Group’s building division, has successfully completed a new R51,4-million student residence for the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Students are expected to occupy the residence in the third semester of 2015.

foundation piles,” says Oldknow. Choice of piles critical

Naturally the choice of piles in any geotech- nical project is critical. “Given the depth of the kaolin, Franki Driven Cast-in-Situ piles (Franki piles) were preferred to Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles as the more efficient solution. This was mainly because the Franki pile’s founding could be achieved at a shal- lower depth by forming an enlarged base at the toe of the pile,” says Oldknow. He adds that the CFA piles (which were used for the soldier piling) would have to have been installed at a considerable depth given the weak shear strength of the kaolin and would have required the removal of the spoil material from the final basement excavation level. Franki had a 35-week programme from 21 July 2014 to completion 27 March 2015, which included the lateral support, bulk excavation, dewatering and foundation piling. “In spite of the normal Claremont winter rains, which are always challenging given the Kaolin soil conditions, we are on time in terms of anticipated completion date. In fact we have managed to provide an earlier start for the building contractor by giving partial handover of half the completed pile layout, which allows the contractor to overlap with our contract providing them with a two to three week head-start on their contract programme. “While there have been many challenges on this project, we have been able to move ahead efficiently. The excellent relationships we have with our client, professional team and contractors have, of course, been critical to the success of the project. Frank Africa has an experienced design and construct team, especially in this geographical area. “In the face of severe challenges we have successfully provided a lateral support design and constructed solution that we have developed over the last 15 years and more in the Cape Town area,” concluded Oldknow.

The CPUT Student Residence was constructed within the group’s design and construct model, opening up an

Statistics released by the Department of Higher Education and Training at the end of 2012 indicated a backlog of approximately 200 000 university beds, and since then the depart-ments prime focus has been on student housing funding. “The NMC Construction group further strengthens its portfolio in this sector with the recent award of a new six storey student housing development earmarked for students of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). Valued at R47,7-million the PE1 Devel- opment for private developer, Campus Key, it is located in Summerstrand – Port Elizabeth. “In addition to these projects, we have commenced with construction of the new R40-million Heimat Student Residence for the University of the Free State in January 2015, with works on the R187-million Ndumo High School in KwaZulu-Natal progressing well,” says Mike van Coller, NMC Group procurement director. Recently completed projects in this sector include the R229-million OBZ Student Resi- dence for the University of Cape Town and the 16 000 m² NMMU Student Living and Learning Housing Development for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

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additional 295 beds, it brings relief to the institu- tions high demand for student accommodation. The design, by MLH Architects, offers maximum occupancy with only double bedrooms and shared amenities with the students’ comfort and safety taking top priority. Biometric access control was installed to control building access with common areas strategically positioned at the corners of the building – offering students the best panoramic views of the Mother City and Table Mountain. NMC Construction Group Established in 1983, the NMC Construc- tion Group is a multi-disciplinary construction group with a national footprint and SADC presence. Currently the organisation has offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Kathu, Springbok and Windhoek. The business growth is attributed to the NMC Construction Group’s strategic intent to expand its market space to include civils infrastructure and to diversify its building portfolio to include commercial, retail, bulk residential and institutional and social services sectors. The NMC Construction Group’s civils and building divisions are ISO accredited in the following three ISO standards; ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHASA 18001. These entities have a level 2 and level 3 BBBEE rating and a CIDB GB9 and CE8 grading respectively.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2015