Housing in Southern Africa June 2015

Industry Buzz, Events & Products

Murray & Roberts' order book

is the refurbishment of the two tower Merriman Square, also known as The Towers, in theCentral BusinessDistrict of Cape Town. “Whatweare finding is that as some of the older buildings around Cape Towncomeup for refurbishment, akey requirement is increasing the parking space available,” Heron comments. Refurbishment projects do however pose their own challenges. At Merri- man Square these included the exist- ing link between the two towers and incorporating a temporary entrance during the construction period. Murray & Roberts Western Cape is recladding the façade with glass in order to render it more aesthetically appealingandmodern. The respective 24 storey and 18 storey towers have existing basement parking, but a 13 storey parking garage is being added between the two towers. Theproject is on track, with the cladding completed on one tower and 70% finished on the other. In contrast, the flagship new eTV headquarters in Roeland Park for Sabido Properties comprisesof six lev- els of studios and four levels of base- ment parking. A particular challenge here was the coordination of a large team of specialist sub-contractors re- sponsible for equipping and fittingout the building. Another specialist new build project is the Melomed Private Hospital in Tokai, a 148 bed specialist facility with a cardiac, neonatal and paediatric unit for client the Melomed Private Hospital Group. ■

Current economic conditions dictate that companies who continue to succeed are those with a depth of construction expertise. These companies are able to undertake a range of projects, from new buildings to refurbishment work.

M urray & Roberts Western Cape has secured a num- ber of high profile projects. Among its current order book is the expansion of the flagship Century City mixed-used development, the refurbishment of the existing tower blocks at Merriman Square, the new Melomed Hospital in Tokai and the new eTV headquarters building in the heart of Cape Town. “In these tough times, the con- struction industry has had to adapt its service offerings and as a result we are at the vanguard of being more responsive and innovative,” says Dave Heron, Managing Director of Murray & Roberts Western Cape. “These contracts have a common service base that is responsible for high level administration such as con- structiondrawings. Thebenefit for the client is a single point of contact and a much quicker response time to design iterations,whichultimately impactson their bottom line.” The success of this integrated ap- proach to project management is also reflected in Murray & Roberts Western Cape’s closeworking relationshipwith one of itsmain clients, theRabieProp- erty Group. “We secured the Bridge

Park contract on competitive tender. Our success on that project in terms of delivery and quality placed us in an excellent position to carry on at Urban Square. As a result, we have been able to pass on major cost savings to the client. The fact that the two projects are in such closeproximitymeans that wedonot have toduplicate infrastruc- ture,whichspeedsup theconstruction process as well,” says Heron. It is this customised and stream- lined approach to individual projects that has seen Murray & Roberts West- ern Cape continue to secure high- profile projects. “Wherever possible, we strive toassist the client inmeeting these needs in the most practical and cost effective manner possible. This means always paying close attention to the way in which we approach and carry out projects, as the tried and tested way of doing things does not always deliver thebest results in terms of cost efficiency,” he says. One of the trends identified by Murray & Roberts Western Cape as the needs of its clients have evolved, is the conversion of existing buildings into modern apartment complexes and the refurbishment and rejuvena- tion of older buildings. A case in point

June 2015