Construction World December 2016

2 16

BEST

JECTS

DECEMBER • 2016

• Company entering: AECOM

• Client: University of the Witwatersrand

• Contract value: R750-million (Phase I) –

R1,5-billion (total programme to date).

• Start date: 1 July 2014

• End date 31 March 2016 (Phase I)

• Contractors:

• Owner: Department of Higher Education

& Training

• Architect/designer: Activate

Architecture, Savage & Dodd, Chris

Wilkinson Architects

• Principal agent/project manager:

AECOM

• Consulting engineers:

• Main building – M&D Construction,

Trencon, Qualicon

• Wet services – Vic Ball Plumbers,

Davnic Plumbing

• Electrical – Civilsense, Aurecon

• Mechanical – Element

• Water – Aurecon

• Civil – Aurecon

Project information

The different types of water and sewer lines posed a significant challenge on the

project. Grey water is collected from the showers and basins in the residence

buildings and stored in a grey water sump adjacent to the black water sump outside

the services building.

Rainwater disposal systems on each of the buildings feature gravity and

siphonic drainage discharge.

The building site had shallow levels of hard rock, which made excavation for

both structure and services extremely difficult. This was especially challenging

when designing and installing the grey water recovery system, which had to fall

over long pipe runs. The underground pipe runs were shortened by reticulating in

the upper floors as far as possible.

The sewer system consists of a two-pipe system, whereby a black water line

connects all the toilets, sinks, and urinals, and a grey water line connects the basins

and showers. The black water discharges straight into the municipality connection,

which the grey water is pumped through a state-of-the-art purification plant that

stores the water in a 108 m

sectional tank. The filtered grey water is then used to

supply the toilets and urinals.

As principal agent, AECOM utilised its LifeGuard reporting system, which allows

anyone on-site to log an occurrence or incident on-line, with an accompanying

photograph and any background information.

PJ Carew Consulting was responsible for elements such as the glazing per

building, and the paint specification.

Phase I has been delivered within budget and timeframe, and according to client

specifications. Such has been the satisfaction of the client, that AECOM’s initial

contract has initially been extended. Phase I had a total cost of R750-million, while

the current total value of the programme is R1,5-billion.

PRECINCT, KIMBERLEY