SA Affordable Housing January - February 2019 // Issue: 74 | Page 26

PROJECT
as good as they could be,” explains Van der Westhuizen. He
adds that, as a result, the various building components
were chosen primarily for their price, with the aesthetic
aspect also being extremely important.
“This is why we chose to work with standard stock and
face clay bricks, with in-situ concrete for the structure and
flat roofs,” says Van der Westhuizen.
“One of the main challenges during construction was to
make sure that we were ready for occupation in February
2018 so the first batch of students could move in phase 1
when the university opened for the year. To achieve this
early date for phase 1, we had to engineer faster
construction methods. AAC Block building material was the
answer as it is a suitable replacement for conventional
brickwork. It is much bigger, lighter, faster and easier to
install than brickwork,” explains Jaco Pienaar, CEO of
Caliber Properties
Aluminium and timber doors and aluminium windows
were chosen both for cost and their contribution to the
sustainability of the building. International studies have
shown that aluminium windows and doors can easily
achieve improvements in heat gain and heat loss through
windows by 60% rivalling more expensive timber and
uPVC equivalents.
Over the life of the building, energy savings with
aluminium doors and windows have also been shown to
outweigh the initial energy input by well over 100 times.
For homes with electrical heating, or cooling for homes in
hot climates such as South Africa, these savings can run
into multiples of close to 300 times.
It is for a similar reason that sheet metal roofs were
chosen for the mono pitch roofs. Properly installed, a metal
roof should last as long as the building, is effective at
sealing out water and surviving high winds. Metal is also
resistant to fire, mildew, insects, and rot meaning that in
the long-term maintenance costs of the building are
kept down.
Sheet metal roofing also provides a number of other
benefits particularly related to the affordability of the
project. Because of the material’s light weight, savings
were made on engineering and building the supporting
structure while labour costs were saved on installation.
Metal roofing also reflects radiant heat from the sun,
minimising midday heat gain and ensuring energy savings
on air conditioning during the day.
The inside of the building comprises plastered and
painted wall finishes in rooms and halls and plastered and
tiled wall finishes in the bathrooms. Ceramic floor tiles are
used throughout in combination with smoothed
concrete floors.
“All of the materials are used and combined in such a
way to ensure a modern and aesthetically pleasing look
and feel to the building. It’s a student space that we wanted
to feel fits with all the most recent design aesthetics,”
explains Van der Westhuizen.
According to Albert Swanepoel, CFO of Caliber
Properties, an intensive cost analysis and experience in the
affordable housing market means that the Apartments on
William are not only pleasing on the eye, but also delivered
within budget.
“The tendering procedure and supplier approvals were
extremely competitive keeping in mind the current
economic environment we are challenged with,”
says Swanepoel.
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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019
The dining area.
One of the kitchens.
The roof deck.
The outside facade.
The overall result left all partners extremely pleased.
“With the appointment of the right contractor, namely Tri-
Star Construction, a clear scope of works and high standard
quality control measures, we achieved the desired quality
on the project,” says Marlise Taljaard, development
manager at Caliber Properties.
www.saaffordablehousing.co.za