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Just a few days into the second quarter of 2013, the building and construction industry woke up to much welcome positive and good news. This news came in the form of the FNB/BER’s building confidence index for the first quarter of 2013, released this month. The index, driven largely by the increased confidence of retailers of building materials, rose to 37 points on a 100 point scale, from 32 points in the previous quarter. This is the second consecutive quarterly improvement in the index and it is the highest reading since 2010.

The FNB/BER building confidence index covers the whole building pipeline, from planning (represented by architects and quantity surveyors), renovations, additions, the informal sector (represented by building material merchants) and production (manufacturers of building materials) to the actual construction of buildings by main and sub contractors. Of the components, retailers of building materials registered the biggest increase in confidence during the quarter. Only sub contractor confidence was lower. Although the index increased, the current level suggests that on average more than six out of ten respondents in different sectors of the building industry still rated prevailing business conditions as unsatisfactory. This finding is supported by the view of our members in different regions, who, despite the much anticipated growth in the building sector, have continued to report a very moderate rise in building activity and profitability.

With the expected infrastructure spend of approximately R827 billion over the next three years as reported by the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, we are hopeful of more rapid growth in the building industry that will result from the delivery of these projects.

In this month’s issue of South African Builder we cover the BRICS Summit which South Africa hosted in March. Amidst the uncertainties around the Chinese infiltration of the construction sector in Africa, it was with great relief that we heard the

Chinese president state that whilst China would, via such ways as financing, investment, assistance and cooperation, encourage Chinese enterprises and financial institutions to play a part in the construction and management of the transnational and trans-regional infrastructure, China would do so through creating relationships based on equality and democracy, and which relationships should be strategic and down-to-earth. The Chinese President and leaders of the other emerging economies met with African leaders in Durban to discuss cooperation between the BRICS nations and Africa, a move that definitely signifies and strengthens Africa’s rise to global economic significance.

With winter fast approaching – and Eskom once more under tremendous pressure to mobilise the nation to save energy during the winter months – we also look at residential double-glazing solutions as one of the measures to save energy. According to Swartland, “On average approximately 40% of energy loss in a home occurs through standard, single pane windows, but double glazing can greatly minimise this. Double-glazing and insulation can easily reduce the energy spent on regulating the temperature in the home by as much as 50%”.

Lastly, we are proud to introduce a new regular slot by Brandon Abdinor, specialist consultant on sustainability, who will write exclusively for South African Builder on matters addressing environmental sustainability in buildings and renovations. We look forward to sharing Brandon’s vast knowledge to help us ensure that as builders we play our part in protecting our environment.

Through these winter months, let us build a warm South Africa!

A STEADY INCREASE IN BUILDING CONFIDENCE

April 2013

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Tumi Dlamini, executive director

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Master Builders south africa tumi dlamini – executive director Pierre fourie – operations director

234 Alexandra Avenue, Halfway House, Midrand Box 1619, Halfway House, 1685 Tel: 011 205 9000 Fax: 011 315 1644 Website: www.mbsa.org.za e-mail: info@mbsa.org.za

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The official journal of Master Builders South Africa

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Comment ................................................. 1

MBA newsMBSA introduces new building industry networking events ......................................... 4

KZN MBA – Zululand area update ................. 4

FNB: Lack of global confidence restrains SA economic growth .................................... 5

Construction health and safety‘Against all odds’ – an exceptional example of safety achievement ................................... 6

Managing health and safety on a construction site ............................................. 7

EconomicFNB/BER Building Confidence Index 1Q2013 ................................................. 8

Industry newsNDP ‘key to SA’s long-term growth’ ............. 12

The NPC’s Vision 2030 National Development Plan ........................................ 13

Steel reaches new heights in construction: 1WTC ........................................................... 14

SAISC’s SteelFuture Conference 2013 ....... 15

Government to work jointly with African partners ........................................................ 16

PVC gains increasing recognition from sustainability bodies ..................................... 16

Cement and concreteSensitive quarrying required......................... 18

Don’t miss Concrete Week – 3-5 June ........ 19

Concrete preferred for wind turbine towers .. 20

Cementitious Sales – 4Q2012 – FINAL ........................................................... 21

A concrete relationship: ESA & Balwin ......... 22

The evergreen appeal of mortar................... 24

One stop concrete shop ............................... 25

COVER STORYBosch: Full power with less vibration ........... 26

Technical cornerMembers’ B-BBEE checklist – are you compliant? .................................................... 28

AfriSam’s latest Technical Reference Guide now available ..................................... 30

Window and doorsUltra security from PC Henderson ............... 32

Five factors for quality fire door selection ... 33

2

Cover

The official journal of Master Builders South Africa

32 46

contents

14 storysee page 26

SA Builder is available online:

Visitwww.sabuilder.co.za

Seeing double .............................................. 34

Innovative product by Duro .......................... 36

Open source information essential for materials handling industry........................... 36

Walls and floorsMassmart’s new warehouse floor ................. 37

Lafarge Master Grid – coming to an outlet near you ....................................................... 38

Mafi wooden flooring comes to Southern Africa ............................................................ 40

CLF maintains steady national growth ........ 40

Project newsM&R fast tracks 102 Rivonia Road .............. 42

EC gets SA’s first large-scale energy wind farm ...................................................... 45

All systems go, say MeerKAT project leaders ..46

SustainabilitySage VIP’s new Green home ....................... 48

Sustainability and our Built Environment ................................................ 50

Company newsAtlas Copco celebrates 140 years .............. 52

Liviero secures new contracts ...................... 53

RMD – Pioneering management through relationship building ..................................... 54

INTO AFRICAChinese president supports partnerships for African infrastructure ............................... 56

Irritech installs DPI Ultraflo pipes in Mozambique ................................................ 58

BRICS Trade Exchange launches in Africa .. 59

Skills and trainingSaint-Gobain Gyproc partners with WorldSkills International ............................... 60

Shifting infrastructure from drawing board to delivery ........................................... 61

Events 2013 ....................................... 62

From the South African Builder archivesA blast from the past: April 1983 .................. 63

PeopleAppointments................................................ 64

MBSA members and affiliates listing ........................................................ 64

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MBSA plans to stage such events nationally in future, in conjunction with its regional Master Builder organisations.

Tumi Dlamini, executive director of MBSA, says the purpose of the “Building and Construction Industry Networking” events is to bring together various role players and stakeholders within the construction industry to promote their businesses, exchange contact details, and to listen to presentations by industry leaders on key aspects relating to the construction sector.

“We would like to cultivate an environment of construction business leaders that facilitateS economic growth through providing communication and networking opportunities within the industry. As representatives of the industry, we feel events of this nature are platforms for highly effective networking and exchange of ideas, and that listening to and learning from high profile industry business and government contributors is necessary.

“We may be facing economic uncertainties as an industry but the need to improve and work towards the advancement of the industry and the economy in general remains core. The new networking events will help the building industry to play a critical role in the development of growth of the country,” she added. ■

MBSA introduces new building industry networking events Master Builders Association North co-hosted the first of Master Builders South Africa’s new “Building and

Construction Industry Networking” events in Midrand recently.

March was a bumper packed month for the KZN Master Builders Association’s Zululand office. We’ve had several training courses on the go and have also been involved in the community

works programme, rolling out First Aid Level 1 and HIV/Aids awareness workshops. Feedback we received from staff we trained at LIMA Rural Development Foundation has been exceedingly positive and for us it was also a rewarding exercise. We look forward to future involvement in programmes of this nature.

After having expanded our range by also offering our health services to those who are not in the construction industry, we have gained some new clients. We received bookings

right up till the end of April and are still receiving enquiries on a daily basIs. We have also recently signed up as a member of the South African Business Coalition on HIV and Aids (SABCOHA). Our clinic nurse Miekie Viljoen has just received her degree in Occupational Health and all three of our team members have recently attended vision, audio and Spiro courses.

Our receptionist Brenda Ncube recently passed her Modern Risk Management course and we now have two trained junior safety officers at our Zululand branch. The safety assistance programme we are running is enabling us to assist our members with safety requirements and from the feedback we are getting, it’s giving them the level of support and guidance they’ve been asking for. It also helps them achieve minimum legal requirements. The programme is designed to train staff on construction sites so that after a few months, they understand and are able to maintain their safety file with little assistance.

I recently attended a briefing at the Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Empangeni Division where it was announced that the new John Ross Eco Junction has been earmarked for a new private hospital and it is to be the first “green” hospital in the country. The hospital has been awarded a licence for 100 beds with the option of expanding and will exist as a partnership amongst local doctors. They are hoping to commence construction in October 2013. ■

KZN MBA – Zululand area updatePaula Leah, Zululand area manager reports

Pictured at the MBSA and Master Builders Association North’s inaugural “Construction Industry Networking Event” in Midrand:

Colin Cozens (MBSA vice-president), Sizwe Nxedlana (FNB chief economist),Tumi Dlamini (MBSA executive director), James Tubb

(MBA North executive director) and David Dworcan (MBA North president)

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Addressing the MBSA and Master Builders Association North’s inaugural “Construction Industry

Networking Event” in Midrand, Nxedlana said this negative sentiment is having a negative effect on private sector fixed investment and keeping the South African economy in the 2-3% growth rate when it should be higher given signs of stabilisation in the global economy. The 2013 National Budget substantiated expectations of below trend growth in the economy until at least mid-2014.

He said South Africa’s sovereign credit ratings have been downgraded due to:

Deterioration in fiscal metrics ··since 2008;Rising social tensions;··Perceptions of reduced ability of ··the government to deal with socio-political tensions, such as the Marikana unrest; Policy uncertainty; and ··Doubts over the government’s ··ability to deliver on fiscal undertakings.

Nxedlana said salient features of the 2013 budget were further underperformance of tax revenue, a bigger budget deficit and evidence of expenditure consolidation. The commitment to realign expenditure towards capital expenditure was reiterated.

“The need for fiscal consolidation will lead to slower government and household consumption. We expect some export recovery as global growth stabilises. Commodity prices should recover and production gradually improve. But although public sector investment is expected to remain strong, private sector investment is still being held back by low business confidence,” he stated. “This negative sentiment towards SA is also impacting on the Rand’s value.”

Nxedlana said that “some rand appreciation” could lead to lower inflation in the second half of 2013 and the first half of next year. “We expect inflation to average 5.7% in 2013, and 5.3% in 2014. As far as interest rates are concerned, lower for longer still seems the most likely outcome. Upward inflationary pressure in the first half of 2013 and a wider current account deficit, limit room for a rate cut. However, continued below trend growth suggests a downward bias to South African interest rates,” he added. ■

FNB: Lack of global confidence restrains SA economic growth Low business confidence levels partly due to negative sentiment

generated by ongoing labour unrest are constraining a more

meaningful recovery in the South African economy, Sizwe Nxedlana,

FNB Chief Economist, has told Master Builders South Africa (MBSA).

Sizwe Nxedlana, FNB’s chief economist, addressed Master Builders South

Africa’s inaugural Construction Industry Networking Event in Midrand 20

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Bayhead Road is a key feeder to the port of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal and is one of the highest volume heavy vehicle traffic routes in the world. Construction on this route was fraught with

road safety challenges which were compounded by the close proximity of railway lines with overhead high voltage traction equipment and active fuel gas pipelines.

The construction of over 2 100 m of dual carriageway road was required, with a new central median and sidewalks, as well as associated storm water and street lighting; re-aligning key intersections; constructing two formal truck staging areas with approximately 140 bays; a new road over rail bridge and the refurbishment of the existing bridge; and the relocation of a pollution control building all against a backdrop of maintaining full public and stakeholder access through the site at all times.

At times there were up to 250 construction workers on site. The project was completed late in 2012.

Against all odds, the project team managed to achieve an incredible zero lost-time injuries (LTIs) on completion of the project, and over 1 000 000 lost-time-free man-hours. Not surprisingly, the project won the 2012 TCP Group Executive award for Safety, on top of being named the ‘Runner up for Project of the Year’.

Aurecon, who fulfilled the role of construction manager and client agent, including providing full-time safety

representation on site, now explores with key members of the TCP project team the exceptional commitment to safety an achievement like this demands, as well as the key project success factors required to achieve such impressive safety outcomes on a project of this scale.

“Right from the outset the Bayhead Road Upgrade was identified as an extremely high-risk project,” said Graham Landon, Transnet Capital Projects’ project manager.

“No less than 30 significant safety risks were identified during construction,” he said. “The most serious of these included the need for deep excavations in sandy, water-logged reclamation material; working adjacent to and over active railway lines; working adjacent to and amidst heavy traffic; the site being large and in the public domain; and the sensitive services from the adjacent National Key Point (fuel, gas, fibre optic and electrical) interfacing with the construction plant and activities.”

“In terms of working over and adjacent to active railway lines, we enforced strict compliance with Transnet’s E(7) specification which details best-practice methods of undertaking work near railway lines,” continued Landon. “In addition, enforcing round-the-clock trained supervision for overhead track electrification (OHTE) work, which was undertaken by TCP RME, Transnet’s in-house specialist construction division, was critical.”

The partnership between TCP, Aurecon, the designer (Jeffares and Green) and the contractor (Steffanuti Stocks) was absolutely key to maintaining high safety standards on the project.

Aurecon’s close involvement in terms of providing full-time safety representation on site played a crucial role in realising the safety achievement on this project, with one of the distinguishing factors being finding solutions to challenges on site immediately, as they arose. This on-the-ground input allowed the Aurecon team to solve safety issues quickly and effectively. ■

‘Against all odds’ – an exceptional example of safety achievement

The Bayhead Road upgrade

In 2010 Transnet Capital Projects (TCP) undertook a

R270 million upgrade of this road over a two year

period to relieve growing congestion levels.

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From left to right: Koos Louw, Aurecon office manager, eThekwini; Graham Landon, Transnet Capital Projects’ project manager; Jabu

Tlou, Transnet Capital Projects’ safety manager; Mark Perkins, Aurecon safety supervisor

The successful management of health and safety on a construction site requires a number of fundamental managerial skills and hinges on the following three main responsibilities of the

construction health and safety (CHS) manager:Moral responsibility: towards workers, to return home ··to their families safe and sound. Legal responsibility: compliance with various statute ··requirements such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act and related Labour legislation.Financial responsibility: towards shareholders to ··ensure that a profit is made and that injury and losses are minimised.

Persons managing on-site safety have certain functions to comply with, including planning, organising, leading and controlling. In order to effectively fulfil his or her managerial role the CHS manager must be fully trained and able to carry out these management functions. The successful health and safety manager is one that directs and guides the work of others.

They are not only leaders in their own teams, but are also good team players in teams that are managed by others.

Leadership as a management function is an essential attribute of the CHS manager and has a direct effect on ensuring that his colleagues on site work and operate correctly and safely.

However this action takes place in a setting that significantly limits the CHS manager’s powers of command and direction and he or she cannot hope to secure buy-in to the safety programme solely by virtue of the authority vested in him or her. Nor can it be achieved by sheer force of personality.

The power of leadership derives as much from the nature of personal influence as from authority.

To manage health and safety successfully the CHS manager must be highly skilled in the subject matter of CHS and should adhere to these management principles.

Neels Nortje ■

Managing health and safety on a construction siteAll too often health and safety on construction

sites is dealt with as a separate “stand alone”

issue – when in fact it needs to form an integral

part of the project’s management programme

and structure.

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Of the components, retailers of building materials registered the biggest increase in confidence during the quarter. Only sub-contractor confidence was lower.

Despite the modest improvement in confidence, the underlying activity indicators across the building pipeline point to a more robust recovery.

The pace of the building sector recovery accelerated, albeit off low levels during 1Q2013.

Although the index increased, the current level suggests that on average more than 6 out of 10 respondents in different sectors of the building industry still rated prevailing business conditions as unsatisfactory.

Compared to 4Q2012, the following changes in confidence levels took place, namely, retailers of building materials (+12), manufacturers of building materials (+10), architects (+9), main contractors (+2), quantity surveyors (+2) and sub-contractors (-1).

