Monthly Archives: April 2018

Not quite the “Glorious Summer” yet

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Not quite the “Glorious Summer” yet

April 2018

The building and construction Industry in South Africa has entered a phase of cautious optimism. Things are looking up and projects are coming out of the ground. We have moved on from our desperate discontent to a season of hope, at least.

John Matthews, President – Master Builders South Africa

And it’s clear, amid some continued uncertainty, that a change of national leadership has been pivotally involved in the story of the country’s climb from all–pervasive gloom.

We’re tentatively betting on the new broom, President Cyril Ramaphosa, to do his bit towards helping return the country to somewhere near the glorious international status that followed the change of regime late in the 1900s. That was the closest we have come, as a nation, to a Shakespearean ‘glorious summer’ so far.

For the first time, as the leader of the majority party and the country, our new President is actively facing some of the issues thrown up so long ago, by the new dispensation that was cemented in the Constitution. And he’s got a tough gig.

How he and his colleagues negotiate their way through this, will influence our future economic health and social stability – factors that are vital to the construction sector in particular. But is it all up to the politicians?

What does emerge from a scan of the building and property gurus’ predictions for the rest of this year and the following few years, is the huge, almost exclusive, reliance that South African industry, of all kinds, is placing on political leadership.

John Loos, FNB’s strategist, for instance, reckons that house prices will rise, following the recent 0.25 drop in the repo rate, to near 5%. That’s a light breeze. Not the storm wind South Africa needs to speed up growth. Others are equally concerned that political decisions are key. And they are. But a society less easily influenced by the all-too available social media pronouncements of political figures promoting their own agendas, is equally capable of creating change, if only by questioning and holding those that represent us, to account.

As an industry, we are often subjected to conditions that don’t suit our carefully-factored efficiencies. But officialdom is inclined to have the last word. It is time that we, as an industry, insisted on making bigger decisions from our position of expertise and experience rather than from the dictates of a bureaucracy mired in throttling legislation that does less to regulate and more to strangle the fast progress of delivery.

What is needed is a resolution, not a revolution with no purpose.

John

Cornubia Bridge – KwaZulu-Natal

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Cornubia Bridge – KwaZulu-Natal

Contractor: CMC di Ravenna – South African Branch

Duration of Project: 18 months

Equipment Used: RMD Megatruss Traffic Portal supported by Megashor Towers

Benefits of Solution Provided: To fast track the construction of the Cornubia bridge deck between two freeway lanes (N2 NBC/SBC) with limited space in between (median).

Background: The Cornubia Bridge and interchange will provide a critical link between the economic growth node of Umhlanga and the emerging Cornubia Integrated Human Settlement Development and areas to the west and broader hinterland. Co-incidentally the eTM’s Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) will also make use of the bridge over the N2 as part of its C9 routing between Bridge City and Umhlanga Ridge.

RMD Megatruss Traffic Portal and Megashor Towers provided CMC di Ravenna with an indispensable solution and flexibility to simultaneously prepare all the falsework required, especially above the freeway and where the height restriction required to be strictly observed during construction.

SA’s first precast concrete parkade wins CMA Engineering Excellence award

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SA’s first precast concrete parkade wins CMA Engineering Excellence award

The completed third floor showing the columns, beams and fourth floor slabs

Echo Prestress has won the prestigious Concrete Manufacturers Association’s (CMA) NPC Building Elements Award for Engineering Excellence, for its pivotal role in the construction of South Africa’s first precast concrete parkade.

An aerial view of North East Parkade

Comprising seven storeys and a total floor area of 65 000 m², North East Parkade is also SA’s largest precast concrete structure to date and was built as part of the expansion and revamp of the Fourways Shopping Mall in Johannesburg.

In making the award, the panel of judges commented that the project has broken the mould for the design and construction of parking structures and is an example of efficient, streamlined engineering.

Various sections of the parkade under construction

North East Parkade was initially conventionally designed using cast in-situ technology. However, time constraints and a need to minimise disruption to traders and their customers were important design considerations. This prompted the design team to investigate and to then propose an alternative design using precast columns, beams and slabs as the frame’s main structural elements. Together with other precast elements such as crash barriers/balustrades and stairs, they would be combined with cast-in-situ concrete, to create a hybrid construction system.

