Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa November/December 2013 | Page 61

JOINT WINNER – REFURBISHMENT AND
EXTENSIONS CATEGORY
Paarman Foods New Factory, Diep River
The owner chose to do an extension where the building costs
would be relatively high but the overall cost would be cheaper than
a new building and machinery. The judges commented that this
“has to rank as one of the most difficult extensions/ refurbishment
projects that they have ever seen”. In order to fulfil the brief
successfully, a set of rules for the extension was developed:
• It was to be done in two phases, one in 2011 and the other in
2012.
• As much of the work as possible was to be done during nights
and weekends.
• The existing plant was to be kept running at all times except
during two planned two-week shut downs over the Easter
periods in 2011 and 2012.
• The extra office floors and walkways required would have
to hang off the new roof structure to minimise disruption of
the production lines and allow erection outside the existing
envelope.
• The new mezzanine floor was to be built over existing
operating plant, which required strategically placed
protection scaffolding so that the plant could operate during
the day.
• Any extension over the existing roof and wall structures was to
be built, cladded and sealed before attempting to take down
the existing asbestos cement cladding.
• All rainwater would be carried to downpipes outside of the
cladding.
• All plant areas below existing cladding would be sealed off.
The judges noted that while this all seems relatively simple,
there are always complications when tying new steelwork
into existing structures and, in this respect, this project was
exceptionally difficult. “The engineer had the immensely
difficult job of positioning and threading the new columns into
the existing structure to clear both existing processing and
structural elements,” they said.
The challenges were numerous and exacting. These included:
where to put new columns relative to the existing structure and
plant equipment; determining the exact dimensions and how to
measure them in and around all the structures