Construction World December 2016

Project information • Company entering: GVK-Siya Zama Construction • Client: Market Theatre • Start date: 2 November 2015 • End date: 31 August 2016 • Main contractor: GVK-Siya Zama Construction • Architect: KMH Architects

GVK Siya Zama was awarded the challenge to restore the Windybrow Heritage House in November 2015. The client’s requirements were simple: the heritage status of the house had to be respected and it had to be restored to its original splendour. The project posted numerous challenges: the building was in a state or disrepair and it had to be made structurallysound without compromising its heritage status. With the assistance of a heritage consultant, the project team proceeded set out to meet the brief while ensuring the integrity of the grand old lady. All materials used to add structural support were designed to be as true to the original design as possible. Time was taken to ensure that the new and old would meet in a genial amalgamation of technology and old world ingenuity. Timber features were restored to their original state using ‘old school’ methods of repair and restoration. This posed challenges and made for great debates on how the carpenters of old managed The Windybrow Theatre was originally a family home, built in 1896 by mining engineer Theodore Reunert. It has served as a nursing home and a cultural centre. Despite falling into disrepair, it was declared a national monument in 1996. WINDYBROW HERITAGE HOUSE RESTORATION

• Principal agent: Badat Developments • Project manager: Badat Developments • Quantity Surveyor: Thagalang • Consulting engineer: Bergstan SA

to create such intricate designs without current technology and timber products. Master carpenters were put through their paces to ensure all timber elements were restored as well as recreated to match the current to the last grain. Timber floors were restored by re-using existing planks and sourcing additional timber from the same era from timber merchants. Great care was taken to ensure that the flow of the floors was kept intact. Pressed metal ceilings were restored to their original splendour with the assistance of a local contractor who used the same metal presses that had been used in the 1900s – thus new panels were made using traditional methods. Innovation and technology was used to enhance heritage aspects of the building. An example of this is the wireless electrical lighting system which was introduced as a way to circumvent the fact that electrical cabling could not be chased into the old walls. The wireless network introduced endless possibilities which otherwise would have been limited in the heritage environment. GVK-Siya Zama regards this project as a heritage achievement and received thanks and praise from the heritage community and the client on handover in August 2016.

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2 16 BEST PR O JECTS

DECEMBER • 2016