Confidence of the main contractors increased from 28 in 4Q2012 to 30 in 1Q2013. This continues the trend seen over the past few quarters, where confidence had slowed, but steadily improved.

However, the marginal increase in confidence does not reflect the more significant rise in activity during 1Q2013. Building activity expanded at its highest rate since the start of the recession in 2008, in line with expectations. Main contractors also forecast an even bigger rise in activity in 2Q2013.

The rise in activity was more pronounced in the case of non-residential contractors compared to residential contractors. This in part explains the divergence in confidence, with non-residential contractor confidence increasing while the confidence of residential contractors declining marginally in 1Q2013. However, the profit margins of non-residential contractors came under renewed pressure despite the rise in building activity. In contrast, profitability of residential contractors improved.

The demand for building materials increased during 1Q2013. This has resulted in the confidence of retailers of building materials registering the biggest increase of the sub-components of the FNB/BER building confidence index. Confidence now stands at 59 index points. In addition, wholesalers of building materials (not included in the index) also saw an improvement in in confidence on the back of rising sales and order volumes during 1Q2013. “The rising demand for building materials shows that the building recovery is gaining some traction. The increase in building activity of main contractors seems to be leading to higher growth in building material sales. However, further sales growth could be inhibited if consumer finances come

under more pressure” said Sizwe Nxedlana, chief economist at FNB.

For similar reasons, building material manufacturers’ confidence increased from 11 to 21 index points during 1Q2013.

The building pipeline also looks more promising, especially that of architects. This resulted in an increase in architects’ confidence from 29 to 38 index points. Quantity surveyor confidence also increased, despite a modest deterioration in activity.

Sub-contractor confidence remained largely unchanged, slipping by one index point to 41 during 1Q2013. This was the only component to register lower confidence during the quarter. Sub-contractors are further down the building cycle. This means that much of the increase in main contractor activity in 1Q2013 will likely only filter through to this sector later on.

In conclusion: The recovery in the building sector likely accelerated during 1Q2013. There was a marked improvement in the activity of main contractors, as well as increased demand for building materials.

Furthermore, the building pipeline, which was relatively weak over the past few quarters, now seems more robust. This bodes well for the sustainability of the building recovery.

However, it must be noted that although the results confirm that the building upturn is gaining momentum, current levels suggest that it will continue to be subdued. Retailers of building materials could also face headwinds if consumer finances deteriorate.

FNB Composite Building Confidence Index

Source: BER, Stellenbosch University.

Building activity picks up in 1Q2013

The FNB/BER Building Confidence Index – 1Q2013

The FNB/BER building confidence index rose by 5 points, from 32 to 37 during 1Q2013. This is the

highest reading since 2010.

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Main Contractors:

Growth in building activity (Net balance)

Source: BER, Stellenbosch University

Residential contractors:

Business confidence

Source: BER, Stellenbosch University.

Non-residential contractors:

Business confidence

Source: BER, Stellenbosch University. ■

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The FNB/BER building confidence index

can vary between zero (indicating an

extreme lack of confidence) and

100 (indicating extreme confidence). It

reveals the percentage of respondents

that are satisfied with prevailing business

conditions in six sectors, namely

architects, quantity surveyors, main

contractors, sub-contractors (plumbers,

electricians, carpenters and shop fitters),

manufacturers of building materials

(cement, bricks and glass) and retailers of

building material and hardware.

In contrast to the RMB/BER BCI, which

includes only main contractors, the FNB/

BER building confidence index covers the

whole pipeline, from planning

(represented by the architects and

quantity surveyors), renovations,

additions, owner builders, the informal

sector (represented by building material

and hardware retailers) and production

(manufacturers of building materials) to

the actual erection of buildings by main

contractors and sub-contractors.

The fieldwork of the first quarter survey

was conducted between 29 January and

27 February 2013, but the results were

only processed on 2 April to provide for

the questionnaires that were completed,

but whose delivery was delayed by the

post office strike in Gauteng.

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he implementation of South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) will be critical to the country’s long-term sustainability, says World Business Council for Sustainable Development

(WBCSD) president Peter Bakker.

Bakker was addressing South African business, government and civil society leaders at a conference organised by the National Business Initiative (NBI) in Johannesburg in March.

He said the WBCSD recognised that “above all, robust partnerships between government, business and civil society need to be grounded in action . . . We need action to solve the sometimes seemingly overwhelming social, economic and environmental challenges we face. And the NDP will serve as a catalyst to driving action towards a more sustainable country.”

Approved by Cabinet, adopted by ANCThe National Development Plan is a policy blueprint for eliminating poverty and reducing inequality in South Africa by 2030. Among other things, it identifies the key constraints to faster growth and presents a roadmap to a more inclusive economy that will address the country’s socio-economic imbalances.

The plan was approved by Cabinet late last year and adopted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at its elective conference in Mangaung in December 2012.

President Jacob Zuma, interviewed on national television following his State of the Nation Address in February, said the NDP was a crucial policy-making tool that would help South Africa develop and determine the direction the country was to take.

During a briefing on the National Development Plan in Parliament in February, National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel detailed how the plan would be broken up into five-year chunks, in line with the electoral cycle, with the 2014-19 medium term strategic framework forming the first five-year building block of the plan.

Implementation in phasesThe Presidency will lead the formulation of the 2014 – 2019 medium-term strategic framework, and a first draft of the framework will be submitted to the Cabinet in July.

The framework will include key targets from the NDP and other plans such as the New Growth Path, National Infrastructure Plan and Industry Policy Action Plan.

Minister for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane, speaking at the same briefing, said the implementation framework of the NDP had been finalised and that, following Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s 2013 Budget speech, departments would be expected to integrate their plans with the NDP.

This meant that departments’ strategic plans, annual performance plans and programme plans would be evaluated by the Presidency to ensure that they were aligned with the plan before being submitted to Parliament.

The Presidency and National Treasury would also work with departments to clarify roles and responsibilities, ensure that plans and budgets were aligned, and develop clear performance indicators for each programme, Chabane said.

Critical steps to be taken this year (2013)Critical steps would this year be taken to implement the NDP, including ensuring that programmes that didn’t require additional resources and long lead times were implemented, said Chabane.

The government would also focus on areas where implementation of existing policies needed to improve and would also hold focused dialogues to overcome obstacles to implementation and will engage with other sectors to understand how they were contributing to implementing the NDP and to identify any obstacles they might be facing.

The 2019-24 and 2024-29 planning cycles would be used to initiate the remaining activities and be informed by a performance review of the previous cycle. ■

NDP ‘key to SA’s long-term growth’

“The National Development Plan (NDP) offers a long-term perspective. It defines a desired destination and

identifies the role different sectors of society need to play in reaching that goal”, Minister in The

Presidency: National Planning Commission, Trevor Manuel, February 2013.

The NBI is one of 64 worldwide regional

partners of the WBCSD, which is a CEO-led

organisation of 200 forward-thinking

companies with a combined revenue of

over US$7 trillion.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

National Planning Commission chairperson Trevor Manuel and deputy chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa visit the Mitchells Plain

industrial area, Cape Town, February 2013

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The Plan identifies the task of improving the quality of public services as critical to achieving transformation. This will require provinces to focus on identifying and overcoming the obstacles to achieving

improved outcomes, including the need to strengthen the ability of local government to fulfil its developmental role.

The National Development Plan (NDP) offers a long-term perspective. It defines a desired destination and identifies the role different sectors of society need to play in reaching that goal through serving four broad objectives:

Providing overarching goals to achieve by 2030. 1. Building consensus on the key obstacles to us 2. achieving these goals and what needs to be done to overcome them. Providing a shared long-term strategic framework 3. within which more detailed planning can take place in order to advance the long-term goals set out in the NDP. Creating a basis for making choices about how best to 4. use limited resources.

The Plan aims to ensure that all South Africans attain a decent standard of living through the elimination of poverty and reduction of inequality.

Integration into government plansThe planning processes carried out by departments and other government entities will have a vital role to play in bringing the vision and proposals contained in the NDP to life. NDP proposals are being incorporated into the existing activities of departments and broken down into the medium and short-term plans of government at national, provincial and municipal level.

The role of different sectors of societyThe NDP is a plan for the whole country. Government will engage with all sectors to understand how they are

contributing to implementation, and particularly to identify any obstacles to them fulfilling their role effectively.Government has clearly stated its commitment to the NDP, and it is important that the private sector does the same. Where the private sector faces obstacles, sectoral dialogues will take place to identify how these obstacles can be addressed within the parameters laid out by the NDP.

Core implementation principlesThe effective implementation of the Plan depends on our ability to build unity in action through the following principles:

Broad ownership – The Plan enjoys wide support from ··all sections of society. Continuous capacity building – Capacity building needs ··to be treated as an ongoing process. Policy consistency – Many successful reform initiatives ··have policy consistency and stability of leadership as common features. Prioritisation and sequencing – priority will be given ··to policies that need to be implemented immediately. The NPC has identified as being especially important for the success of the Plan: (a) improving the quality of learning outcomes, (b) creating jobs and promoting inclusive growth, and (c) strengthening the capacity and developmental commitment of the state. Clarity of responsibility and accountability – The Plan ··calls for the tightening of the accountability chain. all activities necessary to implement a programme are clearly spelt out including the timeframe and responsibility for implementation.Continuous learning and improvement – seen as ··essential before implementation on a large scale. Coordinated action – The NDP provides an ··overarching policy framework to bring greater coherence to the work of government.

The successful implementation of the NDP depends on:Breaking the Plan into manageable chunks ··Developing detailed programme plans ··Building on the broad support for the Plan ··Building trust and confidence among key role-players ··Strengthening public sector capacity ··Streamlining reporting procedures ··

Provincial and local governmentDetailed implementation plans for provincial and local government are prescribed within the framework of the NDP.

Monitoring and reportingThere are already monitoring and reporting processes in place for government priorities, plans and policies. Integration of the NDP into these plans will enable implementation of the Plan to be monitored through existing processes.

For the detailed report visit www.info.gov.za ■

The NPC’s Vision 2030 National Development PlanImplementation of the National Development Plan was presented to media

at a briefing by Ministers Trevor Manuel and Collins Chabane in February 2013.

Key aspects are summarised below. Trevor Manuel

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I will say though that the future of society is not in high rise buildings but buildings that provide general, utilitarian needs in a well designed and aesthetically pleasing exterior and interior,” David Ratterman,

addressing delegates at the SteelFuture Conference on the global future of steel in construction held in Johannesburg in March (see facing page).

South African Builder’s Nerine Zoio interviewed Ratterman during the conference:

“The issue of redundancy to assure against collapse in vulnerable buildings from terrorist attack pertains to small and specific universe of buildings in US and elsewhere in the world.

The original failure of the World Trade Centre (WTC) following the 9/11 attack in 2001 was that, upon impact, fire proofing material in the support system for the floors was blown off by the initial impact. Also, the central core of the building, including emergency exits, was encased only in drywall material. When the planes came through, the resulting impact physically blew the fireproofing off the floor support system and severed the emergency exits. Approximately 5 000 litres of fuel spilled into the building from the plane, creating a situation where five acres of fire

instantaneously engaged in each building’s ceilings, overwhelming the sprinkler system.

A fire is completely unpredictable. By normal standards no one expected 5 000 litres of fuel in a building.

There occurred the instantaneous energy output akin to 10 nuclear power stations, causing the floor joists to bow. These joists ran between the support columns of the buildings as bowed connection points and were severed.

[The floors consisted of 10 cm thick lightweight concrete slabs laid on a fluted steel deck with shear connections for composite action. A grid of lightweight bridging trusses and main trusses supported the floors.]

These joists provided lateral stability in the structure and when this lateral stability was lost the building collapsing action occurred in the columns.

What’s different in WTC now?The core walls are encased in steel and concrete two metres thick as opposed to drywall and are heavily reinforced with structural steel tube surrounding the core.

Steel reaches new heights in constructionDestruction and re-birth of the World Trade Centre.

The new One World Trade Centre (1WTC) makes extensive use of steel

(All photos courtesy of Silverstein Properties)

David B Ratterman is a Member of Stites & Harbison

Attorneys in Louisville, United States serving in the company’s Construction Service Group. He concentrates his practice in general construction law, with particular emphasis on

the fabricated structural steel industry

1WTC Terminal, street level at night (Photo: Santiago Calatrava)

1WTC (Photo: Michael Calcagno)

1WTC overview (Photo: Joe Woolhead)

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Developing regions are more steel intensive in important use sectors as urbanisation trends contribute to significantly higher steel usage than in

developed countries. So said Dr Edwin Basson, director general of the World Steel Association in his opening address.

A number of local and international experts addressed conference delegates, including Prof Richard Liew, Program Director of Hazard, Risk and Mitigation in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore and John Cross, vice president of the American Institute of Steel Construction.

Delegates represented a range of industry disciplines including structural engineers, quantity surveyors, contractors, architects and designers, government and industry bodies and developers.

The conference addressed topics such as challenges and opportunities being faced in Africa; contracting and engineering; steel as the preferred choice for spectacular structures; light steel frame building; information technology; sustainability; structural

steel research; new products, concepts and developments.

Speaking on the topic of “Recent developments in the use of steel in multi-storey buildings,” Spencer Erling, director of SAISC and Amanuel Gebremeskel, development engineer at SAISC highlighted new directions in the use of steel in multi-storey buildings, in which modular, light weight construction methods will play a key role. Such structures are flexible, lightweight, aesthetically attractive, easily refurbished and have a very low carbon footprint.

On the rapid growth of light steel framing building (LSFB) in Southern Africa, John Barnard, director of the Southern African Light

Steel Frame Building Association (SASFA), spoke about the and the rapid growth of LSFB in Southern Africa and the growing exports of the technology to sub-Saharan Africa which is already 30% of local. LSFB will impact on buildings of all types as it continues to be developed. To meet this demand the Association has specific plans in place, including certification of builders and training programs for builders and inspectors. LSF will also be established as the preferred external cladding system for multi-story buildings. ■

SAISC’s SteelFuture Conference 2013The SteelFuture Conference held in Sandton recently under the auspices of the South African Institute of

Steel Construction (SAISC) set out to address the global future of steel construction through examining

obstacles, challenges and opportunities surrounding the industry.

There’s enough steel there to build 13 Eiffel Towers. The concrete is special strength and the floor system is now similar to a highway bridge deck.

As a result of the disaster changes have been made to fire codes, emergency evacuation protocol and communication among emergency providers in major cities.

Modular constructionThe new structure, officially known as One World Trade Center, makes extensive use of steel.

Steel is the only material that adapts itself to advanced digital computer design enabling large volumes of work to be performed off site. This also minimises the time required on site to build façades. Steel is also the “greenest” construction material on earth, where construction steel in the US is made up of 100% recycled steel. Steel is recyclable for eternity, with no loss in metallurgical strength or adaptability.

The benefits from the WTC tragedy have been advances in fire proofing technology and the design of fire proofing and its applications to avoid such a tragedy in the future.

There are sophisticated new technologies of fire proofing development since the collapse of WTC, which is the only example in the US of a structure that collapsed as a result of fire.

Role of steelThe advantage of steel is that it can be used from one generation to the next. Steel structures can be brushed

away and rebuilt. If we’re sincere about sustainability we will see the need to design structures that can be used generation after generation. Steel has great strength, flexibility and adaptability.

Steel can be welded or have additional members bolted onto it. It can be adapted to future use. We have office buildings made out of steel that can be adapted into residential buildings, partitions, atriums and so on.