Besides being faster and causing less disruption to retail activity, precast construction would be propless and would allow the early occupation of the lower floors while the upper levels were still under construction. Moreover, its fast, repetitive modular construction technique and consistent factory-produced quality would yield superior productivity and improved safety on site.

These factors persuaded the Fourways Mall owners, Accelerate Property Fund, to make history by building South Africa’s largest precast framed structure to date.

Echo Prestress manufactured 78 000 m² of slab material which was used for the flooring and retaining walls. Echo was also the prime mover in the switch from in-situ to precast construction and played a major role in the precast engineering, input which was crucial to the success of the project.

According to Echo Technical Director, Daniel Petrov, hidden column and beam connections were critical in complying with the architectural design criteria and these had the added advantage of simplifying the installation process.

“Vertical load transfers up to 900 t/column were facilitated by purpose-designed connector bolts and shoes which enabled the columns to be simply bolted together. The columns were cast in two-storey lengths to minimise the number of joints. As soon as the columns were secured in position, rectangular beams were seated on steel billets which had been cast into the columns. Thereafter, the placement of the slabs onto the beams could follow immediately,” said Petrov.

Only 475 mm deep, the shallow beams were designed to suit the restricted 3 060 mm floor-to-floor height. A floor screed was applied as a structural component and enhanced the stiffness of the beams by more than 200%. During load testing under a live-load application this resulted in deflections of not more than 2 mm on a 7 850 mm beam span.

The detailed structural design was carried out by Precast Concrete Consultants, (Precon) who utilised specialised software for the creation of construction of construction drawings. This resulted in fabrication drawings being made available as part of the specialist design process and further reduced the complete project time cycle. Close cooperation between Precon and the overall project engineers, WSP, ensured that all structural details were well coordinated and complied with WSP’s requirements.

“With the advances in construction technology and techniques available today, precast structures of this type will become indistinguishable from those constructed using non-precast methods. Designers are no longer obliged to work within tight constraints. Due to the availability of an increasing number of precast elements they are now able to incorporate increasing variety and design complexity in their buildings.

“The North East parkade is a functional and aesthetically pleasing end product which will surely be classified as one of South Africa’s ground-breaking structural applications.

“The true value of this flagship project is yet to be fully realised and it should promote greater liaison between the precast producer and the design team. However, it already represents a significant shift towards prefabricated construction methodology and is encouraging construction professionals to take a fresh look at the benefits of precast.

“Educating the current and upcoming generation of young professionals in the correct use and appreciation of precast construction is one of our primary objectives as professionals and North East Parkade will provide a valuable reference point for South African professionals and educators who are involved and/or considering similar projects.

“Moreover, continuous investment and innovation by the South African precast concrete industry will pave the way for ever more complex layouts and external treatments,” concluded Petrov.

Beware the impact of insurance risk during water restrictions

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Beware the impact of insurance risk during water restrictions

Master Builders Association Western Cape advises its members of the following important information relative to insurance risk whilst water restrictions are in place:

As you are aware, the City of Cape Town declared water restrictions in January 2016 which have led to institutions, residents, farmers and businesses all being adversely impacted.

To make matters worse, water resources have been put under tremendous strain due to the holiday season.

What Impact may this have on your insurance policy?

As the drought conditions continue to deteriorate, the shortage of water could materially affect the function or effectiveness of water-dependent fire-fighting equipment and sprinkler-systems. The water crisis therefore requires additional precautions to be taken by yourselves to minimise the risk of loss or damage to property – a general policy condition in most insurance contracts. During these prevailing conditions, failure to take reasonable measures to safeguard property and lives could prejudice you in recovering from a loss event and may also be in contravention of the regulations on safety in the workplace.

Precautions taken should always be in line with the principles of water conservation outlined by the City of Cape Town.

With respect to sprinkler-protected property, the following conditions apply:

Fire cover will respond during a period of intentional water cut-off, reduced water pressure or any form of water rationing by the Authorities (other than suspension of the water supply due to, for example, non-payment of accounts, etc.) as a result of the prevailing drought conditions, that directly gives rise to sprinkler systems not performing their function or being ineffective during an event.

