PROJECT PROFILE
he event culminated in the announce-
ment of the overall winner for 2016,
the Eastgate Phase II Redevelopment,
submitted by Tass Engineering –
Steelwork Contractors and project
team members. In addition to being the overall
winner, this project also won the Commercial Archi-
tectural Category.
The Eastgate Phase II Redevelopment encom-
passes a number of new structures to give the centre
a major facelift. The primary change is the relocation
of the lower level cinema complex onto a section of
the roof-level car park, enabling more retail space at
the lower level plus incorporating substantial addi-
tional retail space within the new cinema complex
at roof level.
When asked about Eastgate Redevelopment
Phase II project, Spencer Erling, retired SAISC Director
EASTGATE PHASE II
redevelopment wins 2016 Steel Awards
The highlight of the structural
steel industry calendar, the
35
th
Annual Steel Awards
hosted by the Southern African
Institute of Steel Construction
in partnership with BSi Steel,
took place on 15 September
2016 in Johannesburg, Cape
Town and KwaZulu-Natal
concurrently. Attended by
over 1 000 people the event
showcased projects completed
in the previous year that
demonstrated excellence in
the use of structural steel.
and seasoned Steel Awards judge convener remarked:
“I’ve sent students there. I’ve seen the drawings. I just
think that what they’ve achieved in a working shop-
ping centre, that’s absolutely changed the mall totally,
is really a fantastic piece of engineering work.”
What makes this entry special?
What is special about this project goes hand in hand
with why steelwork was chosen as the main structural
component in its design. Building a major 5 000 m
2
structure such as this one on a suspended concrete
carpark slab over two levels of retail space and keeping
the entire shopping centre operational in the process
is no mean feat both from a design and a construction
point of view.
Underpinning of the foundations was undertaken
by mining under the existing lower level suspended
slabs firstly by excavating using remote controlled
Bobcats with their hoods cut off and then installing
mini precast piles.
Special consideration had to be given to access to
the workface for the installation of most of the steel-
work. The loading limitation on the rooftop carpark
slab was only 2 kPa with the maximum vehicle weight
limited to 5 000 kg.
The tower crane that was installed by the main
contractor on the site covered only 60% of the rooftop
cinema complex area and had limited load capacity
at radius.
A number of the internal structures were designed
with plate web girders spanning in excess of fifteen
metres which had to be manhandled into position and
hoisted by scaffold tower and chain blocks.
Loads of up to 3,5 ton and lengths of over 18
metres had to be trolleyed/man handled through and
around the cinema structure to then be hoisted to
final level by building high scaffold towers over them
and pulling them up with suitable capacity chain
blocks. an extremely time consuming and expensive
means of erection.
Connection design, particularly between the
numerous beams throughout the lower levels of the
cinema complex and all the Bond-Dek slab support
beams was a major cost saving item from a fabrication
36
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
NOVEMBER
2016