LIGHT STEEL FRAME CATEGORY – JOINT WINNERS Mall of Africa Façade and Parapet Walls and the new Outpatient Day Clinic for Mbabane Hospital in Swaziland
Nothing emphasises more the coming of age of light steel frame building( LSFB) in South Africa than the record number of LSFB project entries for Steel Awards 2016. From this great batch of entries there were two stand-out projects that caught the judges’ imagination, both exemplifying excellence in the use of LSFB. LSFB constitutes a third of the number of all the entries for Steel Awards 2016. Some 50 % of the LSFB entries were for Commercial / Office and Community infrastructure buildings, with residential and industrial projects making up the rest.
Because of the exceptional standard, the judges had difficulty in choosing so opted for Joint Category Winners in the Saint- Gobain Light Steel Frame category.
Mall Of Africa, LSF Façade & Parapet Walls
This is one of the largest single phase building projects in the southern hemisphere and the building programme required the building envelope to be closed within a few months. The required installation dates were met on time and contributed significantly to keeping the project on track.
The structural framing consists of 0.8mm LSF, 90mm x 38mm cold-formed lip-channel profiles, assembled into wall panels on site, with typical 600mm x 600mm CTC grids and frames placed slab to ceiling, column to column.
Cold-formed thin gauge steel frames were used for the light weight design, accuracy and speed of installation. What makes this project special is the architect’ s requirement for protruding, horizontal plaster bands, some more than 100m in length, to wrap the building and be exactly in line, at a height of up to 25m. Furthermore, a high R-value was required for the external cladding to achieve the required energy efficiency( reduced need for heating and cooling). From an environmental perspective, energy saving ETICS( external thermal insulation and cladding system) was used for the external cladding.
The wind load on the roof parapet walls, some 3m in height, was overcome with the reinforcement of wall panels by using a LSF joist, turned on its side. The use of LSF and EPS cladding requires less or no crane time, rapid installation, reduced need for cleaning operations, and ensures weight reduction on the super structure resulting in savings of structural concrete. It provides a durable external cladding with low maintenance requirements.
One of the most impressive aspects of this project from the team’ s perspective was the speed and the ease of construction. One of the biggest technical challenges faced by the engineers included the extra large openings and unusually high parapet walls. Light Steel Frame has opened up a whole new world for architects – and as they start exploring what is possible, it challenges engineers to become more innovative and creative. The Mall of Africa is a great example of this, and a taste of bigger and more exciting things to come for LSF.
Client / Owner / Developer: Atterbury Waterfall Investment Company Architect: MDS Architecture Structural Engineer: HAGE Quantity Surveyor: NWS Project Manager: GHC Africa Main Contractor: Group 5 / WBHO Steelwork Contractor and Nominator: Ohlhorst Light Building Solutions Steelwork Contractor: Clotan Steel Cladding Supplier: Weber Saint-Gobain
84 Steel Awards