October 2010
The cover of the October issue of Construction World shows the custom formwork for the 68 m unsuspended bridge which is a major element of Cape Town's revamped Koeberg interchange. This is an apt cover for an issue which features diverse civil and building projects.
The complexity of the new Koeberg interchange provided many challenges and the unsuspended bridge spans over the very wide railway servitude that contain eight tracks was a core element of the new interchange.
Another interesting civil project is the rehabilitation of a 34 km stretch of the N1 between Three Sisters and Richmond in the Karoo.
Concor, the contractor, has had to cope with extreme weather conditions, finding skills in a relatively depressed environment and the challenges posed by being far from major hubs. Concor is providing engineering, entrepreneurial and generic training to especially SMMEs which means that skills will remain in the area long after the project is completed.
(The rehabilitation of a stretch of the N1 in the Karoo has given the local population various skills.)
The South African Institute of Steel Construction's annual Steel Awards has also illustrated an (often spectacular) array of projects: from the dazzling Cape Town Stadium (which is 2010's overall winner), to rural bridges in KwaZulu-Natal to the King Shaka International and Cape Town International airports
(A view of Cape Town International Airport. This and the new King Shaka Airport shared the Steel Awards' infrastructure prize.)
(The new Cape Town stadium was named overall winner in the 2010 Steel Awards. The judges said that this magnificent structure contains the best steelwork they have ever seen.)
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Overcoming a bitumen shortage
The collaborative efforts of road engineer, contractor and supplier have paid off in the face of critical bitumen shortage. An efficient new super-heater was used in N12 Hopetown/Kimberley road rehabilitation to assist in problem alleviation.
Increasing speed
The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link was conceived primarily to ease high traffic congestion on the N1 Highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg, now one of the busiest routes in the country.
Boost for sustainable architecture
Who are the South Africans who are able to create buildings that shift paradigms, rejuvenate the planet and uplift people? The Afrisam-SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture was created to find this out.
Structural steel benchmarking
Since the registration of the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction with the United Nations Industry Development Organisation to promote the involvement of its members in the South African Competitive Supplier Development Program, progress has been made to establish a network to directly assist suppliers on the benchmarking system.