Height limitationThe height limitation is contingent upon how high an elevator can go. In the 1960s the height limitation was 180 storeys – which is how high an elevator could go then. Soon the proposed Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia constructed in a composite of steel and concrete, will be 1 km tall, making it the tallest building in the world. ■

The World Trade Center site is being rebuilt with five new skyscrapers and a memorial to the casualties

of the attacks. As of November 2011, only one skyscraper has been completed; the other four are expected to be completed before 2020. One World Trade Center will be the lead building for the new

complex, reaching more than 100 stories at its completion. It became the tallest building in New York City on April 30, 2012, and is expected to be

finished by 2013. A sixth tower is awaiting confirmation. – Wikipedia

Amanuel Gebremeskel, SAISC’s development engineer addressing delegates

at the SteelFuture Conference in Sandton

April 201316

The Indaba was very well attended by a range of industry professionals, government departments and industry bodies, including architects, landscapers, consulting engineers and project

managers. It was also very pleasing to see a delegation from the Zambian National Council for Construction (NCC), led by that organisation’s executive director, Dr Sylvester Mashamba.

The theme for the Indaba was: “The role of built environment professionals in the infrastructure delivery within the African continent”.

Dr Mashamba presented an interesting paper on the opportunities and challenges facing infrastructure development in Zambia – and the country’s vision to 2030 – in which infrastructure priority projects being addressed include housing; water and sewage disposal; education; roads; railways and airports.

Mr Adama Deen, head of the infrastructure programme at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development’s (NEPAD) Planning & Coordinating Agency (NPCA) provided fascinating insight regarding the scope and magnitude of mega infrastructure projects being implemented in Africa, amongst which are the Nigeria-Algeria Gas

pipeline, energy infrastructure programmes, transport and ICT projects.

In his address to delegates, Minister Nxesi stressed that built environment professionals on the continent will be key in driving infrastructure investment through their skills and competence in planning, design, procurement, construction, maintenance and commissioning of infrastructure.

South Africa’s 56 075 registered professionals will provide a critical resource and a base to help drive continental infrastructure development.

“Our built environment professionals must be embedded in the African context to design and build spaces and objects that reverberate with our cultural and spiritual ethos,” he said.

Turning to BRICS, the Minister said: “South Africa has a strategic interest in extending BRICS cooperation to support Africa’s development agenda, particularly by enhancing measures for implementation. Within this context the growing consumer power of Africa’s emerging middle class, and high growth rates offer an opportunity to build a more sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship with BRICS and Africa in the future.” ■

Government to work jointly with African partners

At the recent Council for the Built Environment’s Built Environment Indaba 2013 held near Johannesburg,

the Minister of Public Works, Mr Thulas Nxesi MP, stated that government will work jointly with African

partners to identify mutually beneficial opportunities for trade and development.

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Speaking at the Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) annual general meeting in Johannesburg recently, Leadbitter outlined the challenges faced by the global PVC industry in the repositioning of

PVC to meet global mega-trends. Traditionally PVC has been negatively perceived as being harmful to the environment. However, following significant efforts in recent years by the global PVC industry, PVC is now being manufactured using cleaner production processes through pollution prevention controls, in combination with reduced emissions. Furthermore, the high recycling capacity of PVC products results in a very low carbon footprint.

Leadbitter cites an example of where a serious threat to the industry has become a great opportunity, where the Australian Vinyl Council in working with the Australian Green Building Council now recognises PVC with green credits or points

provided that best practice can be demonstrated. This has reversed their previous position which rewarded alternatives to PVC. This shift demonstrates the changing attitude in the hearts and minds of leading environmentalists with respect to their understanding of PVC.

And the Green Star Mat 7 PVC Minimisation Credit review by the South African Green Building Council has withdrawn its PVC minimisation clause but it points out this does not imply that PVC is or is not green nor that the GBCSA has endorsed the material. However, it does intend to watch the development of the SAVA Voluntary Product Stewardship programme improve on the LCA regarding the environmental and human health impacts on our sustainable development. The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) is the representative body of the Southern African vinyl industry. SAVA also participates in knowledge transfer activities with the Australian Vinyls Council, The Global Vinyls Council, Vinyls Plus and other international organisations.

“Dr Leadbitter’s attendance at our AGM has been enlightening for SAVA and its members,” comments Delanie Bezuidenhout, SAVA CEO. ■

PVC gains increasing recognition from sustainability bodies

This is according to Dr Jason Leadbitter, Sustainability and Compliance Manager at INEOS ChlorVinyls,

Europe’s largest vinyl producer. He is also the current chairman of the Controlled-Loop Recycling

Committee of VinylPlus (Europe).

Delanie Bezuidenhout, SAVA CEO and Dr Jason Leadbitter

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However, careful environmental care needs to be exercised when operating these as they are often situated close to built-up areas or near to roads and railway lines to ensure quick and

easy supply. As a result community concerns need to be handled carefully and sensitively in order to ensure a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship exists throughout the lifecycle of the operation.

Director of the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa), Nico Pienaar, says if these quarries are operated correctly there should be little cause for concern. Aspasa members especially are required to work within the confines of the country’s stringent environmental legislation, as well as uphold strict standards imposed by the association relating to safety, health, environment, ISHE and About Face programmes.

Concerns were founded“The public has a right to be sceptical of new quarries within their neighbourhoods as past practices have left a lot to be desired,” he says.

He adds that communities are increasingly aware of their rights and quarry owners have simultaneously become more sensitive to their fears. Despite widely diverse environments and similarly large numbers of operators, controls are in place to ensure legislation and standards are adhered to. They also ensure communities and the environment aren’t negatively impacted and that quarries can operate unimpeded.

Guidelines do exist both from a legislative point, as well as from the association’s ISHE/About Face standards. They can assist communities, as well as the operators involved, to ensure planning, development, operation, rehabilitation and final decommissioning of quarries and borrow pits are done correctly. The following simple controls exist:

1. Application and approvalSeveral different Acts govern the approval of quarry operations depending on location, land tenure and likely impact. These in turn determine the approval procedure to

be followed and the degree of detail which must be provided in a licence application.

2. Planning and developmentSite planning needs to be done in association with a development application supported by all relevant information required to get approval. Only once this has been obtained can the plan be implemented according to site development steps laid out. 3. Site operation and controlsOnce the quarry operation is in progress, careful environmental management must be sustained to ensure dust emissions and noise impacts do not become a significant issue. At the same time rehabilitation must be planned to dovetail with quarry operations.

4. RehabilitationThis should be done progressively where the operation allows staged development and subsequent closure and rehabilitation of different areas. Or it can take place at the end of the total operation if it is a short-term project or staged development is not possible.

5. Decommissioning When quarry operations and any associated processing are completed the area should be tidied up, all facilities not otherwise required should be removed and rehabilitation should be completed on the remaining disturbed areas.

6. Short-term alternativesFor short-term quarries and borrow pits the range and intensity of measures drawn will generally be modest. In these cases the staging of developments may not be necessary if the quarry or pit has a life less than one or two years, and total rehabilitation might be carried out as part of site decommissioning.

These basic guidelines should be in place within any modern pit or quarry operation. In addition Aspasa members uphold strenuous guidelines to ensure they operate in harmony with people and the environment where they operate. ■

Sensitive quarrying requiredAggregates and sand from quarries and borrow pits are essential to keeping the country’s

construction industry supplied.

PPC applies stringent environmental management controls at its limestone quarry in the Western Cape

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Activities taking place during Concrete Week include:

3 to 5 June 2013: TotallyConcrete ExpoExpo & ConferenceTotally Concrete Academy presenting training and workshops (through partnerships with trade associations)

6 to 7 June 2013: Site visitsTours of cement, precast, and ready-mix concrete plants, and lightweight aggregate plants

7 to 9 June 2013: Fulton AwardsThe CSSA’s Fulton Awards hosted by the Concrete Society of Southern Africa (CSSA)

The TotallyConcrete Expo 2013 takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from 3 to 5 June 2013. It is a Pan-African initiative supported by over 50 participating associations and media partners from across the continent.

It has been designed to address the challenges that come with industry growth and assist its participants to weather shifting market trends such as demand-driven green initiatives in the African built environment, the entry of new and foreign cement manufacturers into the marketplace, internationalisation, and effectively harnessing the significant new opportunities for improved profitability now arising through cross-border deals. Totally Concrete offers contractors, engineers, quantity surveyors, architects, designers and property owners a one-stop-shop to identify viable project tenders and the materials that will help them to complete their projects on budget and on time. Manufacturers, transporters, and processors of concrete will have the perfect opportunity to network with Africa’s most influential project owners to build relationships, evaluate new technologies, overcome industry challenges and identify new and future commercial partners. ■

Don’t miss Concrete Week – 3 to 5 JuneThe first of its kind, ConcreteWeek is a week of activities dedicated to promoting the development and

application of concrete. The TotallyConcrete Expo forms part of ConcreteWeek and readers are encouraged

to enjoy the full ConcreteWeek experience by attending the TotallyConcrete Expo 2013, the technical site

visits and the Fulton Awards. By doing so you’ll be a part of one of the most prestigious and influential

weeks in the African construction industry.

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Globally, precast concrete is increasingly preferred over steel as construction material for turbine towers. As the towers increase in height to support higher-powered, longer-bladed turbines,

the need for increased structural strength and stiffness to cope with the turbine weights and bending forces is also increasing.

This will call for tower segments with larger cross-sectional diameters, which could lead to formidable transportation problems for steel segments. Precast concrete segments, on the other hand, can be produced at a portable

concrete batch plant erected on site, which will have the added benefit of job creation for the sometimes isolated communities where the turbines are based.

The Chryso Fluid Premia range of superplasticers is a vital part in the concrete mix used for the manufacture of turbine tower precast elements. The molecules in the Premia range are highly effective water reducers and offer workability retention between 30 and 45 minutes while achieving high early strengths. This allows for fast erection and helps the towers to withstand demanding fatigue loads.

Concrete preferred for wind turbine towersIn addition to their benefits for wind turbine foundation construction, products from the Chryso Southern

Africa Group can also play a vital role in ensuring speed and uniformity in production of precast concrete

elements for the turbines which are expected to become a major source of power generation in South

Africa in the future.

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Wind turbines operate in some of the harshest working environments in the world. This is why durability is one of the

biggest requirements for the concrete mixes used for both foundations and tower segments

The durability and strength of concrete are vital factors to support wind turbines with ever larger blades

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Eddie Correia, Chryso’s general manager of technical services, says that the Chryso Fluid Premia range is ideal for maintaining consistency in the manufacturing of reinforced concrete components. “It aids in reducing the sensitivity of concrete to variations in water content due to changes in aggregate moisture or production batch tolerances,” he explains.

The average concrete wind turbine tower comprises 18 precast segments; each with a height of 1,8 metres and a diameter of between 600 mm and two metres. In the production of precast elements for wind turbines, Chryso demoulding oils facilitate easy stripping of moulds, thereby reducing labour costs and preserving the mould while maintaining the quality of the precast elements. “Most importantly, the demoulding oils play a huge role in creating a defect-free surface finish with consistent colour and allow for casting immediately after oiling the moulds, unlike older types of demoulding oils that require a standing period,” Correia adds.

When it comes to bonding the precast elements together, a.b.e. Construction Chemicals – another member of the Chryso Southern Africa Group – can supply an extensive range of adhesives that can cater for specific strengths. a.b.e. also produces epoxy systems for the moulds used to manufacture the blades.

Wind turbines must be able to perform in harsh environments and that is why durability is a vital requirement for the concrete mixes.

“Plastic shrinkage cracking and settlement cracking can penetrate the full depth of a slab/precast unit, causing expensive remedial measures and even greater cost should the slab/precast element have to be replaced. ChrysoFibres form a three dimensional bond with the concrete matrix that ‘holds’ the matrix together. This prevents early micro cracks from widening into serious, slab threatening cracks,” Correia adds.

Ivor Boddington, a.b.e.’s product manager of a.b.e.’s concrete repair and general construction, says another

key durability issue in wind towers is to ensure that reinforcement is covered with sufficient concrete thickness. “With insufficient concrete cover, the reinforcement may corrode – causing spalling and structural failure. a.b.e. has two remedies for this: the silocoat and duracoat ranges. Silocoat is a cementitious coating that is equivalent to 180 mm of concrete cover. It protects the tower against chloride ingress. The duracoat range is also a protective coating that provides a barrier to chloride and carbon dioxide ingress – the main contributors to corrosion – while also offering an attractive finish to the concrete,” Boddington explains. ■

(excluding Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and exports)April 2013

Period

SA Cementitious Quarterly Sales Tons

2012 2011 2010 2009Change

‘12 vs ‘11 ‘11 vs ‘10 ‘10 vs ‘09

Q1 Jan to Mar 2 637 349 2 471 585 2 544 079 2 842 360 6,7% -2,8% -10,5%

Q2 Apr to Jun 2 915 120 2 725 421 2 650 995 2 891 997 7,0% 2,8% -8,3%

Q3 Jul to Sep 2 976 235 3 092 784 2 926 116 3 151 025 -3,8% 5,7% -7,1%

Q4 Oct to Dec 3 030 862 2 944 545 2 749 204 2 898 288 2,9% 7,1% -5,1%

Total 11 559 566 11 234 335 10 870 395 11 783 670 2,9% 3,3% -7,8%

YTD Annual YTD Annual

PeriodSA Cementitious Quarterly Sales Tons

2012 2011 2010 2009Change

‘12 vs ‘11 ‘11 vs ‘10 ‘10 vs ‘09

QUARTER 3 030 862 2 944 545 2 749 204 2 898 288 2,9% 7,1% -5,1%

YTD 11 559 566 11 234 335 10 870 395 11 783 670 2,9% 3,3% -7,8%

MAT 11 559 566 11 234 335 10 870 395 11 783 670 2,9% 3,3% -7,8%

National cementitious sales statistics for South Africa

Cement and Concrete Institute

Tel: 011 315 0300

Web: www.cnci.org.za

The Chryso Fluid Premia range of superplasticisers used on the tower segments provides a high quality finish to precast elements,

and also reduces blemishes and the need for concrete repairs

As the Cement and Concrete Institute will be closing down at the end of April, this will be the last set of statistics issued by the Institute

Elematic South Africa’s outstanding delivery on Glenvale – a residential development consisting of 224 luxury sectional title apartments in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg – ensured that

the company will secure repeat work from Glenvale’s developer, Balwin Properties. Elematic South Africa (ESA), a leading supplier of precast concrete hollow core slabs, supplied approximately 12 000 m2 of slabs for Glenvale. The development broke ground in April last year and has been built in four phases. It is currently on track for completion at the end of this month.

“We certainly intend to work with ESA again,” comments Balwin Properties’ MD, Rodney Gray. “Their performance on the Glenvale project was critical to our being able to complete the project on schedule. They maintained the necessary schedules and continued to do so even when

we had to accelerate our construction schedule ahead of the December 2012 holiday,” he says.

In addition to the time-saving and construction programme benefits that Balwin Properties sees in using precast slabs on its developments, ESA’s ability to step up and deliver even under pressure has ensured its appointment on another of Balwin’s developments – Central Park (also in the southern suburbs) for which ESA will supply approximately 25 000 m2 of slabs. ESA director Craig Webber says that whilst the importance of delivering a high quality product cannot be ignored, the team at ESA believes that delivering on promises made and maintaining a good relationship with the client is critical to maintaining the company’s competitive edge.

Glenvale is built in blocks of four units with two apartments upstairs and two downstairs in each block. The complex is designed to appeal to families living in the area, and units are a 50/50 mix of two and three-bedroom apartments of approximately 85 m2 and 100 m2 respectively.

Balwin Properties has been developing residential sectional title units in Gauteng for some 17 years, during which time it has developed some 7 000 units in total – or between 600 and 800 per year. The company recently also ventured into the Western Cape and currently has a 1 075 unit development underway in Somerset West.

“We would like to increase the number of units we complete a year to around 1 000,” Gray says, adding that Balwin tends to deal with suppliers with whom it has a good relationship for years on end. With ESA having proven itself on the Glenvale project, this bodes well for securing future work from a developer that has become known for the quality of its projects, and which is clearly going from strength to strength. ■

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A concrete relationshipTime lines are tight on most construction projects these days, and especially on those projects in which a

developer has made a commitment to multiple buyers in a scheme to hand over on a particular date.

Having reliable suppliers and good relationships in place goes a long way to ensuring peace of mind for the

developer – and, in turn, for the client.

