Plumbing Africa June 2019 | Page 43

PROJECT 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Geberit Mepla Pipe System was chosen specifically for this project. Due to the limited ceiling void space of the existing building, the design engineers had very little space to fit each service (Gas/HVAC/Fire/Electrical) into the ceiling void. The Geberit Mepla Pipes System allows for much more flexibility to manoeuvre around other services. The decision to use this pipe system was also based around safety. The Geberit Mepla pipe is a crimped pipe system, meaning there is no need to use an open flame to weld pipe joints. This dramatically decreased the risk of fires in the building. As the plumbing contractor, GDM was quite relieved, as the installation was in the vicinity of operational gas lines as well as the top four floors still being occupied by the hospital group executive staff. DRAINAGE The GDM Plumbing team had to be very cautious with the drainage installation, since the building has a post- tensioned cable design on the floor slabs. This meant that with each hole that was cored through the slab they had to first do various scans to make sure they did not core a hole through a cable, which could have a serious impact on the structural integrity of the building. With more than 50 holes being cored on each floor, the process was time consuming, with reports www.plumbingafrica.co.za 41 and engineers’ consent being required for each penetration. The room for error on this item of works was non-existent. 1. DIFFICULTIES OF THE PROJECT The element of difficulty in this job was the fact that the building was live at all times, as the employees of the hospital group continued working on the floors above, so the various teams could not disrupt the operation of the building’s services during normal working hours. This meant that many tasks needed to be done after hours to ensure that the hospital staff were kept happy and had minimal disruption in their day-to-day activities. 2. 3. 4. USE OF PRODUCTS Products had to adhere to hospital regulations and the following products were chosen for very specific reasons. 5. Geberit HDPE sewer pipes with butt welded joints provide less chance of leaks in ceiling voids compared to traditional PVC with push-through fittings. Geberit Mepla water pipes provide a more flexible approach in the tight ceiling voids, as well the chance of theft and fire being reduced. 6. More than 50 holes per floor were needed to install the drainage ystem. Each surgery room has stainless steel wash-up facilities. Some room units are fitted with baths and hand showers. The connection between the galvanised and HDPE drainage system will contain stainless steel shavings that will reduce the temperature of the hot water in accordance with the recommended temperature limits of HDPE. The toilet units for all rooms. Each floor also holds two conventional element geysers fed by the 600ℓ hot water cylinder. Lecico rimless WC pans were selected because the rimless pan is preferred for the hospital environment due to the superior hygiene properties of the product. June 2019 Volume 25 I Number 4