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