The Glenvale luxury sectional title apartments were developed by Balwin Properties. Elematic South Africa (ESA) supplied and installed the precast concrete hollow core slabs

At Glenvale, Balwin Properties was impressed with ESA’s ability to step up and deliver under pressure

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In practice concrete is the perfect building material. It is cheap and readily available, can be formed into nearly limitless shapes, sets as hard as stone and has the structural strength to support high rise buildings. In large-scale construction projects users

even have the ability to order it ready-mixed and simply pour it where it is required – quick and easy.

Looking at current trends in the local and international construction arena, Nico Pienaar of the South African Readymix Association (Sarma), says concrete’s popularity is soaring as a result of its versatility, strength and insulating properties. Even in the construction of tall buildings concrete is regaining its popularity due to its resistance to seismic damage and even terrorist attacks.

Always a winner“A building’s function and user requirements will always determine which materials are to be used. Some allow lightweight construction, while others enable long spans to be incorporated into a structure or provide thin frames to support glass façades.

“Concrete by comparison can achieve all of the above to an extent if required. In addition it is thermally dense and is fire and impact resistant. In the construction of any structure, from a house to a railway bridge, tunnel or skyscraper it is hard to beat concrete for versatility, strength, availability and price,” says Pienaar.

He adds that in post-recession modern times property developers globally have even come to realise that aside from its varied design possibilities, concrete construction increases rentable space because of lower floor-to-floor heights in multi-level buildings. On an average high rise building the lower deck heights can mean a full one or two extra storeys of space per building.

Steel framing, for example, typically uses decking that rests on joists, joists on beams, then beams on girders.

This can mean a very thick floor, whereas concrete only requires about 20 cm for the floor and to run all the utilities. And while steel frame assemblies are quicker to erect, the lead times to manufacture and procure individual steel members can be a far longer process taking months rather than days as is the case with concrete.

Global choice“Concrete also gives designers room to manoeuvre and approach each design job with a clean slate with very few limitations. Considering its many strengths it is also regarded as a safer construction method that is able to stand up to almost anything Mother Nature can throw at it, as well as providing protection against man-made threats.

“For this reason even the new World Trade Center in New York (see page 14) has concrete safety measures including a 60 cm concrete wall enclosure for its building core that houses the elevators, stairs and power system for protection from fire or terrorist attack.

Readymix solutionPienaar says that although trends reveal the growing popularity of concrete for all kinds of construction projects, users should still be aware of the limitations and always seek the advice of professionals when undertaking new projects. They should also only make use of Sarma registered readymix suppliers who are bound to uphold a strict set of ethics and minimum standards before they are allowed to trade.

“In this way users can get the full benefit of concrete safe in the knowledge that the type of concrete they ordered is delivered and will have the right properties that they require. Maybe the only limitation to concrete is that users should be aware of quality issues and only make use of reliable Sarma registered suppliers,” concludes Pienaar. ■

The evergreen appeal of mortarConcrete has been around for hundreds of years giving builders endless possibilities to design strong and

attractive structures that are able to last several lifetimes.

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Readymix products are designed to meet the appropriate cement mix and concrete mix for any given project

The full range of equipment is available from Hard Hat, for every process, from ground preparation to concrete to mixing to completing the job, including:

Compaction equipment: the range begins with 120 kg plate compactors through to rammers, reversible compactors and pedestrian rollers (from 350 mm to 900 mm) to a fleet of 2,7 ton ride on rollers.

Bowsers: water bowsers to spray soil before compaction; and diesel bowsers to supply machines on site.

Centrifugal pumps: for clean water and trash, 50 mm – 150 mm.

Wheel barrows and spades: to move sand, stone or concrete by hand.

Conveyors: 10 and 13 m belt conveyors to move concrete or sand and cement up to where it is to be mixed by Hard Hat concrete mixers.

Concrete vibrators: mechanical (petrol and diesel drives) as well as high frequency for removing the air from the concrete to ensure that the required strength is achieved.

Concrete finishing products: screed beams to ensure the level of the concrete, bull floats to remove imperfections in rough finished concrete onto which tiles will be laid and power-floats for very smooth finishes when required.

Concrete saws: with diamond blades suited to the application required be it old or new concrete – from small push type to self-propelled saws for cutting expansion and contraction joints, for cutting old concrete for repairs or trimming road edges.

Concrete demolition: compressors with powerful breakers and chippers as required or electrical breakers from 27 kg to 16 kg, down to 10,5 kg chippers.

Generators: for powering the breakers and any other power tools on site such as drills, cutters and grinders (4kVA – 60kVA).

Floor Grinders: dual disc to smooth concrete that has a rough finish and diamond headed grinders for reducing levels and taking out serious rough patches.

Hand grinders: for removing small imperfections after patching.

Flood lights: of various types, including single or double lights some with their own generators mounted on trailers, to assist when emergency jobs are carried out at night or for power floating into the night.

Masonry saws: for cutting concrete bricks, pavers and blocks – with blade guards that can take 300-, 350-, 450- and 600 mm blades for cutting large blocks in one pass. ■

April 2013 25

One stop concrete shop

A Gauteng company and MBA member which

sets out to cater for the needs of clients

who work with concrete is Hard Hat

Equipment Hire.

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Hard Hat Equipment Hire offers the full range of equipment for every process

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Full power with less vibration

When using rotary hammers, the most important thing for professionals is the power. With its

GBH 8-45 DV Professional eight-kilo rotary hammer, Bosch now offers an exceptionally powerful

tool that is also low in vibration.

COVE

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Bosch’s GBH 8-45 DV Professional rotary hammer offers: High performance due to 1 500 watt motor and ··12,5 joules of impact energyTriple vibration damping increases permitted operating ··time per day“Turbo Power” function for extra power in ··chiselling mode

It is powered by a 1 500 watt motor and works with an impact energy of 12,5 joules. This enables, for example, breakthroughs to be drilled quickly in walls or ceilings. The “Turbo Power” function of the GBH 8-45 DV Professional ensures optimised performance in chiselling mode

because it uses the energy required for the rotation in drilling mode. This increases chiselling performance and enables cable ducts to be cut or floor tiles to be removed extremely quickly.

Long operating duration and high level of comfort due to its triple vibration damping, the GBH 8-45 DV Professional has a permitted operating time of more than three hours per day. This damping system consists of a mass damper integrated into the aluminium cap, a decoupled main handle and a vibration-optimised hammer mechanism. As a result of these features, the rotary hammer achieves low vibration levels of 7 m/s² when chiselling and 8 m/s² when drilling. Moreover, a high level of comfort is ensured in

April 2013 27

continuous chiselling applications by the combination of decoupled main handle and switch lock, which automatically engages when you switch from hammer drilling to chiselling mode. This combination is unique on the market.

The GBH 8-45 DV Professional rotary hammer has a long lifetime thanks to its robust metal components. The integrated overload clutch protects the user and the machine. Other features include a soft start function for clean drilling starts, a speed controller for optimum adaptation to different applications, and a rotation stop for chiselling work.

Bosch also offers matching accessories: “RTec Sharp” SDS-max flat chisels and “RTec Speed” pointed chisels are especially suitable for chiselling with the GBH 8-45 DV Professional. They have a self-sharpening cutting edge, which enables them to achieve a constantly high material removal rate over their entire lifetime. When it comes to drilling in concrete, the “SpeedX” hammer drill bit offers an exceptionally high drilling speed and also has a very long life.

The GBH 8-45 DV Professional is supplied in a carrying case with ample space for accessories. ■

Specifications – GBH 8-45 DV Professional

Rated power input 1 500 W

Single impact energy 12,5 J

Vibration level (drilling/chiselling) 8,0/7,0 m/s2

Weight 8,9 kg

COVER STO

RY80 years of hammer

expertise in trade and

industry

In 1932, Bosch produced the first rotary hammer in series. It was completely tailored to the needs of professionals, it had an impact mechanism for drilling and chiselling, and enabled a considerably faster working progress than hand tools used so far. This world-first rotary hammer celebrated its premiere 80 years ago at the Leipzig trade fair, setting a milestone in the construction industry. Ever since Bosch has continually enhanced the hammer and has often assumed the role of technology leader. Many developments have prevailed as worldwide standards on the market. An example is the SDS-plus tool holder launched in 1975 for fast, tool-free drill bit and chisel changes. This was followed in 1990 by the SDS-max version for larger drill bits and chisels. Further milestones are the world’s first two kilo rotary hammer (1981), the world’s first cordless hammer (1984), the world’s first cordless hammer with lithium-ion technology (2005) and the world’s first SDS-plus hammer with active vibration damping (2011).

The Power Tools Division of the Bosch Group is the world market leader for power tools and power tool accessories. In 2011, its workforce generated sales of some €3,8 billion, 90 percent of which was outside of Germany. With brands such as Bosch, Skil and Dremel, the division stands for customer focus and great engineering progress. The core success factors are innovative strength and pace of innovation. Each year, Bosch Power Tools launches more than 100 new products onto the market. The division generates about 40 percent of its sales with products that have been on the market for less than two years. The business segment’s electric power tools, accessories, measuring tools and electric garden tools of Bosch Power Tools outperformed the market.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. According to preliminary figures, more than 300 000 associates generated sales of €51,4 billion in the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology in fiscal 2012. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent more than €4 billion for research and development in 2012, and applied for over 4 100 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

Further information is available online at www.bosch.com

GBH 8-45 DV in action

April 201328

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Note that each line item listed below carries with it considerable preparation and development parameters, and follows a prescribed time-line. For detailed advice and assistance in preparing your company for B-BBEE compliance be sure to work with the Master Builders Association in your region.

General

3 Audited Annual Financial Statements/Management Accounts

3 All company registration papers

3 Tax & VAT Clearance Certificates

Ownership

3 Ownership Structure

3 Shareholders’ Agreement

3 Share Certificates or Share Register

3 Self Determination Affidavit (Affidavit of Race Classification)

3 Partnership Agreements

3 Finance/Loan agreements/Sale Agreement

3 Declaration of Transfer of share from SARS

3 Proof of payment of loan on shares reflected in the financial statement

3 Valuation certificate

3 Trust Deed Document

3 Affidavit of Black New Entrants

3 Tax Clearance Certificate from SARS for foreign investment – FIA 001

3 Memorandum of Association

3 Associated companies – breakdown of shareholding

3 Declaration of Black New Entrant

3 Declaration of Ownership Fulfilment

3 Declaration of Designated Groups

3 Relationship Agreement (if any, any Agreements that carry economic interests or options)

3 Affidavit – guaranteeing that there are no Relationship Agreements

3 Mandated Investments – competent persons report

3 Sale of Shares Agreement

3 Private Equity Fund Agreement

Management control

3 Reporting Organogram: must include whether employee qualifies as Senior Top Management or Other Top Management

3 Schedule of Board Members according to race, gender and designation

3 Copy of minutes of board meeting

3 Signed attendance register of board meeting(s)

3 Schedule of Directors

3 Minutes of last three management meetings, members, directors and EXCO meetings

3 Signed attendance of registers of last three management meetings

3 Sample Letters of Appointment and Employment Contracts

3 Copies of Top Management Pay-slips

Employment equity

3 Reporting organogram of occupational levels

3 Employment Equity Reports

3 Latest EEA 2 and EEA 4 report submitted to the DoL

3 Submission of Employment Equity Plan

3 Certificate of Disability – EEA 1 or Affidavit

3 List of all employees, including race, gender, ID numbers, designation, and occupational level

3 Sample copies of ID documents and self-determination affidavit at each occupational level

3 Sample of Payroll at each occupational level

3 Sample of letters of appointment, employment contracts at each occupational level

Skills development

3 Certificate of Registration with SETA

3 Workplace Skills Plan

3 Annual Training Report

3 Proof of payment of Skills Development Levy (EMP 201 Forms either for SETA year of Financial Year)

3 Sample of copies of attendance registers, course outcomes and evaluation forms

Members’ B-BBEE checklist – are you compliant?

MBAs around the country offer members a wide range of benefits, amongst which are training in various

aspects of business and construction, legal advice, contractual advice and documentation, and much more.

3 Invoices of all skills spend

3 Certificate of attendance/completion

3 Policies or programmes for priority skills

3 Minutes of Training Committee meetings

3 Invoice from Training Provider

3 Internal trainer timesheet, breakdown of hourly rate or as a portion of salary per hour spent training of the trainer and number of hours spent training

3 Payroll of staff conducting training

– Signed internal training attendance register

– Course outline – nature of training given

3 Identity documents of all black trained staff (if a measured entity has more than 10 employees a test sample of staff’s ID documents will be requested)

3 Invoices for associated costs

3 Learnership Agreements

– List of staff on Learnerships by name, race, gender, disability and ID number

– Signed copies of Learnership agreements

Preferential procurement

3 Copy of Preferential Procurement Policy

3 Valid B-BBEE Verification Certificates of suppliers

3 List of all suppliers and the amount spent on each supplier in the last financial year (list must be from the organisation’s existing financial account system)

3 List of suppliers that are Enterprise Development beneficiaries

Enterprise development

3 Receipt from beneficiary stating what was received

3 Annual Financials for the Relevant period (before inception date)

3 Valid B-BBEE Verification Certificate of beneficiary

3 Auditor’s letter or affidavit stating percentage black ownership of beneficiary

3 Loan agreements and most recent loan account statement

3 Sale of share agreement

3 Shareholder’s agreement and share register of beneficiary enterprise

3 Timesheets signed off by the beneficiary

3 Pay-slips of contributing employees or proof of professional fees (e.g. invoices for similar work to other customers)

3 Copies of invoices and related proof of payment

3 Payment Policy and Payment Policy for the beneficiary entity

Socio-economic development

3 Copy of Corporate Social Investment Policy

3 Affidavit/signed declaration from beneficiary stating what was received and the % benefit passed onto black people and that your organisation is supporting them

3 Independent Person’s report verifying that the beneficiaries are black

3 Schedule of CSI by beneficiary entity, type of contribution and monetary value

3 Copies of invoices if investment was monetary

3 Fundraising number of beneficiary/Section 18A certificate

3 Signed off timesheets, proof of professional services and time rendered

3 Pay-slips of contributing employees or proof of professional fees (e.g. invoices for similar work to other customers)

3 TOMSA levy payer confirmation

3 EMP 201 for Built Environment Professionals

B-BBEE checklist compiled and made available by Deon Landmann of MBA North. ■

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April 201330

The 2013 edition features a slightly different, more user-friendly format than before and comes with an accompanying electronic version on CD. For the first time, AfriSam is offering the Technical

Reference Guide on a memory stick in e-book format and will load the publication onto the company website in due course.

This edition includes the latest facts and figures on AfriSam cement, aggregate and readymix products, as well as general information and guidelines on concrete technology.

Having started out 15 years ago as an A4 ring bound information file focusing on the correct use of cement, aggregate and readymix products, the Technical Reference Guide has now evolved to become the industry’s foremost single repository of information on construction materials.

With thousands of copies in circulation throughout South Africa and updates being released every two years, this unique publication is an industry institution, sought after by users in a spectrum of fields, including engineering students and lecturers, architects, specifiers, general contractors and concrete manufacturers.

“The ongoing publication and refinement of the Technical Reference Guide is part of a robust in-house Customer Value Management initiative that seeks to unlock value for AfriSam customers across the board in new and innovative ways,” Mike McDonald, AfriSam product manager, says. “Our ultimate aim is to become our customers’ technical partner of choice in the cement and concrete arenas and we’ve made several changes within the company to support this objective.

“One of these developments is our ‘single selling organisation’ strategy that will ultimately create a single point of contact for all our customers, providing support across all our products. We’ve also created a Customer Support team that includes technical consultants who call on customers at their sites to help optimise their processes and are equipped to conduct investigations into product performance issues. Until recently this service was fragmented within our organisation and we’ve now consolidated it into a single department.”

McDonald says another newly established team, the Centre of Product Excellence, is geared up to recommend the best materials for specific applications and this focused service is already achieving cost reductions that benefit customers. The department has a training component, in which retail customers receive the

necessary technical training to use concrete in line with industry best practice.

