Construction World August 2015

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2015
PRECAST CONCRETE PRODUCTS
Like all green-shoot business ventures there was no guar-
antee that the market was ready for a substantial increase in
prestressed slab production, especially as in those days the
South African construction industry was still largely wedded
to what it had been taught and knew best – in-situ construction.
However, Echo Group’s founder and current chairman, Peter Lord,
was convinced that certain sectors of the market were ready to convert
to prestressed hollow-core construction, given its substantial economic
and technical benefits. The fact that Echo Prestress is today South Afri-
ca’s largest prestressed hollow-core slab producer as well as the largest
company within the Echo Group, bears testament to his foresight.
The group enjoys the status as the largest hollow-core slab
producer in the Southern Hemisphere and is nationally represented
with factories in Durban (Echo Durban), Cape Town (Toplfloor) and a
second factory in Gauteng, Echo Floors. It is also the only South African
company to offer both prestresssed and reinforced hollow-core slabs.
Echo Prestress, managing director, Monique Eggebeen, says that
from the outset it was realised that a process of education was required
if prestressed hollow-core was to make a significant impact on the
South African construction industry.
“This was a task we undertook to do ourselves and we began by
conducting plant tours. We found that almost everyone, from contrac-
tors to engineers, had never seen the prestressed hollow-core slab
manufacturing process before. Precast construction was not a subject
covered by universities and over the years we have gone to consid-
erable lengths to lecture third and fourth year engineering students
on the application and benefits of the technology. This programme is
still ongoing, and in addition to lectures we conduct factory tours and
in-house presentations.
“Furthermore, we run seminars in collaboration with the Concrete
Manufacturers Association NPC (CMA) and we’ve brought international
experts such as Kim Elliott to South Africa for this purpose. We have
also formed a CPD seminar and conference facility through the South
African Institute of Architects and those who attend these presenta-
tions earn CPD points,” says Eggebeen.
SABS mark
Another aspect of Echo Prestress’ pioneering role was the introduction
of the SABS mark for the prestressed hollow-core slab manufacture.
“The SABS mark offers a huge marketing advantage and once
again, we worked hand-in-hand with the CMA in introducing a standard.
We are very proud of our association with the CMA and have run several
other projects with the Association.
“Besides manufacturing to the SABS standard, we are ISO 9001
2008 management system compliant. I believe we’re a step ahead of
the market and we constantly challenge ourselves, especially on a
technical level. This has resulted in new applications such as security
walling and retaining walls, as well as composite construction suitable
for steel and concrete frame structures,” says Eggebeen.
Complete solution
Echo marketing director, Melinda Esterhuizen, cites another reason
why Echo Prestress has grown the demand for prestressed hollow-core
slabs. She says the company is no ‘slab pusher’, but offers a complete
service-orientated flooring solution.
“The first thing we look at on any project is whether prestressed
hollow-core would be the most suitable technology. Sometimes we
find that a hybrid solution, where prestressed slabs are combined with
in-situ construction, works best. And in some instances we recommend
combining prestressed slabs with other forms of precast concrete such
as beams and columns.
“We work very closely with construction professionals to make sure
we meet all their design criteria, both aesthetically and structurally. Our
in-house design facility and our technical department examine aspects
such as slab depth, reinforcing, spans and loading, which is why all our
slabs are purpose-made for every project.
“We also maintain close liaison with principal site engineers and
this saves the developers time and money. And where appropriate, we
make recommendations on how best to apply prestressed technology
to their projects. For example, they may have used 340 mm in-situ
flooring and in certain instances we might propose 250 mm prestressed
slabs as a viable alternative.
Notable projects
Over the years Echo Prestress has made a substantial contribution to
solving South Africa’s housing shortage.
Some recent housing projects include the supply of precast
concrete hollow-core slabs for the construction of upper-level flooring
in multi-storey apartment blocks at two Gauteng retirement villages,
Featherbrooke Hills Retirement Village and Olivedale Retirement
Village. Another is The William, a middle-income high-density resi-
dential development, where 110 eight-unit apartment blocks were
20 YEARS of prestressed slab production
One of South Africa’s prestressed hollow-
core concrete slab pioneers, Echo Prestress,
is celebrating its 20th year. The company
was founded in 1995 when a factory was
built in Kempton Park to manufacture
prestressed hollow-core slabs.
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This article was first published in Precast.