You are still responsible for the maintenance of the building’s sprinkler-system and for ensuring that the system is in good working order. Should the system be defective, at the time of the loss, your claim may be rejected.

You must keep records and proof of the last service and/or test of the system (on premises and elsewhere). In this regard, we encourage the closed-circuit test which does not require more or additional public water supply than already in the system.

Should at the time of loss, the last date of service or the last test be out of cycle or out-dated, your claim may be rejected.

Loss of Income due to the business being interrupted

Unfortunately, insurance policies do not respond to losses resulting from damage directly or indirectly caused by drought or shortage of water.

Theewaterskloof Dam, Cape Town

The above-mentioned is intended as a guide only to assist your thinking and decision making. Please contact your broker if you have any further queries.

Sumitomo excavators ready to boost economy

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Sumitomo excavators ready to boost economy

ELB Equipment is aggressively gearing up its excavator offering to meet anticipated demand as the South African economy is poised for growth.

Rhett O’Neill of ELB Equipment

“Excavators are at the heart of any construction or mining operation and their availability is pivotal to getting projects off the ground,” says local distributor ELB Equipment’s Rhett O’Neill. “For this reason, we have brought in extra units, especially 21-tonners, as they are the most commonly used excavators in South Africa. We have also tagged them at competitive prices along with extras and extended-hour warranties to help ensure the success of these new projects.

“Made in Japan, Sumitomo excavators are known to be among the fastest-working and economical excavators that are purpose-built for 24-hour production type operations. Tougher and more durable than the average excavator they are able to boost new contracts and help kick-start the economy.”

Top performers

Sumitomo is a specialist excavator manufacturer with more than 100 years of experience in mining and earthmoving. The company produces premium-brand excavators that excel in tough conditions and often match bigger and heavier machines outputs on site.

These qualities have led to Sumitomo excavators winning Japan’s prestigious “Good Design Award” and “Grand Award for Energy Conservation” in the same category as the country’s legendary automotive counterparts. Not only are they fast, powerful and durable, but they are easier to maintain and operate for extended periods of time on site with less maintenance required.

Another characteristic that endears Sumitomo excavator to the local market is its low diesel consumption that ranks among the lowest in its class. It also has three modes of operation namely: Speed Priority, Heavy, and an Auto option, which gives operators the ability to choose the mode best suited to the kind of operation encountered. Either to speed up work, reduce diesel consumption by as much as 20% or a mixture of both when working in mixed terrain.

Local team

ELB Equipment has represented the Sumitomo brand of excavators in South Africa for almost 30 years during which time the brand has earned an enviable reputation for productivity and reliability. Simultaneously, the distributor has proven to have the best interests of its customers at heart with extensive support offered through its far-ranging branch and support network throughout the country and entire southern African region.

In tough economic times ELB Equipment has also sourced more cost effective but equally good quality Service Genuine undercarriage and service parts through Sumitomo which makes owning and servicing a Sumitomo more affordable than ever before.

Meet the team of the renowned Hard Hat Equipment Hire

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Meet the team of the renowned Hard Hat Equipment Hire

Roger Pike,Brenda Rowe, Frank Noble and Andrew Myburgh

Since its establishment in 2008, Hard Hat Equipment Hire has grown from strength to strength and is now recognised as a respected leader in the provision of plant and equipment to the construction and related industries.

SA Builder introduces you to this company’s dynamic and hands-on management team:

Frank Noble, CEO

“I have an innate curiosity as to how things work and should work and have applied this to every area of professional endeavour. I aim to employ and improve the right people, systems and procedures to create business enhancing results. Although I am a lawyer by profession, I have used my time at Teljoy to branch out into many areas of business and am now specialising in general management.”

In 1991 Frank has an LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and has spent many years with Teljoy fulfilling a succession of key roles, from IT Manager, to Group Legal advisor, General Manager and Director.

Andrew Myburgh, Sales Manager

Andrew matriculated at Klerksdorp Technical High School in 1997 and has since gained significant experience and expertise in the construction industry: as Sales Executive of Timjol Boards; sub-contractor for Concor Technicrete; Manager of WXM Mouldings; Manager of LMA Project Solutions; and Manager of Performance Plant Hire.

