ON THE COVER: Franki Africa was appointed to deliver both the lateral support system and the piling solution for the Alto Winery site which is characterised by shallow, medium to coarse-grained granitic soil from the Kuils River Batholith, part of the Cape Granite Suite. The lateral support for the 5,8 m cut was designed as a hybrid system comprising soldier piles and grouted anchors. These elements work in tandem to stabilise the excavation face. The soldier piles were connected by a continuous capping beam, ensuring uniform load transfer.
The road to being “TOP OF THE PILE”
The GeoCiv Group operates in the highly specialised market of geotechnical engineering. It has the clear vision of being the most efficient and innovative geotechnical company in the Southern Africa region and given the current levels of excellence, it is already attaining this. In fact, its self-coined phrase ‘top of the pile’ is starting to ring true.
Construction World spoke to Greg Whittaker, Group Managing Director and Jean Breedt, Operations Director of GeoCiv Group about the history of the company and how this has, indirectly, set it up to attain number one status in a niche market.
Protecting infrastructure against the risks of dolomite ground
Sinkholes and subsidence in areas underlain by dolomite rock continue to pose considerable risks to infrastructure, requiring that developers carefully assess geological stability before designing any building or civil engineering works. According to John Stiff, partner and principal engineering geologist at SRK Consulting, dolomite-related risks have been particularly high in areas of South Africa where mining has taken place – due to the extensive dewatering that typically accompanies mining activities.
Engineering nature's fury
In the heart of a thriving wildlife corridor near South Africa's Sabie River, a bold vision for a luxury villa development bordering the Kruger National Park is taking shape. Nestled along a historically active dry waterway that converges with the Sabie River, this project poses a unique engineering challenge: creating world-class infrastructure while preserving the delicate ecological balance of this biodiverseregion. By Fanie Joubert Pr Eng, Head of Civil Structural & Eco-Engineering
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