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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
MARCH
2017
Built in the early 1930s, the once well
maintained Bencorrum Towers, one 16
storeys high, the other 23 storeys high, had
deteriorated to a state of total disrepair.
Sika’s technical sales consultant, Mark
Duckham, is advising onsite.
With the scope of works, which includes
moderate to severe concrete repair,
refurbishment and protection; Curasure
KZN, a building maintenance consulting
company, specified products from Sika’s
renowned MonoTop range of ready-to-use
mortars. The Ikusasa Group undertook
quantity surveying for the project while
the application contract was awarded to
Coating Worx KZN.
Sika MonoTop-610, a cementitious,
polymer-modified, one-component bonding
slurry and primer is applied for protection
of the reinforced steel. Active corrosion
inhibitors in Sika MonoTop-610 meet
international standards for corrosion
protection while its excellent adhesion to
concrete and steel provides high resistance
to water and chloride penetration. Sika
MonoTop-612 is a cementitious, polymer-
modified, low permeability mortar
containing silica fume and synthetic
fibre reinforcement, and is used as a high
strength repair and reprofiling system.
Its excellent slump resistance allows
for easy application on overhead and
vertical surfaces.
For thick layer concrete repairs, Sika
MonoTop-615 HB was used. This is a high
build, cementitious, polymer-modified,
one-component repair and reprofiling
mortar containing silica fume and
Ferrogard corrosion inhibitors. It displays
excellent thixotropic behaviour. For thin
layer rendering on horizontal and vertical
surfaces, Sika MonoTop-620 was the
RESTORING AILING
Durban apartment block
February 2016 marked the
start of an estimated 15-month
restoration project on one of
the largest apartment blocks in
the Southern Hemisphere.
The site was the T-shaped
Bencorrum Towers in Durban’s
beachfront precinct, comprising
334 units and housing over a
thousand people.
product of choice. A cementitious pore
sealer and levelling mortar containing silica
fume, it provides excellent adhesion to
mortars and concrete. All Sika MonoTop
products are sprayable by the wet spray
method and provide several advantages
including adjustable consistencies,
excellent workability characteristics and
good mechanical strengths.
As with all high rise buildings undergoing
external renovations in densely populated
areas, public safety takes priority. Since
Bencorrum Towers is situated on an
extremely busy street, a mere stone’s throw
from Durban’s famous beachfront, and due
to its level of dilapidation, falling debris
is of major concern. To exacerbate the
challenges facing the contractor, the body
corporate of Bencorrum Towers imposed a
restricted working schedule; 9:00 to 15:00
Mondays to Fridays, with no work permitted
on weekends and public holidays.
Every window in the block will be sealed
with Sikaflex-11 FC, a one-part, moisture-
curing elastic joint sealant and multi-
purpose adhesive based on polyurethane.
Its non-sag consistency greatly facilitates
sealing of overhead and vertical joints.
Solvent-free and odourless, Sikaflex-11 FC
provides high quality adhesion, bubble-free
curing, good mechanical resistance and
importantly, high quality weathering and
ageing resistance.
While before-and-after photographs of
completed sections at Bencorrum Towers
bear testimony to the quality and ease
of application of these outstanding Sika
products, the ensuing years will prove their
durability and efficacy. When the project is
completed, long suffering residents, who
have endured years of mal-administration
and are now personally managing their
building, will once again feel proud to reside
at Bencorrum Towers.
property developments by providing fibre-
enabled solutions which will pave the way
for end to end converged telecommuni-
cations and enable customer-specific
turnkey solutions.”
The Smart Buildings and Infrastructure
series of summits are aimed at the building
fraternity (architects, developers, engineers,
facility managers, government, municipalities,
interior designers) and is Africa’s only
platform designed for decision-makers and
analysts from the public and private sectors
responsible for the design, construction and
operation of infrastructure assets and or
the specification and procurement of major
infrastructure assets.
The first in the 2017 series is taking place
at the Durban Exhibition Centre, KwaZulu-
Natal (KZN) on the 22 February 2017.
“Some 65% of South Africa’s population
already live in urban areas and this number is
growing by 1,2% annually. We also know that
infrastructure demands in most African
cities are expected to almost double
by 2030.
It is therefore not surprising that
smarter approaches to city infrastructure
are non-negotiable,” says Daniel
Claassen, programme director.
The Summit will not only showcase
new and better ways of working together
with project stakeholders, but will equip
delegates with tools to improve urban
planning and drive sustainability.
“We have structured the Summit in
such a way delegates will be given the
opportunity to influence discussions,
access a large pool of experts who
are tackling similar challenges and to
learn about new technologies that are
suitable for the South African market.
There are also some great networking
opportunities with key industry
stakeholders,” concludes Claassen.