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September 2015
five months irrespective of seasonal
weather conditions.
Mediclinic’s specification required
100 mm thick Foil Back Insulation;
this was accommodated in the design
by incorporating spacer blocks be-
tween the truss rafters (Top Chords)
and the purlins.
Graceland Architects, quantity sur-
veyor Taljaard Meyer & Storm as well
as the Mediclinic are impressed with
the performance and cost savings
achieved through the utilisation of
Ultra-Span (LGS) roof structures from
MiTek Industries. This is one of many
projects that has opted for this type
of technology.
For further information contact
MiTek Industries on 011 237 8700 or
visit ■
Roofing, Ceilings, Insulation & Cladding
Althoughbased inCenturion, the
176 bed multidisciplinary hos-
pital will enhance Mediclinic’s
patient-care offering in the greater
Tshwane area with its easy access to
major highways, 54 specialists and
diagnostic and specialised treatment
facilities available under one roof.
The aesthetics of the building
are an interpretation of a modern
healthcare facility. The hospital fits
in with the ambiance of surrounding
areas andbuildings and various views
of the surrounding Midstream area
are visible as patients move through
shortened passages. The wards are
floodedwith natural light designed to
help the healing process of patients,
and the nurses stations are a short
distance from the patients.
In conjunction with Graceland Ar-
chitects the roof structure was from
the outset designed by MiTek Indus-
tries to contain the greatest amount
of Light Gauge Steel (LGS) Truss Sys-
tem – this was done to reduce where
possible the total load effect on the
supporting structure. Obviously,
some sections still required conven-
tional mild steel solutions but this
only applied to three blocks.
The utilisation of the Ultra-Span
(LGS) roof structure for 9 100m² of the
total roof (12 blocks), represented al-
most 45 tons of steel, which equated
to a mass of just below 11kg/m²
of roof structure. Some of the roof
trusses were in excess of 19m clear
span and carried substantial imposed
loads. This appropriate utilisation of
materials contributed to an overall
saving of costs compared to utilisa-
tion of mild steel structures. A tim-
ber structure would not have been
feasible due to the large spans with
heavy loadings as well as the fact that
timber is a combustible material and
not usually suitable for hospitals or
other public structures.
Due to the lowweight of the Ultra-
Span trusses, the large span portions
of the roof could be fabricated on
site. The sheer size and scale of these
trusses would have been too large
to transport to site. These very large
trusses were assembled on site into
braced roof sections comprising of
four truss modules and then lifted
into the final roof position by the
site tower cranes. The smaller span
trusses were factory fabricated and
delivered for installation on site.
This process ensured that the over-
all completion could be achieved in
Ultraspan roof for Mediclinic
Mediclinic Southern Africa opened its newest hospital, Mediclinic
Midstream, based in Midstream in Centurion. With its ergonomic
design and patient centric approach to healthcare, this private
hospital combines science with the needs of its patients.