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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
SEPTEMBER
2016
PROJECT PROFILE
RIGHT:
The scaffolding for the external works had to be carefully designed to accommodate the different
trades involved in the façade that comprises different materials of different shapes and sizes.
BELOW:
The tower cranes had to be positioned carefully on the very congested site.
planning with the help of structural engi-
neer EKCON and principal agent, AECOM.
Danie Jurgens, engineer for Murray &
Roberts Western Cape, says an intricate
back-propping system had to be designed
and planned from the fifth level all the way
down to the basements to support the
transfer slab. The smallest pour was
320 m
3
and the largest 400 m
3
.
Jurgens says that in line with the
larger Murray Roberts Group’s STOP.THINK.
ACT 24/7 campaign no one was allowed
access in and around the site while the
concrete pours were under way.
The slab was undertaken in six individual
pours and the concrete pumped 42 m from
Bree and Buitengracht Streets in the early
hours of the morning to avoid peak hour
traffic in the CBD. About 2 000 m
3
of concrete
was cast, commencing on 3 February and
ending on 8 March 2016.
Complicating the process was the
intricate drainage system that had to be
cast inside the slab, as well as its extensive
reinforcing steel design.
To accommodate this, two 550 mm thick
concrete layers were poured on top of each
other with a five day curing period required
between layers. The surface of the first cast
was primed for the next pour by receiving a
thin layer of concrete with a retarding agent
and then sprayed with a jet of water.
External façade
Morilly says the external façade of the
building is also a complex undertaking. It
comprises different materials with a variety
of shapes and sizes. These include bricks,
windows and imported marble tiles, while
close consideration also had to be given to
the design of the scaffolding to accommo-
date the various tradesmen right from the
outset to avoid cost overruns.
A very interesting aspect of the build is
the merger of the new structure with the old
Tothills Building.
“This heritage building is being incor-
porated into the front of house of the new
structure and we have been tasked with
restoring it to its original state, overhauling
the roof, ceilings, walls and floors. We are
working closely with the structural engineers
and have already undertaken extensive tests
to validate the structural integrity of the
building,” Morilly says.
Work on the project commenced in
the rainy seasons in the Western Cape and
Murray & Roberts Western Cape and one year
into construction the company is on track for
the contract completion date.
It becomes very apparent that this will
be yet another successful project completed
by Murray & Roberts Western Cape in the
leading tourist destination in the country.