ON THE COVER: A continuous concrete pour has been successfully completed to create a bridge deck across one of South Africa’s busiest freight highways, demanding meticulous planning and execution from Teichmann Structures, AfriSam and other key participants. As part of much-needed upgrades by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) on the N3 highway through Pietermaritzburg, a new Market Road bridge is under construction. This is being built by Teichmann Structures as subcontractor to Grinaker-LTA in the New England JV (Grinaker-LTA). The consulting engineers on the project are WSP.
No early strength compromise for greener concrete
Achieving low-carbon concrete for more sustainable buildings often comes with a trade-off - slower early strength development, which can delay construction timelines and disrupt project planning. However, the EnviroMix® range from Chryso effectively eliminates this compromise, delivering a solution that supports both environmental goals and construction efficiency.
How QSs can help manage costs as global tariffs impact SA construction projects
The saying "When America sneezes, the world catches a cold” is relevant once again. In 2025, it illustrates how the sweeping US tariffs are being felt across the globe, even affecting the construction industry at the southern tip of Africa.
“Although these are taxes on imports into the US, they have a ripple effect on local building costs as Chinese and other suppliers redirect their materials to markets without tariffs and disrupt our supply chains,” says Nolubabalo Tsolo, Executive Director of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS).
Certified buildings deliver higher returns
Too many buildings are being called ‘green’ without anything to back it up. As pressure mounts from investors and regulators to meet ESG targets, the difference between a marketing claim and real assessed performance matters more than ever. Green building certification gives the property sector a credible way to eliminate greenwashing, proving that a building performs as sustainably as it claims it does. Climate change is often framed as a distant problem for governments to solve, but in reality, the property sector holds one of the biggest levers for impact. Buildings account for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions (UNEP 2023), making developers, owners, and investors central to the climate solution.
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