Construction World December 2015

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Professional Services

Renovations and Additions to The Port Elizabeth Opera House

Project information • Company entering: AfriCoast Consulting Engineers • Project start date: 24 March 2014 • Project end date: 1 November 2015 • Client: The Port Elizabeth Opera House • Main contractor: GVK-Siya Zama Building Contractors • Principal agent: The Matrix Urban Designers and Architects • Architect: The Matrix Urban Designers and Architects • Consulting engineer: AfriCoast Consulting Engineers • Project value: R27 360 000 Port Elizabeth’s much loved Opera House is acclaimed as the oldest theatre, not only on the African continent but also in the southern hemi- sphere. It is a national treasure, and its expansion and renovation this year has been sorely overdue. AfriCoast was part of the Matrix Archi- tects Consortium Joint Venture appointed by the PE Opera House for the makeover of the historical building. Due to the sensitive nature of this project, heritage approval for the construc- tion work on this historical building was sought and granted from the Provincial

Heritage Resources Agency well in advance. The upgrade includes the construction of an extended foyer and other renova- tions such as damp damage repairs, office upgrades, and replacement of carpets and wallpaper. In addition new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting and fire detection are being installed to ensure that the PE Opera House is fully compliant with the latest building and energy regulations. The original structure was wedged tightly up against the rock in a space specially carved for it out of the natural sea-facing hillside. Careful preparation had to be undertaken before excavation work could commence in the restricted space for extended structures to come. The topography presented the team with tight spaces and tricky heights: approx- imately 10 m x 10 m, on a 12 m slope of more than 45 degrees. Getting big machines into that space for the excavations was a chal- lenge and the stability of the embankment was always a concern. As the Opera House is a heritage site, strict regulations were applied to the design and construction work, and the architect received official sign-off before work began. As there was not sufficient leg-room for theatregoers in the suspended Gallery, it was decided to increase the size of each step but reduce the number of rows.

It addition, it was discovered that the existing timber work needed to be replaced – the timber was split and over 100 years old, and certainly did not meet SANS require- ments. New timber supports were designed and the original steel trusses retained. Retaining and protecting as much of the original finish as possible – from pressed ceilings and tiles to ornate fretwork – was critical to the project, because of its heritage value. All of these elements were never envis- aged at tender stage, and there were many variances to the original plan as the project progressed, so to keep within budget and time was certainly another large challenge that the AfriCoast team has overcome. The labour load was increased by as much as three times in order to stay on track. The size of this upstairs theatre area needed to be increased – however, the rock face is so close to the building that there was simply no room for traditional extension supports. Instead, innovative and modern- looking suspended clip-on boxes were designed to provide additional room. The heavy steel support columns, though, were found to be in the way of the new fire escape, so they had to be shifted around until they were no longer an obstruc- tion. Now in place, they offer a chunky, industrial aesthetic appeal that is in pleasing contrast to the ornate Victorian character of the original building.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD DECEMBER 2015