Andrew’s drive and commitment as Sales Manager for Hard Hat is key to the company’s progresses and expansion programme.

Brenda Rowe, Operations Executive

“My involvement in the building and construction industry has spanned 45 years, including 25 years with Turner Morris where I peaked as MD of the company.”

Prior to that Brenda gained experience with Bruinette Kruger and Stoffberg consulting engineers; Anglo American – doing reinforced concrete drawings for the mines; and Bennet and Maharaj – assisting with the drawings and quantities, materials purchasing and managing of the site where the company built 55 houses in eight months.

Brenda has a Civil Engineering Diploma from Wits Technikon.

Roger Pike, Financial Manager

In the early ’90s Roger studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and UNISA and obtained his Bachelor of Accounting Science (Bcompt) majoring in Accounting and Auditing. He also studied Business Economics III for non-degree purposes. ladyx

He is an accomplished financial manager having worked with companies such as Incledon (Financial Manager), Clover/Danone and Spanjaard he stands Hard Hat in good stead with his considerable experience.

A commitment cast in concrete

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A commitment cast in concrete

Hannes Meyer – Cementitious Executive, AfriSam *

In April 2018, at its Peninsula Quarry operations near Cape Town, AfriSam’s top management team re-affirmed it’s long term commitment, further entrenchment and investment of assets and resources in the Western Cape.

AfriSam is renowned for its presence and dedication over decades of construction in the Western Cape, including the supply of cement, concrete and readymix for numerous iconic structures – to the benefit of the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape region and their communities as a whole.

Concrete, after water, is the most used

AfriSam plays an extensive and ongoing infrastructure development role in Cape Town and the Western Cape

product on the planet

“With our considerable assets in the region, coupled with our innovative logistics operations in directing clinker from Gauteng to the Western Cape, we are able to maintain our competitive edge and deepen our commitment to Cape Town and the Western Cape,” said Hannes Meyer, AfriSam’s Cementitious Executive.

Richard Tomes, Sales and Marketing Executive for AfriSam

AfriSam’s top management team engage with the medai at the company’s Peninsula Quarry near Cape Town *

Richard Tomes, Sales and Marketing Executive for AfriSam, noted that the company is recognised as the market leader in the combined manufacture and supply of concrete materials, namely, cement, aggregates and readymix.

The AfriSam Peninsula Quarry *

“We are aware of the progressive migration of people to Cape Town and the Western Cape, and note too that the turnaround of growth in construction will still take some time, however we have in place comprehensive plans for ongoing expansion in the region – to which we remain historically committed,” continued Tomes.

According to Meyer, AfriSam has in place fully approved and signed-off plans for expansion of its facilities in Saldanha Bay. This programme will build out on its existing limestone quarry in Saldanha with the addition of an EIA approved cement plant to be constructed when market conditions are favourable. “This project will enable significant expansion of all AfriSam products in the Western Cape.

Shaughn Smit, AfriSam’s National Sales Manager for Aggregates

Re-construction of the Silos is well advanced – 2016

Building on Meyer’s presentation, Shaughn Smit, AfriSam’s National Sales Manager for Aggregates, described a number of huge forthcoming developments in the Cape Town region: “AfriSam’s projected commitment programme is in direct support of the published 25 year build plan for the V&A Waterfront – where we continue to supply concrete on a daily basis; the “WES Cape” 25 year build plan (a project similar to Century City) which has already been approved by the City of Cape Town; the “Harbour Edge” development by Amdec which is in the pipeline for the Culemborg foreshore area near the Yacht Club; as well as the “joining of the bridges” which will result in another huge development below the bridges.”

De-construction and re-construction of the atrium progresses apace – 2016

“Our finest example of commitment,” said Richard Tomes, “is without doubt our participation with the design of concrete for the iconic Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) – the only contemporary art museum in Africa. Here AfriSam sponsored the supply of concrete at cost – and continues to play a key role as a stakeholder through active participation in educational and community programmes revolving around the museum.”

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) and AfriSam

Project manager, Franette Ventura

A majestic work of modern engineering and concrete art

Originally completed in 1924, the 57 m high Silo dominates the Cape Town skyline.

