ON THE COVER
With every tonne of ordinary Portland cement produced, the environment must deal with around a tonne of carbon dioxide emitted by the manufacturing process; with its commitment to more sustainable construction, AfriSam is offering contractors opportunities to move in a greener direction. Among the sustainability efforts are initiatives to use less ordinary Portland cement, which is high in energy-intensive clinker, as well as to improve on water usage, waste management, material sourcing and the final durability of construction materials.
Recognising excellence: the winners of Best Projects 2023
The winners of Construction World’s Best Projects awards for 2023 were announced at an exclusive event in Johannesburg on 7 November. These awards have, for 22 years, recognised excellence in the built environment in South Africa. The competition attracted 69 entries and the winners represent the whole spectrum in the construction industry – big and small.
The judges were unanimous in saying that the Best Project adjudication process was an enlightening experience and that they were impressed by the standard, innovation and excellence of the project submitted.
They also said that it is initiatives such as Best Projects that encourage the industry to continue to reach new heights, albeit in very challenging conditions.
The Civil Engineering Contractors category was won by the highly impressive ‘Pretoriusrand 20 Ml reservoir construction’ by Quintibuild while both the ‘VA Waterfront East Pier Precinct Civil Service’ by Civils 2000 and KMC Construction’s ‘River Walks Phase 3’ received Highly Commended Awards. It is encouraging to note that the number of entries in this category is increasing. It has been erratic for some years – reflecting an industry under stress.
Thirteen projects competed in the Building Contractors category. This category was won by the vast ‘Kenhardt Solar Park Project’ (entered by CHRYSO Southern African and Scribante Concrete). Highly Commended awards went to ‘15 Fredman Drive’ (WBHO Construction) and Concor Construction for its ‘Trevenna Super Basement Project’, while the ‘Eastgate Sustainability Project’ (Concor Construction) and WBHO Construction’s ‘Oceans Retail project’ received Special Mention Awards.
The Specialist Contractors or Suppliers category was won by GeoCiv Group for their ‘Pepkor Distribution Centre Soil Improvement Works project’. This category had two Highly Commended awards: Sika South Africa’s ‘Infrastructure rehabilitation Sarnia Road Project’ and CHRYSO South Africa and OMV’s ‘Nancefield Bridge – Musina’. a.b.e. Construction Chemicals’ ‘Durban Heights Reservoir No 3 Umgeni Water’ project received a special mention award.
In the Consulting Engineers category, Zutari was not only the winner with its ‘SKA MeerKAT Extension project’, but also received a Highly Commended Award for its ‘Groote Schuur Estate Refurbishment’ project. ARQ won a Highly Commended award for ‘Yusufeli Dam and two projects entered by Naidu Consulting received a Special Mention. These projects were The Construction of Shongweni Reservoir 6 Ml Reinforced Reservoir’ and ‘Tongaat Water Treatment Works Emergency Remediation Works’.
The Architects category attracted 14 entries and was won by Roelof Rabe Argitekte or ‘The Biomedical Research Institute’. There were two Highly Commended Awards: Boogertman + Partners for ‘Varsity College – Pretoria Campus’ and AVNA Architects for ‘Space Weather centre for the South African National Space Agency’. The category also had two Special Mention awards for ‘Thaba Eco Village residential, lifestyle centre and Montessori School’ (Boogertman + Partners) and Messaris Wapenaar Cole Architects for ‘Cavgold’.
AfriSam is not only the main sponsor of Best Projects, but also sponsors the AfriSam Innovation Award for Sustainable Construction, one of the first awards for sustainable construction in the country.
This category was won by JG Afrika for their innovative ‘Harnessing energy from organic waste through engineering’ project. The category had three Highly Commended awards: ‘15 Fredman Drive’ (WBHO Construction), ‘Eastgate Sustainability Project’ (Concor Construction) and ‘Soweto Education and Technology Campus’ (Growing Up Africa). WBHO Construction’s ‘Stella P1 Basements’ and Concor Construction’s ‘Travenna Super Basement Project ‘received Special Mention.
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