Construction World December 2015

Newtown Junction

Also, the project team had to design lateral support systems to protect the bridge piers, ensure that the safety of motorists was not jeopard- ised, as well as design a roofing system that caters for stormwater flooding from the highway in these areas. Construction on the project commenced in October 2012 and was successfully completed at the end of September 2014, with the devel- opment’s office component being awarded a 4-Star Green Star Office Design V1 rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa. Newtown Junction is now a unique and bustling hub that is bringing new life to the surrounding precinct. Coupled to this, the heritage-inspired design will make it a go-to destination for the people of Johannesburg as well as tourists. The new Newtown Junction mixed-use development successfully retains the magic of the past, blending it with the excitement of the future and breathing new life to the surrounding precinct.

Newtown Junction is situated in the cultural district of the suburb Newtown, in the heart of Johannesburg, next to the Museum of Africa and the striking 1913 Edwardian building that was redeveloped into the popular Market Theatre. This multilevel development offers a vibrant 36 000 m² shopping centre, 30 000 m² of office space, gymnasium and four basement levels providing a total of 2 400 parking bays.Developed by Atterbury Prop- erty Holdings, Newtown Junction signals both the growth of Johan- nesburg’s city centre, as well as the renewal and revival of the city in a way that preserves its heritage and history. Three major challenges were encountered during the refur- bishment: maintaining the integrity of the ‘potato sheds’ structure; careful consideration of heritage structures and the inputs of multiple stakeholders; and accommodating existing steel structures. The design team adopted a hybrid approach consisting of partial restoration, partial replacement and partial additional strengthening.

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The R1,3-billion development is backed by the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) and has seen the SAHRA inputs carefully considered, due to the historic nature of the site. The building is partly situated under the elevated M1 highway, which required a very unique geometry in order to accommodate the existing highway piers. Some sections of the structure’s roof are only 3-4 m below the structure of the M1 highway. Furthermore, the floor level of the lower retail level is up to 3 m below the founding levels of the highway piers and columns. This meant the project team had to isolate construction while building around existing highway piers and columns.

Project information • Company entering: Aurecon • Project start date: October 2012 • Project end date: September 2014 • Client: Atterbury Property Holdings • Main contractor: WBHO Construction • Architect (heritage): MRA Architects • Architect (retail): LPA Architects • Architect (principal): dhk Architects

• Principal agent: Metrum Project Management • Project manager: Metrum Project Management • Quantity surveyor: Norval Wentzel Steinberg • Structural steel detailer: BSM Baker • Structural engineer: Aurecon

2 15 BEST PR O JECTS

CONSTRUCTION WORLD DECEMBER 2015