Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa November/December 2014 | Page 59

WINNER: FACTORY AND WAREHOUSE CATEGORY
Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation, Namibia
The Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation (RPZC), in Lüderitz, Namibia, won
the Factory and Warehouse category for its Zinc and Lead storage
warehouse. Erling says: “It’s great to be able to give recognition to a
project beyond the borders of South Africa in a neighbouring country.”
A 90 x 67 metre building, surrounded on four sides by buttressed
concrete retaining walls, was used for the designated storage area.
The challenge was how to roof the area, with a clear span of 65
metres, capable of supporting an arched roof which maximises storage
volumes, but easily fabricated and erected in Lüderitz, well-known for its
strong onshore winds and corrosive environment.
Square hollow sections (SHS) for all the truss members were the
natural choice for good reason including:
SHS offer ease of fabrication; internal members can be cut by
saw - no special developments are necessary for connections as would
be required for circular hollow sections; the perimeter of the SHS is big
enough to permit straightforward fillet welds for end connections; by
keeping the members straight the curvature for the roof is created by
different purlin lengths; no wasting of top and bottom chords is incurred
as would happen had the members been curved; tubular profiles are
ideal for dealing with the dominant prevailing winds.
The design not only took into account normal gravity and wind loads
but also considered numerous accidental load issues such as the effect
of the front-end loaders driving into a retaining wall/ buttress, but
also of the possibility of the bucket at full height impacting with the
roof trusses.
For the judges, Franco Mordini, representing the Association of Steel
Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of South Africa, said that this warehouse is
not an ordinary industrial warehouse. “A number of characteristics make
it stand head and shoulders above typical industrial buildings,” he said.
Developer/Owner: RPZC - Part of Glencore Group
Architect: Krenz Consulting Engineers - KCE
Structural Engineer: KCE
Quantity Surveyor: KCE
Project Manager: RPZC - Part of Glencore Group
Main Contractor: Salz-Gossow
Steelwork Contractor: Pro-Edge

Steel Awards

59