ON THE COVER: A new luxury apartment development, The Solace, is currently under construction in the scenic Bali Bay area between Camps Bay and Bakoven. The five-storey building required the formation of a level construction platform through a deep excavation into a steep hillside. The maximum excavation height is 14,5 m on a roughly 23 m × 23 m footprint.
The site is underlain by deeply weathered granite of the Peninsula Pluton, part of the Cape Granite Suite, presenting several geotechnical and construction challenges typical of this coastal setting. A stressed shotcrete lateral support system was implemented to provide both temporary and permanent excavation support.
Celebrating three decades of excellence, innovation and leadership
In 2026, GEOCIV Group proudly celebrates a remarkable milestone – 30 years of serving the construction, infrastructure and geotechnical engineering sectors in South Africa. What began in Durban in 1996 as KZN Piling has evolved into one of the country's most respected and capable geotechnical contracting groups, delivering complex foundation and lateral support solutions across Southern Africa.
Three decades is a significant achievement in any industry. In the highly specialised and often demanding world of geotechnical engineering, it is an accomplishment that reflects resilience, adaptability, technical excellence and an unwavering commitment to clients, employees and stakeholders.
Boogertman + Partners - Creating spaces that define modern Africa
Boogertman + Partners is one of Africa’s leading architectural practices. For more than four decades, Boogertman + Partners has honed an approach to architecture that delivers lasting value for clients and for the people who experience the spaces it designs.
The company’s philosophy is rooted in a distinctive human-centred, contextually responsive and sustainable approach to design, underpinned by a collaborative ethos. With a reputation for design leadership and technological innovation, it combines creativity with rigor, enabling projects that are visionary, efficient and transformative.
Building belonging in the city
Blok is reshaping urban living through design-led density, walkable neighbourhoods and people-first development. Construction World spoke to Troy Squires, their Head of Marketing.
For Blok, urban development is about far more than delivering apartments. The Cape Town-based developer has built its reputation on the idea that buildings should actively contribute to the neighbourhoods around them, creating connected urban environments that prioritise convenience, walkability and community.
At a time when South African cities are grappling with densification, rising property costs and changing lifestyle expectations, Blok has positioned itself at the forefront of a new urban living model. One that places human experience at the centre of development.
