36 / 56
34
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
NOVEMBER
2016
PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS
The tender for engineering services was
awarded to SMEC’s Cape Town office by
the South African National Roads Agency
SOC Ltd (SANRAL) in 2009. This included inves-
tigations, design and construction monitoring.
Mynhardt Augustyn, function manager for
construction and pavements in Cape Town, has
been involved with the project since tender stage
as design leader. Ivan Jacobs, regional manager
for the Free State region, assumed the duties of
contract engineer during the construction stage.
Five technical staff members from SMEC
South Africa were employed on-site full time
for the duration of the project, including three
engineers assisting resident engineer Neels de
Jager, and a senior materials technician. Fernando
Pequenino, section manager for geotechnics in
Johannesburg, was involved during the design,
attending to geotechnical matters during the
construction period.
The existing road, which consisted of a
As the only surviving example of a Victorian Theatre
in Africa, leading specialists in the construction, reno-
vation and recycling of buildings, GVK-Siya Zama,
were enlisted to ensure that it would be preserved for future
generations to enjoy.
When the PE Opera House opened, it was dubbed by press
as ‘The finest theatre in all the World’. However over the course
of its 124 year history, the building and a number of its unique
elements have decayed. GVK-Siya Zama was tasked with
preserving its historic architectural features, while at the same
time expanding its facilities with modern twists.
The building, known as the ‘Old Lady’, houses two theatres:
The Barn, which is a cabaret venue, and the Main Stage, which
was built for ballet, opera and musicals. The upgrade called for
the addition of a dedicated foyer space and passenger lift in
The Barn as well as extensions to the theatre. The Main Stage
required renovations to its foyer along with internal and external
painting and damp damage repairs. Carpets and wallpapering
throughout the building had to be replaced and new air-con-
ditioning, lighting, fire detection and ventilation systems had
to be installed to ensure compliance with the latest building
and energy regulations. Access for disabled persons also had
to be improved. All of this had to be carried out whilst retaining
N7 UPGRADE PROJECT COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY
South Africa has successfully
delivered a project to upgrade
and improve Section 3 of the N7
between the Western Cape and
Namibia. This 27,7 km stretch
runs between the Citrusdal and
Cederberg intersections.
surfaced width of 6,6 m with narrow gravel
shoulders, was upgraded to SANRAL’s stan-
dard cross-section of 12,4 m surfaced width.
Jurgen Oosthuyse, engineer: construction and
pavements, SMEC South Africa, says the main
challenge faced by the project was that the
existing roadway had considerable vertical align-
ment inadequacies.
“Over the full length of the road, the Olifants
River runs on the eastern side of the road reserve,
with valleys created by watercourses crossing the
roadway at regular intervals. The existing roadway
followed the contours of these rolling hills closely
and reduced sight distance to the point where
passing was impossible,” Oosthuyse explains.
To this extent, the standard of the vertical
alignment was improved by constructing
numerous large fills using material obtained
from cuttings, a total of 650 000 m³ of material.
Improving horizontal alignment at two major
watercourse crossings required the construction
of two bridges. In addition, 12 major on-site
culverts, as well as several smaller culverts, were
required to provide sufficient infrastructure for
drainage requirements.
A hard-rock quarry was established to produce
approximately 175 000 m³ of crushed material for
use in the pavement layers, for stone in concrete,
as well as for use in stone pitching to erosion
protection works.
The project provided unique challenges
in meeting conflicting demands for traffic
accommodation, keeping hauling distances to
the minimum, and ensuring that available cut
materials were put to best use as dictated by their
engineering properties.
The geology consists of sandstone dipping
towards the road with varying strike, mostly
perpendicular to the road. The sandstone forma-
tion included interbedded clay layers, resulting
in a number of slope failures in places during
construction, and which were stabilised using
rock bolts and mesh.
Mynhardt Augustyn, function manager con-
struction & pavements, SMEC Cape Town.
>
and protecting as much of the fragile original heritage elements – from
pressed ceilings and tiles to ornate fretwork – as possible.
Barend Delport, regional managing director at GVK-Siya Zama, says
that some the most interesting components of the project were the
reconstruction of the original gallery floor to increase seating capacity
and the installation of an all-new fire escape route.
Delport believes that the revamped PE Opera house now provides PE
and its residents with a first class facility that will attract local and inter-
national acts. Once more funds are secured, the ‘Old Lady’ will house a
rotating restaurant, modern stage, roof garden and opera school.
ENCORE FOR AFRICA’S OLDEST THEATRE
The oldest theatre on the African continent
and in the Southern Hemisphere, the PE Opera
House, has recently undergone intricate
renovations and expansions. This was done
to transform the building from a heritage site
into a first class facility.
>