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BEST
PR
O
JECTS
72
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
DECEMBER
2015
Professional Services
C
Project information
• Company entering: AfriCoast
Consulting Engineers
• Project start date: 24 March 2014
• Project end date: 1 November 2015
• Client: The Port Elizabeth Opera House
• Main contractor: GVK-Siya Zama
Building Contractors
• Principal agent: The Matrix Urban Designers
and Architects
• Architect: The Matrix Urban Designers
and Architects
• Consulting engineer: AfriCoast
Consulting Engineers
• Project value: R27 360 000
Renovations and Additions to
The Port Elizabeth Opera House
Port Elizabeth’s much loved Opera
House is acclaimed as the oldest
theatre, not only on the African
continent but also in the southern hemi-
sphere. It is a national treasure, and its
expansion and renovation this year has been
sorely overdue.
AfriCoast was part of the Matrix Archi-
tects Consortium Joint Venture appointed
by the PE Opera House for the makeover of
the historical building.
Due to the sensitive nature of this
project, heritage approval for the construc-
tion work on this historical building was
sought and granted from the Provincial
Heritage Resources Agency well in advance.
The upgrade includes the construction
of an extended foyer and other renova-
tions such as damp damage repairs, office
upgrades, and replacement of carpets
and wallpaper.
In addition new heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting
and fire detection are being installed to
ensure that the PE Opera House is fully
compliant with the latest building and
energy regulations.
The original structure was wedged
tightly up against the rock in a space
specially carved for it out of the natural
sea-facing hillside. Careful preparation had
to be undertaken before excavation work
could commence in the restricted space for
extended structures to come.
The topography presented the team
with tight spaces and tricky heights: approx-
imately 10 m x 10 m, on a 12 m slope of more
than 45 degrees. Getting big machines into
that space for the excavations was a chal-
lenge and the stability of the embankment
was always a concern.
As the Opera House is a heritage site,
strict regulations were applied to the design
and construction work, and the architect
received official sign-off before work began.
As there was not sufficient leg-room for
theatregoers in the suspended Gallery, it
was decided to increase the size of each step
but reduce the number of rows.
It addition, it was discovered that the
existing timber work needed to be replaced
– the timber was split and over 100 years old,
and certainly did not meet SANS require-
ments. New timber supports were designed
and the original steel trusses retained.
Retaining and protecting as much of
the original finish as possible – from
pressed ceilings and tiles to ornate fretwork
– was critical to the project, because of its
heritage value.
All of these elements were never envis-
aged at tender stage, and there were many
variances to the original plan as the project
progressed, so to keep within budget and
time was certainly another large challenge
that the AfriCoast team has overcome. The
labour load was increased by as much as
three times in order to stay on track.
The size of this upstairs theatre area
needed to be increased – however, the rock
face is so close to the building that there was
simply no room for traditional extension
supports. Instead, innovative and modern-
looking suspended clip-on boxes were
designed to provide additional room.
The heavy steel support columns,
though, were found to be in the way of the
new fire escape, so they had to be shifted
around until they were no longer an obstruc-
tion. Now in place, they offer a chunky,
industrial aesthetic appeal that is in pleasing
contrast to the ornate Victorian character of
the original building.