Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa March/April 2015 | Page 33

The road and sub layers were used as a pioneering
layer in the nearby construction of the school and thus
diverting soil away from landfill.
FIRE SAFETY DESIGN CONSULTANT’S COMMENT
The building did not pose too great a burden on
ensuring it was fire safe. Chevron had some stringent
requirements which also assisted in ensuring a product
that should stand the tests should a fire or other
evacuation crisis arise.
The fire safety measures applied were:
• To fire-separate the parking floors from the office
accommodation and provide an adequacy of
emergency route fire escape staircases.
• All staircases were designed to cater for the new SANS
10400-S: 2011 rules for disabled persons. This meant
being 1,500mm wide, 170mm high stair risers, landings
at not more than 1.53 in height per stair flight and a
refuge area at each floor entry point.
• The building was fully sprinkler-protected and given a
hydrant / fire hosereel installation. Careful checks were
made on the capabilities of the municipal mains in this
area of Century City and these proved to be adequate
for the two fire water connections to be directly off
the mains.
• There was a full complement of portable fire
extinguishers. There were two extinguishers at each
FHR station, with additional ones where necessary.
• The complex