Constructed by SA Railways and Harbours, the facility processed hundreds of thousands of tons of wheat, maize, soya and sorghum. It was sited to take advantage of its connectivity to the docks and the supporting rail infrastructure. An iconic building, it is considered an important contributor to Cape Town’s urban character.

Custom-built lifts operate inside two of the cut-away silo cylinders – servicing the six floors of art galleries above and providing visitors with a view into the atrium *

According to lead design architect, Thomas Heatherwick of the famed Heatherwick Studios in London, “We expected a rather cold surface inside the museum, but as we began to work with portions of the old concrete, we realized that it imparts a rather unique character to the building inside – a rather warm one at that.

“Inside we were in danger of losing the extraordinary cellular structure, so we created a space that would help the visitor understand the building. So, you would walk in and navigate around. We took the idea of taking just one of those billions of grains of corn so that we could scale it up and use it as a model for the cutting tool to cut through.”

The cut through the concrete of the silo wall must be “like a knife through butter” – Thomas Heatherwick, architect

“like a knife through butter”

A core concept in reinforcing the strength of the remaining silo tubes so that they could be left in place and cut to the architect’s design, is the use of an inner concrete ‘jacket’. Using concrete supplied by project partner, AfriSam to engineer’s specification, the inner circumference of each silo tube was re-lined with 200 mm thick reinforced concrete to its exact cut dimension.

The top of the bins is capped with a glass roof which lets light enter the atrium from above. The bottom of the atrium is formed by graded steps that naturally contour the rounded space forming a flexible amphitheatre space that can be used for both events and displays.

In addition, a rooftop floor is dedicated to a restaurant, an education centre and a rooftop sculpture garden. It is from this level that visitors may embark on their ‘walk of faith’ across a high-performance glass floor that looks down into the atrium. Visitors arrive on this level by using one of two scenic lifts. These lifts operate inside two of the cut-away silo cylinders – with a view into the atrium. A third adjacent partly cut-away silo provides the third panoramic option – a steel spiral staircase. There are also conventional service lifts and the usual fire escape staircases, in line with standard building safety requirements.

There be Dragons in the Atrium

A spiral staircase winds up six floors to the rooftop *

“This museum is a symbol and an icon of the confidence we feel about being Africans, the confidence we feel about our place in the world” said Mark Coetzee, Executive Director and Chief Curator.

 

Deep in the basement are the original silo grain release valves *

* Photos: John Thomé

Acknowledgements: Gareth Griffiths – extracts on Zeitz Museum

Renée Minnaar wins the 31st Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards

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Renée Minnaar from the University of Pretoria wins the 31st Corobrik Architectural Awards

Johannesburg, 18 April, 2018.

Millennials are not only the most tech savvy generation but have new perspectives on complex issues, new approaches to solving age old dilemmas and innovative solutions to problems that have stymied previous generations.

Renée Minnaar of the University of Pretoria is the winner of the 31st Corobrik Architectural Student Awards. She is pictured with her thesis model, entitled Remediator – Restoring the dichotomous relationship between industry and nature through an urban eco-textile mill and dye house

This year’s winner of the Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award, Renée Minnaar from the University of Pretoria, is one such game changer. Her thesis, entitled, ‘Remediator – Restoring the dichotomous relationship between industry and nature through an urban eco-textile mill and dye house’ impressed the judges with its insightful way of tackling quintessentially South African issues that cross generations and present compelling reasons to rethink the local built environment in South Africa.

Dirk Meyer, CEO of Corobrik

Speaking at the awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, CEO of Corobrik, Mr Dirk Meyer, said that it was an honour to recognise the present and future contributions of those who were entering the design and construction realm at a time when meaningful solutions to age old problems were becoming more urgent than ever.

In this annual competition, the country’s best architectural students from eight major universities were identified based on their final theses and presented with awards throughout 2017. The winners of each of the regional competitions competed for the national title and a prize of R50 000.

Judges for this year’s Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award were Maryke Cronje from Project Worx in Pretoria, Luyanda Mphalwa from Design Space Architects in Cape Town and Tanzeem Razak from Lemon Pebble Architects in Johannesburg.