“Cement is a very valuable resource and involves a carbon intensive production process,” he continues. “For these reasons cement must be used in the most effective way if its impact on the environment is to be mitigated. We feel so strongly about this that we’re become involved in training emerging civil engineers in concrete technology at university level.

“At the same time, we’re continuously working to reduce the carbon footprint of our cement and our efforts in this field have resulted in our becoming the first and only company to introduce a CO2 rating system on all our cement products, indicating the carbon footprint of each product relative to the world average. This information is printed on every bag to enable consumers to make informed and responsible decisions on the products they purchase.”

Quality Assurance has been elevated to a central function within the company, ensuring all AfriSam products are fit for purpose and meet market requirements.

“We’re fiercely proud of the quality of our products and this quality has become another real market differentiator for us,” says McDonald. ■

AfriSam’s latest Technical Reference Guide now availableAfriSam’s fourth edition of its industry-renowned

Technical Reference Guide has been released.

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April 201332

Part of ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions, PC Henderson recently introduced Securefold Ultra, a new and innovative security concept for residential and commercial

exterior folding doors. “With all the benefits of Henderson’s existing Securefold product, the Ultra system has additional cleverly designed, enhanced security components making it one of the most secure systems on the market,” says Nolan Couzyn, technical sales support manager for PC Henderson South Africa.

“The Securefold Ultra has three points of locking on every door seam; it has an attack resistant hinge incorporating a security pin and unique central interlocking hinge leaf that prevents a burglar from tampering with or actually removing the hardware from the door,” continues Couzyn.

There is also a flush bolt manufactured from extruded aluminium incorporating a 10 mm diameter 316 stainless steel bolt which, according to PC Henderson, is impervious to any attack or potential break-in. “To make the Securefold Ultra even more burglar proof, all hardware incorporates security screws to prevent it from being disengaged from the hinge,” adds Couzyn.

“Certification demands an attack resistant hinge incorporating security pins, a hinge bolt and central interlocking hinge leaf that ensure three points of locking on every seam to prevent a burglar from tampering or

removing the hardware from the door,” he continued. “These units are individually specified and imported for each application, bringing peace of mind to South Africans demanding a higher security solution.”

The “Henderson” name has become a hallmark for enduring quality, conforming to the highest European Standards and successfully flies the flag for British manufacturing.

Securefold Ultra has been tested to the European security standard BS EN 1627:2011 to ensure that the enhanced Ultra system meets the requirements to be firmly classified burglar resistant.

Couzyn points out that door hardware such as Securefold Ultra also incorporates a rugged, weather resistant and corrosion-resistant system which is essential for long-term security and explains, “The extremes of the South African weather have to be taken into account as this is a big factor in wear and tear on mechanisms, leaving them vulnerable.”

“We are dedicated to satisfying end-user needs for security, safety and convenience,” concludes Couzyn.

For further details on PC Henderson and their products please call Nolan Couzyn on +27 11 761 5000, alternatively visit www.henderson.co.za ■

Ultra security from PC Henderson

PC Henderson, established in 1923, is a UK based leading designer and manufacturer of sliding gear systems

for residential, commercial and industrial applications. The company, through its subsidiaries in Holland and

Ireland and offices across Europe, Australasia and in South Africa, offers high quality sliding and folding door

gear to the global construction industry at competitive prices, inclusive of comprehensive technical and

after sales service.

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Securefold Ultra, a new and innovative security concept for residential and commercial exterior folding doors

The following five important points must be considered when selecting fire doors to safeguard commercial, industrial and residential properties, says Bob Vollmer, director of leading fire, security

and transformer door suppliers, Bitcon Industries:Does the manufacturer of the fire doors have a proven ··track record – and will he or she still be in operation should problems arise? “Ask for references of successful past installations. There are often ‘fly-by-night’ operators in this industry who drastically cut costs – and are then no longer in business when after-sales service is required.”Does the fire door have the required prototype SABS ··test report to comply with the appropriate South African National Standard? “Check that test reports that specifically provide proof that single doors, double doors, doors with viewing panels, and sliding doors, all comply with the appropriate fire ratings and that these reports can be provided if required. Compliance with the National Test Standard is based on successful tests for stability, integrity, insulation and impact resistance.” Are the fire doors adequately prepared for the fitting of ··permanent standard ironmongery that will stay attached to the door at all times? “There have been cases of hinges and closing mechanisms coming away from the fire doors shortly after being installed because no satisfactory provision had been made to keep them secured to the doors,” Vollmer adds.Will the doors be securely wrapped and protected ··against damage in transport, and adequately crated for long-distance transport? “We employ only reputable transport contractors, and have successfully moved our fire doors to distant countries in sub-Saharan Africa.”Finally, be absolutely sure that the fire doors you are ··specifying or purchasing will fulfil the function and fire rating they are required to do. “Cost can be a decisive factor in selecting fire or security doors. But being ‘penny-wise and pound foolish’ almost inevitably leads to failures and replacements – which means that the budget for fire doors will take an even harder knock,” he adds.

Bitcon Industries, a member of the Vitrex Group – operates from its high-tech production plant in Jet Park where it manufactures its fire doors to SANS 1253:2003 standards. ■

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Five factors for quality fire door selection

April 2013 33

SABS approved fire doors meeting appropriate quality standards are essential to provide the spread of disastrous fires, warns

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April 201334

Making use of natural light in the home has many benefits. However large window areas, if not well insulated, are not always the most practical or energy efficient thing to do,

explains Lourens.

On average approximately 40% of energy loss in a home occurs through standard, single pane windows, but double glazing can greatly minimise this. Double-glazing and insulation can easily reduce the energy spent on regulating the temperature in the home by as much as 50%.

In double-glazed windows, the air trapped between the two panes of glass forms a layer of insulation. The glass panes are separated with an aluminium spacer, encapsulated in a primary silicone coating and then sealed with a secondary silicone or bitumen waterproofing agent.

In any kind of fenestration, heat is lost from the warmer surface, such as the room-facing pane, to the cooler surface, such as the outdoor facing pane. By filling the cavity of a double-glazed window with dehydrated air rather than normal air, the exchange between the two glass panes is greatly reduced. The molecules of dehydrated air are much less mobile than normal air, which means that they transfer much less heat by convection or conduction and therefore boast better thermal insulation characteristics.”

Apart from excellent energy savings, double-glazing offers a host of other benefits:

Acoustic insulation: Double-glazing provides excellent ··acoustic insulation, significantly reducing outside noise levels. Added security: When glazing with 6,38 safety or ··intruder-proof glass, double-glazing provides excellent security for your home because its composition and design makes it very difficult to break through. This combined with imported German-engineered locking systems, makes Swartland windows exceptionally secure.Reducing condensation: double-glazed windows ··greatly reduce the problem of condensation as heat is reflected back into the room and the inner pane is warmer. Draught-proofing: all-round rubber seals in the frames ··to ensure that when closed, no draughts can get through, even in very windy areas.

Selecting the window framesCare should be taken to select a high quality window frame as it can affect the overall insulation properties of the double-glazing by up to 30%. Traditionally, double-glazed windows were made from aluminium, steel and uPVC, however, Swartland has now launched high-end timber double-glazing windows exclusive to its Cape Culture range.

An independent test by the South African Fenestration and Insulating Energy Rating Association (SAFIERA) has shown that Swartland’s double-glazed windows are currently the most energy efficient windows in South Africa.

Timber window frames are not only aesthetically pleasing in the home, but also present a smaller carbon footprint relative to other traditional materials, making them an environmentally-responsible choice.

Selecting the right glazingTo reduce heat loss, double-glazing window components need to be made of materials that are low thermal conductors, such as using timber frames for example. This will also apply to the actual glass that is used in the window.

Swartland’s double-glazed windows use glass supplied by SmartGlass GSA called Insulvue. Insulvue is available in combinations that offer a wide range of performance characteristics. These units perform best when one combines Insulvue with a low emissive (low-E) coating Colourvue product. (The lower the E, the better and more energy efficient the product).

Low E glass has a transparent metallic oxide coating that acts almost like a one-way thermal gateway. The coating works by selectively reflecting long wave radiation, which is characteristic of internal heating sources.

The costOf course, double-glazed windows cost more than their single-glazed counterparts. However, the initial extra cost of double-glazed windows reduces energy costs in the home by as much as 50%, thus ultimately paying for themselves a number of times over. ■

Seeing doubleCobus Lourens, National Sales Manager for leading wooden window and door manufacturer, Swartland,

offers some useful information and guidance on residential double-glazing solutions.

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Swartland’s double-glazed wooden framed windows reduce energy costs significantly

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April 201336

Increasingly more consumers are seeing the benefit and long term saving that aluminium products offer. The design and materials used, hardware, glass thickness and finishings are seen as better products

versus competing options. As an industry, a great number of new initiatives regarding sustainability and energy saving, thermal efficiency is on the cards. New performance glass is now being developed and for the first time, a South African extruder has a thermal insulated range. The drive to improve products to conform to better performances will no doubt have a very positive effect on consumers’ future choice of windows, aluminium no doubt being high on the consumers’ agenda. A leading supplier of doors and windows to the South African construction industry is Duro. “We are in the process of introducing durable, dynamic and designer

ranges to meet all our consumer’s needs,” says Stephan Marckx, national category executive at Duro. “Our doors and windows offer innovative approaches to green building and contemporary lifestyles. We also take product development very seriously and for windows a number of initiatives are being developed. These include superior weather resistance materials and double glazing products and a number of new developments will be rolled out in the near future. All our initiatives are geared to improve product with consumer expectations high on the agenda.” Duro’s chief sales and marketing manager John Lamb says: “Our vision is to become the leading supplier of products in the openings category for the building industry -a one stop shop, regardless of material type; and our primary goal is to become a truly customer centric company – this entails putting the customer and market first in all that we do.” ■

Innovative products by DuroAluminium and glass products are the number one choice in light commercial development, and over the

past three years have made significant inroads in the housing market.

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This is according to Andrew Stewart, managing director of DDL Equipment, a leading supplier of dock loading systems to Southern African countries.

Stewart says that the fast-tracking of communication, information technology and the immediate availability of specifications and design drawings are becoming increasingly critical in the materials handling industry, as well as to architects, consultants, project engineers, consulting engineers, quantity surveyors and construction companies. These professionals can now download Corel Draw and PDF formatted technical drawings from the DDL Equipment website at no extra cost – eliminating the need to wait for the hard-copy version.

Free-flow of dock loading information has always been the philosophy at DDL Equipment and is one of the company’s most important contributions to the materials handling industry.

DDL is based in Bramley, Gauteng, and has branches and distributors throughout Southern Africa. The company has more than 37 years experience in the materials handling industry, specialising in marketing, consulting, assembly, installation and servicing of docking equipment and industrial doors and is committed to delivering high quality South African manufactured and imported products, based on the latest international quality and safety standards. ■

Open source information essential for materials handling industryFree and open circulation of information in the South African materials handling arena is vital if this

industry is to compete with developments in the global market and the forging of its own

unique position in this market.

Andrew Stewart, managing director of DDL Equipment

April 2013 37

Massmart is one of the largest distributors of consumer goods in Africa with an ongoing commitment to improving efficiencies. Drawing on the experience of its owners Walmart, they

are working towards optimising their central warehousing and distribution network.

Twintec’s proposal for the scheme was based on their unique Design Build Insure concept that enables customers to benefit from a single point of responsibility. The Twintec Freeplan product (ground bearing SFRC jointless floor slab) was selected as the best solution for the project. After carefully reviewing the client’s needs the optimum design was developed by Twintec’s in-house design engineering department.

Optimising mechanical handling equipment (MHE) performance efficiencies, significantly reducing ongoing floor and MHE maintenance costs, and a fast construction programme are key benefits of a Freeplan jointless SFRC floor slab. Twintec worked closely with the project team to design and build a floorslab that matched their operational requirements.

Working for Archstone Construction at Atterbury’s Waterfall Business Estate,Twintec laid up to 2 350 m² per day, incorporating 30 kg/m³ of high tensile strength steel fibres to deliver a 180 mm thick slab to a flatness tolerance of FM2 Special.

Vital to the success of any floor slab project is the total commitment of all project team members and a shared goal of achieving quality and client satisfaction. Twintec were pleased to be part of this project team, where all concerned realised the vital importance of the floorslab to the long-term success of this distribution facility. ■

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Massmart’s new warehouse floor31 300 m² of jointless steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) floorslab has been designed and built by

Twintec for the new Massbuild regional distribution centre (RDC) in Midrand.

The Twintec joistless floor slab installed in the new Massbuild regional distribution centre in Midrand

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Lafarge Master Grid – coming to an outlet near youIn March, Lafarge Gypsum customers from across Gauteng gathered at Monte Casino in Johannesburg for

the dramatic cinema style “big reveal” of the company’s new ceiling grid – “Lafarge Master Grid.” The system

will replace the former ceiling product from Lafarge, Gridlock Ceiling Grid.

Added strength, flexibility, rigidity, quality standards, improved clipping mechanism and fire safety are the six key performance benefits of Lafarge Master Grid which Jacques Gouws, newly

appointed sales and marketing director at Lafarge Gypsum, demonstrated to customers at the event.

“We have been working on the new Master Grid product for the past year,” said Gouws. “The input of our customers was a critical component in the research and development of the new ceiling grid, and Lafarge Gypsum is proud to report that the Lafarge Master Grid product trials were a resounding success.”

According to product manager, Kgomotso Ramoitheki, the SABS-approved Master Grid is the perfected grid which complies with SANS 2001: EC and BS 13964.

“Lafarge Gypsum has broken boundaries to ensure performance, durability and ease of installation. Benchmarked against existing products in the market, including imports, our Lafarge Master Grid delivers the complete package,” he commented.

The Lafarge Master Grid ceiling systems have added strength with a safety factor of 2,5, enabling the product to handle a minimum weight of 27kg/m2 at hanger spacing of 1,2 metres.

Designers can also look forward to the incomparable versatility and flexibility of the product with intermediate slot locations at 100 mm intervals in the main tee and hanger holes at 65 mm intervals on the bulb of the main tee.

Kgomotso says the benefit of these product features is that they allow the main tees to accommodate non-standard sizes of boards around the perimeter as well as more frequent support to accommodate multiple boards for high-tech solutions in acoustics and thermal solutions.

The steel capping of the Lafarge Master Grid is also stronger than the former aluminium capped product.

The exceptional fire safety is due to the innovative fire punch out holes that retain the integrity of the main tee by allowing for expansion in the event of a fire, thus preventing the ceiling panels falling from the grid system.

“Lafarge Gypsum Ceiling and Partition Systems are precision-manufactured to comply and often surpass all South African structural and product codes,” says Jean-Paul Croze, managing director of Lafarge Gypsum in South Africa.

Lafarge Gypsum regularly introduces new product solutions to the market in response to the needs of its customers, offering a comprehensive range of decorative choices, notwithstanding enhanced functional efficiency.

“Our systems are designed by international engineers and technicians to meet the requirements of the ever-changing building industry, bringing to the market Commercial, Industrial and Residential solutions that are Eco-specified throughout South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.”

Not only will designers enjoy the versatility and flexibility of the new Master Grid, installers will also appreciate the Lafarge 10 year warranty which is carried by Lafarge Master Grid, making it the industry’s system of choice.

Article courtesy of Advanced-Building.org ■

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Jacques Gouws, sales and marketing director at Lafarge GypsumJean-Paul Croze, managing director of Lafarge Gypsum

Lafarge Gypsum began operations in

South Africa in 2001, offering interior

finishing solutions through the

manufacture of gypsum-based

building materials for constructing,

finishing and decorating interior walls

and ceilings in residential, commercial

and institutional construction projects.

The Lafarge Master Grid ceiling system has added strength enabling the product to handle a minimum weight of 27 kg/m2

22308 SAB 04/2013

Mafi wooden flooring comes to Southern AfricaLiving Art Floors have been appointed as the exclusive Southern African partner for the renowned Austrian

based Mafi wooden flooring.

