Architect and Builder November/December 2018 | Page 70

SAFINTRA FACTORY & WAREHOUSE CATEGORY WINNER
Shoprite Checkers Cilmor Distribution Centre
The new distribution centre for Shoprite Checkers
in Cilmor consists of over twenty buildings, of which
the largest buildings are three warehouses within the
development. The Dry Goods warehouse is 76,000m 2 ,
the Refrigerated building is 18,000m 2 and the Returns
Centre is 12,000m 2 . Together, these buildings form the
core of the new national distribution centre.
The distribution park can be seen from a nearby freeway
and surrounding communities, so aesthetics was a core
part of the architect’s brief. Shoprite Checkers also wanted
to maximise their investment, which led the architects
and structural team to work closely together to see how
they could produce a highly functional distribution centre
that was also aesthetically pleasing to passers by on the
freeway and people from adjacent neighbourhoods.
The curved architectural features and large open
span roof structures necessitated a flexible and versatile
construction material, which is why steel was chosen.
Structural steel enabled the project team to not only cost-
effectively construct the large open span roof structures,
but it also enabled the team to meet tight construction
deadlines.
The ambient warehouse required a 32x32m internal
grid and the refrigerated warehouse required a 24m x
24m internal grid. A large cantilevering concrete tilt-up
column stabilises the buildings and this structure made the
erection of the long span steel girders and trusses safer.
Close to 3,000 tons of structural steel was supplied for
the project. A curved roof structure was chosen for the
Dry Goods building due to the size of the building and the
resulting rainwater run-off lengths. The angle of the roof
70
increases with increasing run-off length, thereby improving
run-off performance, due to the curve of the roof.
To avoid a large flat zone on the roof, a jointless sheet
transition from -0.5° to 0.5° was incorporated at the apex
of the roof. A watertight installation was ensured thanks
to typical step lap detailing. The effects of temperature
strain was also minimised thanks to the step laps with the
first sheeting laps occurring at slopes of more than 2°.
GRS’ KLIP-TITE was the product of choice for the roof.
The concealed fix profile roof offers superior wind uplift
resistance and the fact that the rib runs perpendicular (as
opposed to the conventional method of running parallel
with the sheet in the pan) changes the dynamics of the
sheet and provides a one-of-a-kind solution for projects
such as this.
Client/Developer: Shoprite Checkers Properties
Architect: Steyn le Roux Truter
Project Manager: SiVEST
Quantity Surveyor: iQS
Structural Engineer: WSP
Steelwork Contractor & Erector: Mazor Steel
Cladding Manufacturer: Global Roofing Solutions
Cladding Supplier: Safal Steel
Cladding Contractor: Scheltema
Corrosion Protection – Galvanising:
Advanced Galvanising
Corrosion Protection – Paintwork:
Nu Nation Protective Coatings
Main Contractor: Stefanutti Stocks
Photography: Subiaco Photography
Steel Awards