“As this competition enters its fourth decade, we are all too aware that the context in which the architects of the future will be operating is changing extremely rapidly,” he said.

Meyer said that the rapidly changing design technology and software that was now at the disposal of up and coming architects like the eight finalists for the 2018 Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award, were just part of a far bigger picture.

Today’s young professionals were not only looking to rapid and meaningful solutions backed by superior technology and connectivity but were also demanding a degree of authenticity that was often missing in the past.

“This year’s theme is technology and the ever changing landscape. This is an exciting time for clay brick which is essentially a technology that has stood both the test of time and change. A technology that drove the original industrial revolution is today addressing pressing issues such as environmental degradation and sustainability. Now, more than ever, the fact that clay brick is durable, non-toxic, reusable, energy efficient and low maintenance will be key,” he said.

Speaking at the awards event, principal of 26’10 south Architects, Thorsten Deckler, highlighted current brick trends, highlighting the Barnato Hall project. This a five floor extension to an existing, prominently located residence on the University of Witwatersrand’s West Campus and includes the innovative use of exposed brick facades employing a range of face bricks produced by Corobrik. It addresses the urgent need for student accommodation during a difficult evolution in the history of tertiary institutions in South Africa.

Minnaar, who currently lives in Newlands with her husband, grew up in Pretoria. “I believe in always giving 110% when it comes to my work, to prevent feeling like I could have done more at the end of a project. When I am not aspiring to become an architect, I enjoy cooking, hiking and staying busy with various creative projects, “she explains.

Her dissertation, entitled Remediator – Restoring the dichotomous relationship between industry and nature through an urban eco-textile mill and dye house, investigates the potential of redundant industrial sites like the old Johannesburg Gasworks to mitigate the environmental and social issues resulting from the past to reintegrate the site back into the surrounding urban fabric.

She says that industrialization brought about dramatic changes in many major cities around the world, including Johannesburg. However, rapid technological advancements have resulted in the abandonment of many industrial sites often within the confines of expanding cities as is the case with the old Johannesburg Gasworks.
The repercussions of the hazardous industrial processes of the past are still present on the site in the form of pollution. This, together with South Africa’s lack of protection of our industrial heritage, has awoken the fear that these post-industrial artefacts might be in danger of becoming extinct if their value is not recognised.

“Through the understanding and application of environmental and heritage theories, this dissertation hopes to find a means of using architecture as a tool to mediate the dichotomous relationship between industry and nature, resulting from an exploitative world view, and inspire a new archetype for industrial architecture, that is able to inspire mutually beneficial relationships between industry and nature, whilst creating a didactic and dialectical relationship between the existing industrial heritage of the past and the envisioned contemporary architecture of the future.

Prof Arthur Barker, MProf coordinator, Research, Archive coordinator and Heritage and Cultural Landscapes Research Coordinator, noted that, over the years, the university’s Department of Architecture had developed research directions that focussed specifically on environment potential, heritage and cultural landscapes and human settlements and urbanism.

“It is with this frame of reference that Reneé Minnaar chose to focus on adaptive reuse principles in the historic gas works precinct in Johannesburg. She has successfully synthesised often conflicting, architectural approaches to industrial heritage through her revisions of the principles of philological restoration and regenerative architectural theory. Over and above these approaches, she has created a rich, sensitive, social and economic environment through the revival of lost manufacturing processes in the City of Gold. Through these approaches, she has repaired broken urban fabric, healed a polluted site, breathed new life into important historical relics and provided much needed educational and economic opportunities for the local inhabitants,” he said.

Pointing out that Minnaar was focussed, driven and passionate about South Africa’s historic architectural legacy, he said she would make significant contributions to architectural design approaches through her ability to sensitively interpret and then respond in a critical manner to cultural and historic architectural heritage.
“Her well-honed analytical skills will foster new approaches to the making of our built environment by building on important preceding knowledge and critically extending those approaches to existing environments that are under threat. But, more importantly, her haptic understanding of architecture will provide places and spaces of great enjoyment while her appreciation of current economic circumstances will provide architecture that will improve the livelihoods of local inhabitants,” he added.
Baker said that, through this award, Corobrik had provided a prestigious reward for Masters’ in Architecture students.