All Mafi wood floors have a special, ecological surface finish that distinguishes them from others,”

says Living Floors director Georg Brandner. The floors come in a number of various designs and constructions, to suit any individual, commercial or domestic requirements for both functionality and design. Since the floors are a natural product no UV-hardening chemicals or lacquers are used. By finishing the floors with natural oils together with Mafi’s symmetrical 3-layer construction, where the backing is the same wood as the top layer, the planks always retain their shape and their beautiful appearance.

Following the ethos of sustainability the company adheres to the strictest standards and the floors are made

from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood.

Innovative designs such as the richer appearance of the Vulcano ranges is achieved by Mafi’s trademark heating process where planks are baked for up to 45 days, resulting in the wood caramelising without the use of any chemicals whatsoever. This also means that the floors are extremely hard-wearing.

These easy to maintain and extremely resilient floors are used by many architects, designers and celebrities worldwide who understand the symbiosis of its perfect naturalness and first-class design.

Over 80 different floorboard samples of this unique, upmarket range of natural wood flooring can be viewed at Living Art Floor’s upmarket showroom in The Gantry centre in Fourways. ■

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CLF maintains steady national growth Johannesburg based industrial flooring expert, Concrete Laser Flooring (CLF), continues to maintain its

reputation as a local industry leader, having been appointed to undertake a number of high profile flooring

contracts across South Africa. According to CLF director Peter Norton, the company has also recently

opened a Cape Town branch to keep up with national demand.

The company is currently involved in laying steel fibre reinforced jointless floors for Metrofile in Johannesburg; jointless flooring contracts at Catalunya Road in Gosforth Park and at FPC in

Pretoria – which involves the laying of a 6 mm PU screed on top of the jointless floor; as well as at Scania SA, where the floor is being completed to Scania’s worldwide specifications and involves the use of two new products recently introduced to the local market, namely Pentra-Guard and Pentra-Sil.

“Pentra-Guard is a high performance industrial flooring surface hardener and protective clear coat specifically designed to protect and preserve decorative and integrally coloured concrete and masonry surfaces. Pentra-Sil concrete sealer, hardener and densifier is a high performance industrial concrete floor treatment that creates a stronger, more impenetrable and more durable finish that is also better looking, dust-proof and resistant to staining and deterioration,” Says Norton.

CLF also has in progress a number of floor repair contracts for clients such as McDonalds and KFC, at their distribution centres in Longmeadow, while floor surveys are being completed by the company for Illovo Sugar’s

Pietermaritzburg facility, in addition to the JD Group’s branches in Tzaneen and Witbank. Upcoming projects for CLF include: a 40 000 m2 flooring project for Atlas Copco in Johannesburg, a 20 000 m2 distribution centre flooring contract at DecoFurn in Durban and a 20 000 m2 contract for Bevcan under engineering design done by Ove Arup, in addition to further projects for Makro in Amanzimtoti and Triton Express in Durban.

Norton is optimistic of the outlook for CLF in 2013 and beyond: “CLF has the capacity to meet demand from the market, which will prompt further growth.” ■

Innovative design is the trademark of Mafi wooden flooring, as shown by this

example of the Mafi Vulcano range, “Fresco Duna” with a unique ribbed finish

which massages the feet

CLF maintains a strong synergy with cement and concrete supplier, AfriSam, and engages with them to produce the

appropriate cement mix and concrete mix for any given project

Photo: John Thomé

“

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An aerial overview of the new Ernst & Young headquarters in Sandton

April 201342

Toni Flavio, director of projects at Murray & Roberts Buildings, says the single biggest challenge presented by this project is the short construction time that has required his team to work to a very

fast track programme.

“The site logistics present another challenge for the construction team,” he comments. “Very little lay down area is available on site for plant and materials. The construction team has to plan its logistics very carefully to avoid having excess materials delivered to an already congested site.

“In approximately half of the foundations, we encountered hard rock that had to be removed by blasting, and this put the programme under added pressure. As the excavation ramp was removed, the bulk of the excavated material was removed by a crane.”

Four Liebherr tower cranes are being deployed during construction — two 154 ECH cranes with 65 metre jibs and two number 132 ECH units with 50 metre jibs. The tower cranes have been strategically positioned to allow maximum cover, while not getting in each other’s way.

To meet the requirements of this fast track project, Murray & Roberts Buildings will deploy more than 1 000 personnel, sub-contractors and labourers on site at peak. Construction is being accomplished by the primary use of post-tensioned slabs made of early strength concrete, formed by the PeriSkydeck formwork system.

The property, with a built footprint of 98 800 m2 resting on eight storeys of basement parking, is being developed by the Eris Property Group. Boogertman & Partners are the architects.

The building comprises three elements: the eight storey building with an active atrium space animated by transecting stair and bridge links; the 14 storey office tower connected by a four storey high bridge that allows for future versatility; and a two storey podium on which the buildings rest.

The façade, with convex and concave curves, will be constructed from a unitised performance glass with a light tint, in a double glazed unit which will be complemented by vertical fins, rotated at 30 degrees, to control natural light into the open office environment.

“This design is a first for the South African environment,” Bob van Bebber, director at Boogertman & Partners, says. “It is significantly different from any other building in the area and will certainly become a local landmark.” The building design has already achieved early recognition at the World Architecture Festival held in October 2012 in Singapore, where the project was shortlisted for an award in the Future Commercial Office category.

4-star green ratingSeveral innovative building design elements are incorporated to collectively achieve a 4-star green rating, making the most of modern technologies available to harness natural light and ventilation, and to conserve energy.

M&R fast tracks 102 Rivonia RoadMurray & Roberts Buildings is working to an extremely tight construction schedule that will see the eight-

storey Ernst & Young block, located at 102 Rivonia Road, completed by the end of October 2013 and

the 14 storey tenanted office block by January 2014.

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“The building’s fully glazed façade will provide excellent ingress of daylight, which is linked to employee wellbeing,” says Groves. “At the same time, the glass will restrict radiant heat gain into the building and the problem of direct glare will be mitigated by the vertical fins. Sixty percent of the floor area will allow external views to the outside, enabling office personnel to look out of the windows and maintain a refreshing connection with the outdoors. In addition, the external glass has been modelled together with the HVAC system, with a primary focus on maintaining thermal comfort.”

There will be no geysers in this building — instead heat pumps have been planned. Electricity consumption will be heavily metered in regard to items that use 100 kVA and over, which will assist the building manager to monitor how the lighting is performing. Occupancy sensors will also be introduced.

“We want to achieve less than 2 watts per metre square per 100 lux – a measurement of the efficiency of the light versus the energy it consumes,” says Groves. “The idea is to produce effective light at low wattage, which is a good benchmark of lighting energy in a building.”

Water usage throughout the building will also be metred as part of the Building Management System, which will allow for early leak detection and any other anomalous use. Most water savings will be achieved by using environmentally friendly sanitation fittings — including low flow taps and showers and dual flush toilets. The project

has also provided for a 38 cubic metre storm water attenuation facility that will be fed to storage tanks, which in turn will supply the necessary water to toilets throughout the building.

The building design has avoided any refrigeration that uses HCFCs for chillers, heat pumps and fire suppression systems, as well as in insulation materials.

Construction materials have been carefully chosen to reduce embodied carbon in the building, for instance, by reducing the cement content of the concrete by replacing it with fly ash or slagment. A 25% fly ash replacement reduces the carbon dioxide (CO2) content to 0,62 kg of CO2 per kilogram. Rebar steel with a high recycled content is being used in favour of virgin steel, which has

2,75 kg of CO2 per kg, compared to the 0,43 kg of CO2 per kilogram of recycled steel. Formwork and any similar installations will be built with sustainable timber.

20% of all permanently installed materials are to be sourced from within 400 km of the building site.

To date, Murray & Roberts Buildings has recorded zero Lost Time Injuries, which Flavio attributes to a sustained and intense focus on safe behaviours, underpinned by the Murray & Roberts safety philosophy, STOP.THINK.ACT.24/7. This approach emphasises the importance of taking action to correct unsafe conditions and behaviour, as well as recognising positive behaviour, while “24/7” highlights the need to be safety-aware at all times, both at work and after hours. ■

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The south elevation of 102 Rivonia Road showing the start of the two lift shafts on basement B8 up to B7 with basement B6 with steel and shutters for columns and the

decking in place for basement B7 towards the lift shafts

Murray & Roberts Buildings is working to an extremely tight schedule on the new South African Ernst & Young headquarters being developed in Sandton

At the recent sod-turning ceremony Gavin James, executive director of Rainmaker Energy said: “This marks the onset of a definitive new era for both South Africa and the Eastern Cape, and we

are immensely excited to be at the forefront.” Rainmaker Energy is one of the companies involved in the joint project, which has seen South African business linking with Japanese counterparts to develop a partnership that embraces both local economic development and foreign direct investment.

The Japanese partner to the project, Sumitomo Corporation, regards renewable energy as one of its core business areas and is proactively fostering its wind, biomass, and solar photovoltaic power generation businesses both within and outside Japan.

A total of approximately R2,2 billion will be collectively invested to construct the Dorper wind farm.

Local communities in the vicinity of the wind farm will gain advantage through the Molteno and Sterkstroom Community Development Trust which was set up by the Dorper Wind Farm.

Renewable energy projects are focused in 28 mostly rural areas, throughout the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape, where previously there has been very little industrial development.

The Eastern Cape is set to become a leading wind and renewable energy hub in an effort to help the Department of Energy meet its procurement objectives of 3 725 MW of renewable energy. Major wind farm developments in the province include, amongst others, the Jeffrey’s Bay Wind Farm which also recently launched construction and three major projects planned for the Coega Industrial Development Zone. ■

April 2013 45

EC gets SA’s first large-scale energy wind farmForty 2.5MW wind turbines for the Dorper Wind

Farm in the Eastern Cape will be supplied by

Nordex Energy South Africa (Pty) Ltd., a wholly-

owned subsidiary of the German manufacturer,

Nordex SE. The wind farm, situated near Molteno,

will generate 100 MW of power to the national grid.

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A cut-away view of the business end of the Nordex wind turbine

Minster Ken Okaniwa of the Embassy of Japan in Pretoria, Dr Wolsey Barnard Deputy Director General for Energy: Programme and Projects and Luke

Callcott-Stevens, executive director at Rainmaker Corporation

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The project team is motivated to build the best telescope we can,” he said. (MeerKAT will constitute 25% of Phase 1 of the SKA mid-frequency dish array). “We are confident that we

will build it to budget, and on schedule, while exceeding the original specifications.”

The work being done by the MeerKAT team is providing strong momentum to integrate MeerKAT into SKA Phase 1. Discussions about this integration are in progress between SKA SA and the International SKA project.

Various subsystems of MeerKAT are at the requirements review, or preliminary design review, stages. The full qualification, and critical design review, is expected to be completed early in 2014.

“Until the SKA is completed, MeerKAT will be the most sensitive radio interferometer in the world in the L-Band,” Esterhuyse explains. He noted that his team has been able to increase the sensitivity of its offset Gregorian dish

design from 220 m²/K to 300 m²/K by using system and value engineering processes, without increasing overall cost. “This constitutes a 36% improvement in sensitivity, and an 86% improvement in survey speed, compared to the initial specifications!”

Infrastructure updateThe upgrade to the Karoo substation in Carnarvon was completed and handed over to Eskom in December 2012.

By the middle of this month (April 2013) the roads and civil works, as well as the electrical and fibre ducting reticulation for MeerKAT should be completed. At the same time construction teams are busy with extensions to the dish assembly shed, as well as the pedestal integration shed, Karoo Array processor building and on-site power facility.

MeerKAT antenna contract will boost local industryThe contract for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the 64 MeerKAT antennas was awarded to the South African company Stratosat Datacom (Pty) Limited in 2012. The value of the contract is R630 million, making it the single largest procurement in the MeerKAT project. Stratosat Datacom will have strong technical support from consortium partner General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, a leading antenna manufacturer with offices in the United States and Germany. GDSatcom have extensive experience in large radio telescope and telecommunications projects around the world.

Detailed design of the antennas will commence immediately in collaboration with the MeerKAT project office, and the first antenna will be erected in the Karoo before the end of 2013. Construction of all 64 antennas will be completed before the end of 2016. MeerKAT’s offset Gregorian dishes will have a projected diameter of 13,5 m, resulting in an elliptical main reflector of 13,5 x 15,8 m.

All systems go, say MeerKAT project leadersThe South African SKA site in the Karoo is currently a hub of construction activity, and plans are on track to

deliver the 64 MeerKAT antennas by the end of 2016, says MeerKAT project manager, Willem Esterhuyse.

“Antenna 1 will be installed by December 2013.”

KAT-7 – the first of the MeerKAT dishes to be completed

Karoo Array Processor building and on-site power facility under construction

“

New workshops, stores and offices taking shape at Klerefontein

The award of this contract follows a competitive tender process that was run in strict accordance with the National Treasury rules for government procurements of this nature. Four industrial consortia, each representing partnerships between local and international companies, responded to the open call for proposals. While the ability to deliver a cutting-edge science instrument at a competitive price was the key consideration in awarding the contract, there was also an emphasis on skills transfer and local procurement and manufacturing.

The Stratosat/GDSatcom consortium presented an implementation at a competitive price that exceeded the technical specifications defined by the MeerKAT project office. A major portion (75%) of the contract value will be spent in South Africa, including all of the qualification

testing, tooling design, and virtually all of the manufacturing. This contractual condition aims to maximise the benefits and opportunities for local industry, while retaining the expertise of Stratosat and GDSatcom. SKA South Africa will own the intellectual property of the antenna design, and Stratosat/GDSatcom have committed to spending a significant percentage of the contract value on skills development within South Africa.

The award of this contract marks a major milestone in the MeerKAT project. It is also a significant development for the international SKA project because the MeerKAT will constitute 25% of Phase 1 of the SKA mid-frequency array. ■

Source: www.ska.ac.za, March newsletter. All photos: SKA SA.

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Construction of all 64 MeerKAT antennas will be completed before the end of 2016

Site inspection by Riette Basson (architect); Anton Lourens (technical director at Aurecon) and Neels Hoek (SKA SA)

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Sage VIP’s new Green homeIn March South African Builder attended the launch of Sage VIP’s new Green offices in

Menlyn Maine, Pretoria.

The building design is contemporary and simplistic, allowing for future flexibility and ‘green’ building practices. Sustainability and green design principles formed an integral part of the design of

the building, in terms of building orientation, limited eastern and western glazing, and solar control on the north-fronting glazed façade.

“Our new building will be extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly,” says Anton van Heerden, Managing Director of Softline VIP, part of the Sage Group. “The building has a four star rating according to the Green Star SA – Office v1 rating, which recognises the best practice principles that the building project demanded,” explains Van Heerden.

Additional “green” development cost will be recouped through saving in energy cost over an estimated five year period.

The building is a five-storey concrete-framed structure served by a four-and-a-half-level tiered basement parking structure. It incorporates a combination of plastered

masonry walls covered with a specialised coating, with fenestration being aluminium-framed, double-glazed curtain walls and external shading controlling the amount of solar ingress into the building proper.

The building is fully mechanically ventilated via three air cooled chillers located at roof top level, providing 12.5 litres of fresh air per person, thereby ensuring that airborne germs are better flushed from the indoor environment. As a result good oxygen levels ensure better concentration at work.

The office space has extensive glass façades, to enable the staff to take advantage of the views and letting natural daylight into the space. All windows are equipped with venetian blinds to ensure that the building occupants have control over their work space and can exclude direct sunlight glare. The western façade has a motorised external shading device that will track the sun and exclude the harsh western sun from the office space.

The office space is designed around a central atrium. All floors are linked by a staircase which encourages active movement between the floors, and creates an environment for social interaction.

The office areas are equipped with motion sensors which dim or switch off lights in areas that are unoccupied. These motion sensors are also linked to the HVAC system which allows the temperature to drift a few degrees closer to ambient temperature when the space is not occupied.

