Construction World September 2016

operations and traffic management were carried out in strict accordance with the Tsogo approved hoarding permit and traffic management plan, thereby enhancing a healthy relationship with the city. With space being at such a premium, it was imperative that the two tower cranes were carefully positioned and ready to operate immediately. The first crane is supported by a base that is cast inside the structure and the second by ballasts outside of the building. Meanwhile, the laydown area in the base- ment provides very limited space for storing essential building materials. The bulk of the building requirements need to be stored off site and their timeous delivery to the site is planned on a just-in-time basis to avoid disrupting the construction programme. “Logistics of supply is critical on this project. We have to plan very carefully and, often, deliveries to site have to be done in the evening when traffic in the city has started to subside. This has allowed for an uninterrupted start by the various teams the following morning,” he says. A congested site Adding to these complexities is the number of subcontractors interacting with the main contractor on this congested site. In June, Murray & Roberts Western Cape was interacting with just under 40 sub-con- tractors as work continued apace on the specialised trades. By the time the project peaks early next year, the site is expected to host about 500 workers, adding a new level of complexity to the project. However, the biggest challenge on this project was the large transfer slab at the fifth level of the structure that marks the end of the podium work and the start of the main tower that houses the hotel. Cement pours Pouring this 1,1 metre thick slab above the five podium levels required extensive HOTSPOT “Logistics of supply is critical on this project. We have to plan very carefully and, often, deliveries to site have to be done in the evening when traffic in the city has started to subside. This has allowed for an uninterrupted start by the various teams the following morning.”

The old heritage building will be integrated into the hall of the new structure.

Once the transfer slab was successfully completed, the tower section started climbed quickly, with work

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Subcontractors start with the installation of the services components of the structure and then install the dry-walling, ceilings, doors, tiling and skirting.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2016