The Civil Engineering Contractor October 2018 | Page 23

ON SITE
conditions.” The same level of
planning would apply once bricks
were being delivered to site. “Where
could we put down two million
bricks?” queries Marx.
There was also no space for
contractors’ offices, and this situation
would continue until at least the first
floor was constructed and that space
could be utilised.
Only a single tower crane can fit
on the site, so once material was
delivered, the tight conditions were
no easier. As the building rises,
material and passenger hoists (as an
outside lift shaft) will have to be
employed and built onto the side of
the existing building to get materials
and workers to the required level
where construction is taking place.
“There will be a staircase, but we
cannot get everybody up that way
— it would take too long. We take
safety very seriously: getting material
to a height of 17 storeys without the
necessary space on the sides of the
building creates the risk of material
falling off the side of the building or
onto the public road. To mitigate this
risk, we will position catch nets and
barricades. To date, there have been
no safety incidents on site other than
near misses,” says Van Dalen.
He compliments the local
municipality for being “very helpful”
in facilitating all permits and
permissions wherever necessary,
especially warding permits for
closing down roads, and the partial
lane closure of one lane on Bertha
Street. The site’s Traffic Management
Plan was also promptly approved by
the Johannesburg Municipal Police
Department. There had also been “no
crime worth mentioning”, though this
was expected with security on site
24 hours a day. This would remain
in place later when more pilferable
assets would be on site during building
work.
Caveat: Since the time of this on-site
visit and interview, Liviero Building has
gone into business rescue. This could have
an effect on some of the timelines and other
details mentioned in the article. It was
correct at the time of writing. nn
The basement piles needed unbudgeted material for support.
Shotcreting was selected for application due to the tight conditions and need to make
up time.
The basement takes shape with retaining walls.
CEC October 2018 - 21