Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa November/December 2013 | Page 62

COMMENDATION – ARCHITECTURAL CATEGORY
Engineering Study Centre at University of Pretoria
One of the judges, Johann Nell, representing the South African Iron and
Steel Institute, said that this project is an example of where old meets new,
where good engineering meets good architecture, complementing each
other in addressing the aesthetics with the steel arch design of the entrance
to the study centre.
One of the main reasons for selecting steel as the structural medium was
to reduce the additional load that would be added to the existing structure.
Modifying the existing building foundations to accommodate the new
structure was not an option. To limit the amount of additional weight, the
team used the principal of compression. This ensured that a large portion of
the roof’s own weight would be transferred to the outer, and independent,
pile foundations. The steel roof has spans up to 40m and covers a total
area of 1,700 m2. Similarly, steel was used as the primary structural element
supporting the mezzanine floors.
Steel also played a crucial role in achieving the required aesthetic shape
and appeal of the final building façade, as much of the structural steelwork
would be visible to the public after completion of the project. With steel,
it was possible to roll large sections to create the visually appealing dometype roof.
Environmental considerations also contributed to the use of steel as the the
study centre is built in the middle of the UP’s botanical garden with numerous
endangered plant species growing virtually against the building’s footprint.
Steel erection was the least intrusive construction method because the steel
sections were fabricated off-site, minimising the amount of construction
activities on site.
Due to restricted workspace and weight limitation on the existing
reinforced concrete slab, large mobile cranes could not be used during
construction. The contractor had to revert to manual labour or a combination
of manual labour and smaller lifting machinery to erect the structure.
The judges unanimously agreed that this project was most worthy of a Steel
Awards commendation. “The creation of space under the old engineering
building in answer to accommodate the number of students at the university
speaks of architectural and engineering ingenuity,” they concluded.
Developer/Owner: The University of Pretoria
Architect: ARC Architects
Structural Engineer: Aurecon
Quantity Surveyor: Pentad QS
Project Manager: ARC Architects
Main Contractor: Robenco Construction
Steelwork Contractor/s: Cicon Projects & Management
Detailers/Detailing Company: X-Tech
62

Steel Awards