“After the many years that the competition has run, the projects rewarded by Corobrik are still revered by current students, setting benchmarks to live up to. The judging criteria and status of the judges furthers enhances the prestige and pushes students to consistently improve their design processes, intellectual rigour and presentation. The thematic foci that Corobrik have created are extremely important in guiding and assessing the relevance of architectural practice in South Africa.”

He also noted that, clay brick as a building material, had a rich architectural history which was built on by many Pretoria regionalist architects in the post-war period. “Our students are fortunate to be able to build on this legacy, together with Corobrik’s technological advances, to extend the possibilities of brick into the 21st century.”

Transformation initiatives revitalize South Africa’s construction industry

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Transformation initiatives revitalize South Africa’s construction industry

What are acceptable tools of measurement and how do you analyze transformation in South Africa’s construction industry? With transformation now at the helm of many development partnerships, South Africa’s construction industry calls for expanded governance in the sector to promote an enabling environment for the empowerment of historically underprivileged groups. Community engagement and building capacity for small to medium sized contractors, women contractors, black contractors and other underprivileged groups has been identified as key to driving transformation and ultimately building the national economy.

Transformation and small, medium and micro-sized enterprise (SMME) development plays a critical role in building, advancing and innovating the industry. Development in South Africa cannot happen without it; growth cannot happen without it; socio-economic paradigm shifts cannot happen without it; and poverty cannot be reduced without it.

In recognition of current industry trends and of transformation in particular, the 6th annual African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo is joining forces with the National African Federation for the Building Industry (NAFBI) to co-locate their respective 2018 annual platforms which will be hosted from 16 to 17 May 2018 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. The co-located events open on 16 May 2018 with a joint keynote session dedicated to transformation and empowerment and its role in unlocking the future potential of the construction industry both locally and across the continent.

The keynote discussion focuses on how government and community stakeholders can collaborate to empower SMMEs and other underprivileged groups. “An all-star line-up of cardinal leaders defining catalytic projects will discuss the role of both public and private sector in infrastructure development, spatial transformation, economic empowerment, alternative building materials for sustainability and more,” says Aubrey Tshalata, National President, National African Federation for the Building Industry of the joint keynote session.

Founded in 1979, the National African Federation for the Building Industry (NAFBI) is the oldest and largest Building and Construction Industry Federation in South Africa. For the first time in 2018, the annual NAFBI conference aligns with the African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo to deliver a comprehensive platform providing access to an indoor/outdoor exhibition hosting more than 200 exhibitors, an interactive training and education programme including Africa’s only Contractors Corner and Digital Knowledge Lounge and unprecedented networking opportunities with over 9000 built environment professionals who will be in attendance over the two days of the event. In line with transformation and empowerment defining the cornerstone of South Africa’s construction industry narrative this year, the event will also launch the African Construction Awards Gala Dinner, powered by NAFBI​, and taking place on the evening of 16 May 2018. This premier awards evening recognizes key players in the construction sector, and includes awards categories such as:
– BBBEE with a focus on excellence in enterprise development and transformation
– Safety
– Women in Construction
– Projects and contracts
– Excellence in construction media and communications

The convergence of these events provides the industry with an opportunity to discuss and define the tools of measurement and analysis for transformation as well as a yardstick against which to measure the pace of transformation for the construction industry at annual intervals. Africa still needs an annual investment of approximately R 93 billion to bridge its infrastructure gap, 33% of which is required for infrastructure maintenance alone. The rising demand for infrastructure and service delivery can be directly translated into growth opportunities that, once coupled with transformation initiatives, provide unlimited possibility for an infrastructural and economic awakening across South Africa and the continent.

Sponsored by AMF, Ashak Construction, Liebherr, Carmix, Knauf, PMSA, Bosch, Mapei, Total and supported by the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development and over 80 association and media partners featuring more than 200 exhibitors across the indoor/outdoor exhibition, the African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo caters to the entire built environment value chain from concrete technologist to small contractor to consulting engineer.

Date: 16 – 17 May 2018
Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre
Time: 16 May 09:00 – 18:00 | 17 May 2018 09:00 – 16:00