A Building Management System is used to control lights, air conditioning and meter energy and water usage in the building. The BMS is to be used to ensure that unusual energy and water consumption patterns are quickly identified so that they may be remedied.

The water demand by the building is reduced through the use of efficient water fixtures and fittings. Rainwater is captured from the roof, treated and used for flushing toilets in the building.

The new Sage VIP building in Menlyn Maine, Pretoria has a four star Green Star SA – Office v1 rating

Anton van Heerden, Sage VIP’s managing director, address guests at the launch of the company’s new Green “home”

The office space is designed around a central atrium. All floors are linked by a staircase which encourages active movement

between the floors

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The building has used concrete with a high fly ash content to reduce the overall embodied carbon of the building. In addition, all the steel rebar has a recycled content of at least 95%. Recycled steel uses much less energy to manufacture and contributes to reducing the overall embodied carbon of the building.

“Since we took occupation the level and frequency of interaction between employees has improved significantly, resulting in greatly enhanced productivity and efficiency,” says van Heerden. ■

Sage VIP building: Professional Team

Project function Company

Developer Menlyn Maine Investment Holdings

Project Manager Pro Arnan

Architect Boogertman & Partners

Precinct landscape Blue Bush Gardens

Electrical RWP

Civil WSP

Mechanical C3 Engineers

Green Consultant WSP

Quantity Surveyor Pentad

Fire Consultant TWCE Consulting Eng.

Wet Consultant SJ Franklin

Health & Safety Cairnmead Industrial Consultants

Enviromental Consultant Golder Associates Africa

Main Contractor WBHO

Guests at the launch enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere

Extensive use of glass facades provide plenty of natural daylight into the building

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April 201350

Sustainability and our Built EnvironmentIn this new regular slot Brandon Abdinor, specialist consultant on sustainability,

writes exclusively for

South African Builder.

Sustainable building: renovations and building re-use “The greenest building is the one already standing.” – US architect Carl Elefante

How true can this be? After all, modern green buildings are designed to have a much lower environmental footprint than their older counterparts.

Common sense tells us that the environmental investment in the building material has already happened in an existing building. The necessary mining, harvesting, processing, manufacturing and transportation has already taken place. We have already utilised the embodied energy, with its attendant carbon emissions, to obtain and install the building material.

Looking at the on-going environmental footprint of the building changes the picture. The operational energy requirements (the energy used during the life of a building) for a green building are generally far lower than for an existing building that wasn’t designed to be efficient. Embodied energy usually amounts to a fraction of the operational energy requirements of a building, and so its on-going energy efficiency is critical. The same applies for water and water efficiency.

If we want to build on these environmental gains by reusing a building, it must be renovated to become much more efficient in its energy and water use. Depending on the original design, these interventions can be very simple, such as replacing or augmenting old technology with newer more efficient components and systems. Examples include lighting, HVAC, water heating, water fittings and recycling. On the other end of the scale, we might have to deal with the environmentally unsustainable passive design features of an older building that was built in an era of cheap and abundant energy. Inappropriate or inadequate orientation, shading, natural ventilation and lighting can present fundamental difficulties that are extremely challenging to fix by renovating.

One particular aspect to consider is that of the building’s thermal envelope. Energy efficiency best practice and regulation requires that the building envelope acts as an efficient thermal barrier separating indoors from the outside. Some old buildings have excellent elements in this regard, such as double skin clay brick walls with cavities. On the other hand, state-of-the-art insulation materials, windows and

doors are likely to far outperform what was available decades ago. When all is said and done, each case will come down to a careful scrutiny of the environmental and economic costs of each element of the building, its use and intended lifespan, and informed assumptions about variables such as energy and labour costs. Products and materials need to be assessed using a life cycle approach that measures all impacts from first extraction to post-demolition disposal.

A study completed in 2011 for the US based National Trust for Historic Preservation found that in nearly all instances, reusing existing buildings realised significant environmental savings when compared to constructing new buildings. When looking at the dynamics in South Africa today, we can expect the case for the reusing of buildings to strengthen. Energy costs are expected to continue rising sharply, impacting material costs. There is increasing pressure to densify the built environment to combat urban sprawl and counter inner city degradation. Undeveloped land often needs to be conserved and there are constraints on the supply of electricity, and probably water, in future.

This will all no doubt impact on the building industry. Renovating is usually more labour intensive than new construction, which is good for job creation. Working conditions are also often more difficult, and many renovation interventions require delicate workmanship and very careful planning. This means up-skilling the workforce in many cases.

The key to making the right choice, as with most greening interventions, is to do the analysis carefully and, above all, holistically. ■

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Brandon Abdinor has extensive experience in the design, specification and application of sustainable

building principles

Retrofit installation of thermal insulation under the roof and above the ceiling of existing buildings is an ideal renovation option. Here local thermal insulation manufacturer, Eco-Insulation, installs their

product, which meets the requirements of SANS 10400 XA

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Atlas Copco South Africa recently joined the global network of Atlas Copco organisations around the world to celebrate this prestigious milestone and for 140 minutes employees downed tools to

participate in the festivities.

Bernie Hanaray, managing director of Atlas Copco South Africa, responsible for Atlas Copco’s Holdings Division in South and sub-Sahara Africa, attributes a number of factors to Atlas Copco’s 140 years of global success. “From a solid foundation, based on our values, innovation, interaction and commitment – we focus on our customers and our people because they are our key drivers. They understand customers’ requirements and recommend solutions for increased customer productivity. Our people are our biggest asset, representing our core values and reflecting the Atlas Copco culture.”

Turning his attention to the challenges faced by the Group as a whole and locally, Hanaray says that, like any business that is continually growing and developing, Atlas Copco has had to meet many challenges along the way. “Challenges are part and parcel of a company that has

been around for so many years and that has shown sustainable growth. We had the courage and expertise to meet and rise above these challenges. Our philosophy is that we are in it for the long term not for quick financial gain. We set our strategies and develop our people and engineer our products on this solid base to ensure that we deliver in an on-going and sustainable way to customers.”

“We are represented in central Africa through our DRC and Zambian offices. Complementing our Kenya and Tanzania offices on the eastern seaboard is our recently opened company in Mozambique which is showing great potential over the next 12 months. With offices in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola, I can say with confidence that we now have a very strong presence in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Looking to the future, Hanaray sees good future growth potential in sub-Saharan Africa. “Our comprehensive portfolio and capabilities enable us to provide a complete product and service portfolio. There is no doubt that our product is known and well respected in the various market

sectors, especially mining. But just as important as quality product, is support. This in itself is a challenge but we are more than prepared to meet this challenge. We are well equipped from a product and service point of view to support our customers no matter where they are. We understand the importance of equipment reliability and uptime for sustainable production.”

“While the future undoubtedly holds many growth opportunities and associated challenges, it is our ambition to continue this growth and success into the future. Our experience and intellectual knowledge of the group attained through our global presence around the world, our structure and our vision – first in mind first in choice, are some of the reasons why Atlas Copco has been in business for 140 years,” remarks Bernie and concludes: “With good people, core values, strong foundations and the strength of our position in the market, we are ready to take on the next 140 years as a world leading provider of industrial productivity solutions.” ■

Atlas Copco celebrates 140 years International industrial group, Atlas Copco, a

world-leading specialist in compressors,

construction and mining equipment, power

tools and assembly systems this year celebrates

its 140th anniversary.

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Atlas Copco celebrates 140 years of global success

Bernie Hanaray (right) managing director of Atlas Copco South Africa and Victor Scott, regional manager of the business services division, Africa and Middle East, cutting the

Atlas Copco 140 year birthday cake

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Liviero Mining has been awarded a five-year contract to mine the Tharisa West Pit, situated near Rustenburg, reports CEO Neil Cloete.

The group has also netted three new shopping centre building contracts – in Newcastle and Ladysmith, as well as the contract to build Umlazi’s newest retail centre, which forms part of the KwaMnyandu development node centred around KwaMnyandu railway station.

Liviero’s R256 million contract for KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre has commenced, and is due for completion during the first quarter of 2014, Cloete states. The centre will offer over 23 000 m2 of GLA (gross leasable area), with two major food anchors Shoprite and Pick n Pay.

The group’s contracts for Theku Plaza shopping centre in Newcastle and Ezakheni Plaza shopping centre in

Ladysmith reflect the success of Liviero’s growth strategy in the Northern KwaZulu-Natal region, he adds. Both projects are being undertaken for McCormick Property Development Company, one of the largest shopping centre development companies in the country, and fast-track programmes will see them handed over this year. Liviero’s R54 million contract for Theku Plaza is due for completion in July, while the R48 million contract for Ezakheni Plaza is scheduled for completion in September. ■

Liviero secures new contractsFour new contracts secured by construction group Liviero include a R900 million chrome mining contract

for Tharisa Minerals and the new, high profile KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre in Umlazi, Durban.

Artist’s impression showing an exterior view of the new KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre in

Umlazi, Durban

Artist’s impression showing an interior view of the new KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre in

Umlazi, Durban

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RMD – Pioneering management through relationship building

South African Builder recently spoke to Johan Smit, managing director of RMD Kwikform, about the

company’s vision and direction.

RMD Kwikform has in recent years, under the leadership of managing director Johan Smit, quietly repositioned and restructured its management team to embrace its new

visionary approach.

Smit, who joined this well respected Centurion based supplier of formwork and scaffolding as MD two years ago, has steadily and carefully built and integrated the revolutionary culture of “management through relationship building” into the company.

“As a young management team we share the belief of focusing on building and nurturing strong and healthy relationships: those with our clients; those within the workplace; and those at home,” explains Smit. “This is a deeply ingrained culture which takes time and effort to establish, and ultimately enables us to provide our clients with unparalleled service, through our honest and open approach, and by working in a happy environment.”

A key aspect of achieving this vision is the avoidance of strong egos in the workplace, minimising conflict and enabling closer team work.

“Because this concept goes well beyond the workplace it becomes ingrained in all that we do,” continued Smit. “Our interest in our staff and the preservation and nurturing of their family relationships results in key personal, family and work values and ethics which make this small company attractive to join.”

As part of the implementation strategy to achieve these goals RMD secured the services of a respected leading

authority in the field of corporate wellness, Professor Johan Coetzee, of the North-West University, who says that as modern society we tend to outsource everything – from our relationships, the upbringing of our children and even our holiday planning. Coetzee enables managers and leaders to integrate work demands and general life priorities through a process he calls “work life integration.”

As a part of this process, RMD’s management Board appointed Dirk Odendaal, who has a doctorate in corporate psychology, as operations director. All business units report to Odendaal who ensures the process stays firmly on track.

Smit offered yet further very specific insight to this concept which is currently rolling out. “There are no grey areas at all in all our interactions with one-another, or with our clients,” said Smit. “No misrepresentations or false impressions. For example we will never tell a half truth, or lie – not even a “white lie” – saying perhaps to a client that “the truck is on its way” when it’s not. That means total honesty – and total openness. This builds complete trust and integrity – which is respected within our ranks and, most importantly, by our clients.”

With regard to training, RMD has an active programme in place in which young people from all races are given the opportunity to be trained, locally and abroad. Individuals from Centurion, Bloemfontein and Durban, mostly school leavers, are identified through staff members, usually by word of mouth, and are invited to submit their interest and credentials. A series of structured interviews and tests follow, after which five or six candidates are selected from a group of 20 to receive training. ■

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Into AfricaDirk Odendaal – operations director, Johan Smit – MD, Andre Nienaber – general manager Centurion, Christa Viljoen – credit manager,

Francis Kelsey – accountant, Rossouw Fourie – National Engineering Manager, Yolandie Fourie – financial manager

April 2013 55

Into Africa

April 201356

Chinese president supports partnerships for African infrastructure – BRICS 2013

Durban, South Africa, 27 March 2013 – Chinese President Xi Jinping and

leaders of the other major emerging economies met African leaders in

Durban to discuss cooperation between the BRICS nations and Africa.

BRICS leaders (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) exchanged views under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s potential: BRICS and Africa cooperation on infrastructure.”

At the meeting, the Chinese president stressed that the dialogue between leaders of BRICS and African countries reflected the political will of both sides to realise equality and inclusiveness and seek common development.

Xi said the world cannot enjoy stability and prosperity without the peace and development of Africa and international affairs cannot be properly dealt with without Africa’s participation, adding that the global governance system would lose vitality without Africa’s contribution.

BRICS and African countries are like-minded friends with extensive common interests, he said, noting that the rising of Africa brings opportunities to BRICS countries, likewise, the development of BRICS countries brings opportunities to the continent.

“The 21st century would surely be a century of rising for Africa,” Xi said.

Cooperation among the countries’ 4 billion people will help to make the world economy more balanced, international relations more democratic and the foundation for world peace and development more solid, he said.

Xi expressed China’s support for BRICS countries to build partnerships with Africa, saying the relationships should be based on equality and democracy, and should be strategic and down-to-earth.

BRICS countries should see infrastructure construction in Africa as top priority for international cooperation, promote financial cooperation with Africa and follow the concept of sustainable development, he said.

Xi said the Chinese government is willing to form a cooperative partnership for transnational and trans-regional infrastructure, and help the African nations with the preliminary work of promoting connectivity and resource surveys, which includes consultation, planning, feasibility research and project design.

Every year, China would also help Africa to train 300 managing and technical personnel specialised in the field of infrastructure, he said.

The Chinese president also said that China would, via such ways as financing, investment, assistance and cooperation, encourage Chinese enterprises and financial institutions to play a part in the construction and management of the transnational and trans-regional infrastructure.

The Chinese government has promised to give zero-tariff treatment to 97% of the tariff items of exports to China from the least developed nations having diplomatic ties with China, he added.

Other leaders of the BRICS nations said the BRICS countries would like to forge a cooperative partnership with Africa, and provide assistance in such sectors as infrastructure so as to promote inclusive and sustainable development in the continent.

The African leaders said the African economy, over the years, has maintained constant and relatively fast growth, and the continent is full of hope.

They also said that Africa needs to strengthen its infrastructure, promote integration and industrialisation, and lift over-all competitiveness and capacity for sustainable development.

The African nations are willing to set up with the BRICS members a cooperative partnership, which highlights mutual support, mutual benefit and win-win results between emerging economies and developing nations, said the leaders.

The African countries are grateful for China’s long-term help to the continent, they said, adding that they hoped to step up their cooperation with China.

Source: Xinhua, english.news.cn ■

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BRICS leaders, from left, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Jacob

Zuma, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff and Russian President Vladimir Putin – pose for a group picture during the BRICS 2013

Summit in Durban, South Africa

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Irritech installs DPI Ultraflo pipes in Mozambique DPI Plastics supplied Irritech with a total of 72 km of mPVC Ultraflo pipes, varying in diameters of between

63 mm and 500 mm, which were installed at the privately funded R4 million Chinanguanine agricultural

irrigation project, located approximately 100 km north of the Mozambican capital Maputo.

Irritech owner and head irrigation specialist Franek Raciborski points out that the Ultraflo range was selected as the piping product of choice, due to its proven track record in the market. “Ultraflo is a high

quality pipe that has been preferred by local contractors for a number of years. What’s more, mPVC is an excellent material for irrigation, due to its durability and ductility.”

DPI Plastics technical and product manager Renier Snyman highlights the fact that the Ultraflo pressure pipe system offers design engineers and contractors numerous advantages, including a lower mass, higher impact resistance and increased hydraulic capacity. “The Ultraflo pipes for this particular project were delivered in standard 6-m-lengths and have a Class 6 pressure rating, with excellent frictional resistance and low wave celerity, thereby ensuring resistance to surges.”

Raciborski notes that Irritech was appointed as the contractor to the Chinanguanine project in May 2012, and was able to successfully complete its scope of work

within six months. “Having been a DPI Plastics client for 20 years, I can rely on the company’s professional and responsive approach towards Irritech. The Chinanguanine project was no different, and all the piping products were supplied timeously, with support and service offered on an around the clock basis.”

