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Plumbing Africa ( PA ) spoke to Matthew Buirski of GDM Plumbing & Projects ( GDM ). The responsible person for the plumbing installation was Gareth Buirski :
( PA ) Before the renovations proceeded were the old pipes and wastewater systems purged and cleaned out and tests done to ensure no diseases remained such as legionella and Pontiac fever ? ( GDM ) The old and dilapidated system was stripped and removed , and a new system installed .
( PA ) If new ones were installed , which pipe and fittings were installed and why was this selected ? To what SANS specification were these installed ? ( GDM ) The following system were installed 1 . Copper Water Pipe system . 2 . PVC Drainage . 3 . Galvanised main riser . SANS 10252 – 2 .
( PA ) What sanitaryware and brassware were installed and to what SANS specifications ? ( GDM ) All items meet SABS and SANS Specifications . White vitreous china wash hand basins , WC suite , Grade 304 18 / 10 stainless steel single end bowl sink , acrylic Perspex baths , together with all pipes , fittings and fixtures and a 22mm ultrasonic smart water meter including adaptors to copper pipes .
( PA ) Does the building have a reserve water tank ? ( GDM ) Yes , the building has a reserve water tank situated on the roof .
List of professionals :
( PA ) Are there any water saving innovations introduced ? ( GDM ) There are no water saving innovations per se on site , but the existing gas systems within JHB CBD was utilised in the central hot water rooms to heat water . This resulted in a massive electricity saving to the end consumer .
( PA ) Was a wet services engineer employed ? ( GDM ) Yes , Simon Olivier from Design-One Consulting Engineers ( PA : See engineer ’ s input )
( PA ) What were the plumbing challenges faced in refurbishing an office block into residential units ? ( GDM ) The project was relatively straight forward , following engineers design . ( PA : Refer engineer ’ s comments ). One of the obstacles in converting an old office building into a residential building was creating entirely new plumbing ducts for drainage and water . This was achieved by coring through the existing slabs in the new duct locations , whilst a simple exercise , great care was needed to make sure ducts aligned to create an aesthetically pleasing installation . Being the second contractor on site , we also faced the challenge of inspecting and testing all previous installations making sure they meet SANS standards and worked correctly , this process was undertaken in each room and duct and signed off with engineers . PA
Client JOSHCO Nkululeko Magubane PQS Theba Consultants Haroon Bhyat PM and Designer Savage + Dodd Architects Heather Dodd Wet services and Fire Design One Consulting Simon Oliver Electrical , Lifts Risimati Mangalani Mavukane Structural Calliper Mukudzei Gumbo
Main Contractor Raubex Commercial
Nick Christoforou Juan Voster Juan Jardim Jacobus de Klerk
The basement water
booster pump feeding the roof tanks being installed .
The pressure reducing valves to the hot water system and gas boilers .
Simon Oliver Simon Oliver
Sub-contractors
Wet works contractor HVAC and Extraction contractor
Lifts contractor Internal Finishes
Internal Wall system
GDM Plumbing – Matt & Gareth Buirski
Shamus Rennie . Ryan Rennie
V3F – Nico Raphadu PC Builders – Chris Jiyane
Everest Pakhamani Matthews Pakhamani
November 2020 Volume 26 I Number 09 www . plumbingafrica . co . za