Construction World December 2021

BUILDING CONTRACTORS

JUBILEE HOSPITAL O ne of the fastest hospitals built to date in South Africa is the 300 bed

brick and mortar construction been employed. Services such as electrics, gas and plumbing are located in the internal drywall system, facilitating a clean interior wall with improved infection control. Super flat floors were selected for the facility enabling the rapid application of vinyl, speeding up the finishing process. This meant highly accurate transverse and longitudinal tolerances had to be achieved when pouring the readymix using specialised plant and equipment. Concor demonstrated its than 230 local unskilled and skilled individuals from Hammanskraal in accordance with the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The company facilitated additional training for this local labour force, and these individuals received certification trades such as electrical works, plumbing and painting. A modular approach was used in Concor ’s construction plan, with units completed and put into operation while others were still being constructed. This allowed clusters to be completed from mid-October 2020, with only commissioning needing to be conducted. The design brief, appl ied by Osmond Lange Architects & Planners, commitment to socio-economic development, employing more

nurse’s station, sluice and ablutions with central utility areas for offices, storage and waiting areas. Selecting alternative building technology enabled Concor to speed up construction without compromising the standards demanded by a world class medical facility, and to meet the extremely fast track nature of the project. The Light Steel Frame (LSF) construction methodology delivered a 50% time saving compared to traditional building methods, and was implemented using less labour and associated costs than brick and mortar construction. The low mass walls eliminated the need for heavy masonry foundations, allowing further savings. This also reduced transportation costs with pre-manufactured LSF sections transported to site for assembly. A specialist on-site team made up the frames, facilitating closer control over sequencing and pace of the construction operation. Panels were installed between steel sections and bolted into place. The intrinsic dimensional accuracy of the system allowed frames and trusses to be erected rapidly, significantly reducing human error and need to rework. The fast-paced erection created the opportunity to install services much earlier than would have been feasible had conventional

COVID-19 facility at the Jubilee Hospital site north of Pretoria in Hammanskraal. This turnkey project set a benchmark in what can be done and one from which others will learn. The fast track process began with an urgent Request for Proposal (RFP) from the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) on 6 May 2020, requiring proposals to be submitted by 15 May 2020. This gave contractors just 11 calendar days in which to plan their respective solutions. Leveraging its in-house capabilities and expertise – combined with close collaboration with consultants – Concor proposed an innovative solution using alternative building technology which would meet the demanding project timeline. Just five months after work began on 27 November 2020, Concor handed the facility over to the Gauteng Department of Health. The facility comprises 10 modular units containing 300 beds with related facilities for COVID-19 patients. Five modules are designed as 25 bed intensive care units (ICU) and include a two-bed isolation ward. The other five modules are 35 bed high care units (HCU). The ICU and HCU modules each have two separate wings with a central

26 20 th Best Project Awards 2021