According to DPI Plastics exports manager Rajesh Naval, the Ultraflo range of pressure pipes accounts for

90% of the company’s pipe export sales. “mPVC has proven to be highly popular in the African market, due to a combination of its strength, durability and cost effectiveness – which has resulted in sales worth more than R35 million in markets such as Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Angola. I am confident that this trend will continue well into the future, with a strong possibility of expansion into new markets too.”

Naval notes that the addition of new large bore sizes, including 560 mm and 630 mm, will further benefit export customers, as they currently are importing these sizes from overseas or running two pipes parallel to each other to achieve the requirement of a large bore pipe.

Pietermaritzburg-based Irritech surveys, designs, and installs all types of irrigation, and prides itself on appropriate solutions, which take into account the client’s particular circumstances. Raciborski believes that the company’s all-in-one solutions offering often take into account a client’s labour skills, transport costs, availability of spares, and other diverse factors that extend beyond the realm of traditional engineering. “Coupled with this is our proven ability to work in remote and distant locations, employing the resourcefulness of our energised staff to maximum effect.”

Looking ahead, Raciborski is confident of the future outlook for Irritech and the industry in general. “Irritech has vast experience in the design, manufacture and commissioning of various irrigation schemes, including; centre pivots, drip, micro, moveable and solid set sprinkler systems and water reticulation systems. Having developed a large footprint in Southern Africa and, together with an office in Lusaka, Irritech has placed itself in a strong position to obtain measurable growth, particularly within the African market – where numerous tenders are being issued as a result of increased foreign investment in infrastructural development,” he concludes. ■

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The Irritech teamPontoon located onsite at the Chinanguanine project

DPI Plastics technical and product manager, Renier Snyman

The BRICS Trade Exchange is a business-to-business trade fair that provides the ideal platform for facilitating and opening up trade between the BRICS nations, namely Brazil,

Russia, India, China and South Africa,” says Lydia Botha, Senior Project Manager at Thebe Exhibitions and Projects.

“The aim of this event is to highlight new business opportunities between the BRICS countries,” says Botha. “It’s the ideal platform for companies, government institutions and business associations from all of the BRICS nations to draw attention to and showcase key investment and trade opportunities to buyers from other BRICS nations.”

The BRICS members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, which are distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs. As a grouping of the most influential developing nations, BRICS aims to expand inter-trade amongst BRICS countries,

increasing investment and business opportunities between other BRICS nations and the rest of Africa.

BRICS Trade Exchange will be a three-day business-to-business trade show and networking platform dedicated to promoting trade and investment between BRICS nations. Dedicated workshops focused on highlighting major investment opportunities from BRICS and South African countries, as well as a hosted buyer’s programme, site visits and business matchmaking events – will further increase networking opportunities.

Exhibitors at this event will include companies from a broad range of sectors within the various BRICS nations, including: transport, construction, manufacturing, minerals, energy, petroleum, agriculture, retail, automotive, ICT, telecommunications, textiles and pharmaceuticals. In addition, relevant government institutions, business associations, South African and African companies, export/import consultants, as well as trade and investment promotion agencies will showcase unique investment opportunities. ■

BRICS Trade Exchange launches in AfricaThebe Exhibitions and Projects has announced the launch of the BRICS Trade Exchange, an Exhibition to be

held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa from 16 – 18 October 2013.

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Saint-Gobain Gyproc partners with WorldSkills International to identify young talentSaint-Gobain Gyproc recently ran a regional

competition to identify the most proficient

plastering and drywall systems applicator, below

the age of 22, to travel to Leipzig in Germany to

compete against young skilled professionals

from 65 countries.

The company is a proud partner of WorldSkills International, an association which has over its 60 year history, gathered young skilled people from around the world to compete, testing themselves

against demanding international standards.

Through the Saint-Gobain Academy, which is MerSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering & Related Services Sector Education Training Authority) approved and is South Africa’s forerunner in construction product training, Saint Gobain Gyproc assessed competition entrants regionally in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The entrants’ skills were scrutinised based on various criteria, which included among others measurement, drywall and plastering skill, adherence to technical specifications, speed of erection and health and safety.

Winner is announcedFollowing intense training at the Saint-Gobain Academy for the six regional finalists, nineteen year old Marvin Lottering from Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape was announced as the winner. Lottering will now travel to

Liepzig in Germany to participate in the 42nd WorldSkills International Competition where he will compete against young skilled people from around the world, all of whom will be testing themselves against demanding international standards.

The WorldSkills Competition is considered to be the pinnacle event for showcasing world class skills and abilities in trades, services and technologies. The opportunity to compete in the WorldSkills Competition means recognition for outstanding achievement, providing motivation and knowledge that encourages young people to benchmark their skills against world-class competency standards to which they will be exposed. In addition, the prestige of competing internationally will, as a result, fast-track the winner’s career path, offering him the platform to become a role model for school-aged youth in South Africa.

The 2013 Plastering and Drywall Systems competition, to identify young skilled people to travel to Germany, is supported by MerSETA, aligning with its commitment to sustainable development of skills, the acceleration of growth and transformation in manufacturing and related services sector. The Plastering and Drywall systems competition has benefitted significantly from MerSETA’s support and guidance.

Saint-Gobain Gyproc are committed to skills development, “We believe if we want to develop our youth we have to empower them though the provision of education and training, equipping them with the proper skills, and through the Saint-Gobain Academy, with the support of our partners, we embrace the culture of skills development. The WorldSkills competition offers local skilled youth the opportunity to compete against peers from across the globe, an experience which will enhance their lives and their careers,” says Petra Mitchell, National Saint-Gobain Academy Supervisor. ■

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Marvin Lottering from Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape was announced as the winner of the Saint-Gobain Academy’s regional competition for the most proficient plastering and drywall systems

applicator. Lottering will now travel to Liepzig in Germany to participate in the 42nd WorldSkills International Competition

Earlier this year, Dr Raymond Patel, CEO of MerSETA congratulates Mpho Ramaahlama regional winner from Gauteng with Petra Mitchell, Saint-Gobain National Academy Supervisor

Only a skilled workforce can deliver against the government’s infrastructure objectives,” says Sandra Burmeister, CEO of executive search firm Amrop Landelahni. “Skills development is

essential in moving from infrastructure investment – to infrastructure delivery: seeing the projects on the ground.”

“Infrastructure investment is critical, in view of the country’s sluggish 2.5% economic growth rate and to revive our embattled construction industry,” says Burmeister.

“We must align our educational systems to meet our needs,” she says. “Only in this way can we ensure that we have skills to support not just the build, but the maintenance and upgrade, of infrastructure now and in the future.”

Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) reported last year that only 1 800 engineers were left in the public sector, with more than 1 000 vacant engineering posts. “Allocating more money to infrastructure spend without addressing

this issue will only lead to the same bottlenecks that we are currently experiencing,” says Burmeister. “We are simply not building the right kinds of skills or enough skills.

“South Africa has averaged a mere 2 200 engineering graduates a year over the past decade, compared to Canada at 11 500, Australia at 4 200 and India at 125 000.

“In 2006, 3 000 artisans qualified across all trades. In 2010, this quadrupled to almost 12 000. This bears testament to what government and the private sector can do when working together. However, there is a caution here. A lot of these were one-year trades, not four- year trades.

“We need to develop a leadership pipeline that extends 20 or 30 years into the future, and to ease our stance on issuing work permits for experts and embrace offshore professionals for the capability they can bring now in sectors, such as alternative energy, where we do not have skills,” concluded Burmeister. ■

Shifting infrastructure from drawing board to deliveryPravin Gordhan has promised infrastructure spend of R827 billion for the next three

years. Yet he has paid scant attention to skills development in achieving these goals.

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CEO Amrop Landelahni

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Forthcoming events of interest to the building and construction industry

Events 2013

Event/organisation Description Location Date

Ai CEO Infrastructure Investment Summit 2013http://www.africainvestor.com/event.asp?id=327

The Summit facilitates bankable infrastructure investment project pitches from developers and sponsors and direct dialogue with infrastructure regulators on specific projects.

Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town 6 – 7 May

Roof & Facade & Waterproofing China 2013http://www.roofchina.com

A specialised roof industry expo in Asia. China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex 9 – 11 May

INDUTECwww.exhibitionsafrica.com

South African Industry and Technology Fair 2013 - the biggest industrial and engineering trade show in Africa.

Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand 14 – 16 May

Totally Concrete Expo 2013www.totallyconcrete.co.za

The only “all things concrete” conference and expo in Africa offering up to date info about major products, technologies and solutions for the entire spectrum of concrete, design, masonry, construction, project delivery and management.

Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg 3 – 5 June

World Environment Day - - 5 June

2013 Fulton AwardsPresented by the Concrete Society of Southern Africa (CSSA)

To honour excellence and innovation in the design and use of concrete.

Champagne Sports resort, Drakensberg 8 June

OSH EXPO Africa 2013www.oshexpoafrica.comIncorporating IFSECSA

The leading destination for exhibitors to launch and showcase the latest occupational safety and health products and services.Commercial security, homeland security and fire exhibition

Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand 18 – 20 June

Africa’s Transport and Infrastructure Show 2013http://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition

Brings together the African transport sector from governments to major end users; from investors to transport operators

Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg 24 – 27 June

Arbor Week 1 – 7 September

The first bauma Africahttp://www.bauma-africa.com/en/home

An international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles.

Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

18 – 21 September

108th MBSA Congress - 2013http://www.mbsacongress.co.za

Addressing immediate issues and opportunities within the South African Building and Construction Industry

Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Johannesburg

29 September – 2 October

World Green Building Council (WBC) CongressConcurrent withThe GBCSA Annual Convention and Exhibitionwww.gbcsa-convention.org.za/

The Congress will host some of the most influential green leaders over 91 Green Building Councils worldwide Cape Town 14 – 18 October

The Infrastructure Rollout Conference 2013http://www.bizcommunity.com/Event/196/360/31460.html

Provides a forum for open discussions on the infrastructure development, maintenance and deployment. This two day event will present the practical approach to the infrastructure rollout and the importance of transforming the country, the region, and the continent.

TBA 4 – 5 November

For more on building and construction trade shows in Africa and the Middle East go here: www.eventseye.com/fairs/zst1_trade-shows_africa-middle-east_building-construction.html

Forward details of your events to johnt@malnormags.co.za for inclusion here

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A blast from the pastExtracts from the South African Builder archives

April 1983

Contrary to general speculation, the Building Industry has not

“come a cropper” during the current economic recession in

South Africa.

On the contrary it has sustained its activity levels extremely

well. There is no large scale unemployment rife in our Industry.

In fact at this moment we are short of some 4 000 skilled

manual workers not to mention hundreds of building technicians

and graduates.

We have set up practical vocational training colleges for all

building skills in Springs, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth

at a capital outlay of some R15 000 000. These will provide

opportunity for advancement for any willing capable building

workers – be he white, black, coloured or Asian.

We have geared up to a high pitch our education division to give

maximum support and assistance at every level of tertiary

training for both building technicians attending Technikons and

building graduates attending Universities.

Obviously BIFSA is being constantly embarrassed by prospective

workers who recognise a fantastic Industry in which to work,

but who can’t be placed with member firms in order to be

trained for the great demands of the future.

The solution of course is that BIFSA should as an

organisation indenture apprentices, contract technicians and

monitor graduate practical training in order to remove the

responsibility from the shoulders of individual contractors and

sub-contractors.

That way BIFSA could distribute trainees throughout the

Industry at a time when they are needed. That way BIFSA

could continue to train in bad times so that everybody could

have enough people in good times. That way BIFSA could

ensure that all training is of a high standard without variation

according to the whims of the particular building or

sub-contracting firm.

Indeed that is the next step in the overall philosophy of

education and training in the Building Industry and it is only

with the dedicated support of each member of our Federation

that we can attain that high ideal.

News

R360 million contracts

The award of an R18 million contract for the Sanlam Plaza in

Pretoria means that LTA’s building companies have begun the

year with new projects totaling R140 million and an overall

workload of R360 million.

The Sanlam Plaza, a prestige block on Schoeman Street, will

have ground floor shopping, 18 office floors and two

parking basements.

LTA building (Transvaal) has already begun work

and will complete the contract in mid-1985. Other

large LTA contracts to begin in the new year

include the new R130 million Groote Schuur Hospital

in Cape Town (worth 65 million to LTA as it is being

built in a joint venture with Comiat of France), Holiday

Inns’ new prestige beachfront hotel in Durban, and an

office and warehouse block for Grant Bazaars in

Epping, Cape Town.

Major contractors which are nearing completion include the Old

Mutual’s Marine project at Durban (R20 million), Durban’s new

mainline station (R22 million), hostels for the SATS at Imbali,

Maritzburg (R18 million), the Old Mutual’s Industrial Park in

City Deep (R18 million) and the Mutual’s Plaza block in Pretoria

(R12 million).

The company is also building Escom’s New headquarters building

and extensions at Megawatt Park, Sandton, in contracts totaling

R50-milion.

Another contract for Escom is the construction of R20 million of

housing for the Tutuka power station near Standerton.

Looking at a model of the R18 million Sanlam Plaza are, from

left, Mr Melvin Vester, managing director of LTA Building

(Transvaal) and senior Sanlam executives, Mr Hendrik Malan and

Mr Fanus Gerber.

April 201364

corporate members

affiliate members

www.mbsa.org.za

East CapeGreg Steele – Executive DirectorTel: 041 365 1835E-mail: ecmba@global.co.za

BolandDaniël Uys – ManagerTel: 021 863 3330E-mail: info@mbaboland.org.za

peopleLiberty Properties executive awarded global property fellowship Giles Pendleton, managing director of developments at Liberty Properties, has accepted an invitation from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to become an eminent member of the institution. This automatically qualifies him as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS). The fellowship has only been awarded to eight other South Africans. RICS is the oldest and largest professional organisation for the international land, property, construction and related sectors, setting the standards for surveying in land, property and construction globally.

Chryso appointments

Seymore now vice president of the Chryso Group Norman Seymore has been appointed executive vice president of the Chryso Group. Seymore will remain CEO for the Chryso Southern Africa Group (Chryso Southern Africa and a.b.e. Construction Chemicals) but is now also responsible for expanding construction systems activity within the global Chryso Group – initially with the emphasis on emerging markets.

Nicolas Wolf, Chryso Southern Africa’s new MDNicolas Wolf has been appointed as managing director of Chryso Southern Africa. Wolf was previously the director of Chryso Group’s global cement additive business unit in France. He has a passion for international trade and will be supporting Chryso’s growth into African countries through focus on research and development and the rapid introduction of new technologies.

Giles Pendleton

Norman Seymore

Nicolas Wolf

master builders south africa

KwaZulu-NatalVikashnee Harbhajan – Executive DirectorTel: 031 266 7070E-mail: info@masterbuilders.co.za

Groter Greater BolandChristo Cupido – SecretaryTel: 023 342 6964E-mail: mbagb@telkomsa.net

Northern CapeVic Smailes – Executive DirectorTel: 053 831 1845E-mail: vicsmba@xsinet.co.za

West BolandPhillip Botha – PresidentTel: 022 772 2251E-mail: mbaweskus@cwmail.co.za

Western CapeRob Johnson – Executive DirectorTel: 021 685 2625E-mail: info@mbawc.org.za

Free StateHendrina Greyling – SecretaryTel: 057 352 6269E-mail: masterbuilders@mbafs.co.za

MBA NorthWesley Soutter – Acting Executive DirectorTel: 011 805 6611E-mail: info@mbanorth.co.za

Association of Architectural Aluminium Manufacturers of SAHans Schefferlie – DirectorTel: 011 805 5002E-mail: aaamsa@iafrica.com

SA Reinforced Concrete Engineers’ AssociationJeff Thomas – DirectorTel: 011 455 6321E-mail: sarcea@iafrica.com

SA Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors’ AssociationBarney Richardson – DirectorTel: 011 622 3890E-mail: saracca@icon.co.za

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