Construction World December 2022

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: ADA Consulting Engineers • Client: The Kliptown Youth Programme • Architect & Principal Agent: Roger Davies Architects • Quantity Surveyors: JS & Associates Quantity Surveyors • Structural & Civil Engineers: ADA Consulting Engineers & Mironox Consulting Engineering Services • Contractor: ENZA Construction

THE KLIPTOWN YOUTH PROGRAMME

K l iptown’s Youth Programme’s (KYP) mi ss ion s ince thei r humble beginnings in 2007 has been to provide opportuni t ies that wi l l enable young people to ri se out of poverty. They seek to develop young and dynamic individuals who are wi l l ing to contribute ef fect ively for the betterment of thei r communi ty. KYP’s tutoring, athlet ic, and arts programs provide a l i fe to the chi ldren of Kl iptown not defined by sur vival , but by thei r abi l i ty to be act ive communi ty members , to have dreams , and most of al l , to have hope for thei r futures . ADA Consul t ing Engineers in a joint venture wi th Mi ronox Consul t ing Engineering Ser vices were appointed to provide the civi l and structural engineering ser vices for thi s ground-breaking social inf rastructure project . The s i te i s s i tuated in Kl iptown, Soweto, i s surrounded by informal dwel l ing structures bui l t right up to and against the boundar y wal ls . The property i s narrow and long and has the lower boundar y onto a wet land. These ci rcumstances al l provided some unique chal lenges . The archi tectural des ign demanded a fi rst world faci l i ty which, cons idering i ts place, requi red construct ion solut ions enabl ing employment opportuni t ies f rom the local communi ty. The unusual combinat ion of high speci ficat ion structural steel fabricat ion and labour intens ive construct ion methods were employed. The archi tectural spacial des ign requi red the primar y learning block to have a tui t ion class rooms on the perimeter around a central large double volume but weatherproof communal space. The solut ion to thi s main bui lding was a central double volume structural steel structure which was fabricated, transported to s i te and erected fi rst . Thi s structure once erected immediately s impl i fied the construct ion in providing the l ine and level for the

more labour intens ive masonr y construct ion of the surrounding classrooms . These surrounding classrooms were double storey bui l t f rom load bearing masonr y wal ls and in-s i tu reinforced concrete slabs al l requi ring substant ial labour in thei r construct ion. These classroom structures were in turn rel ied upon to brace the central steel structure thereby reducing the steel member s i zes and opt imi z ing i ts cost . Thi s symbiot ic relat ionship between the di f ferent structure types embodies the relat ionship between the Kl iptown Youth Programme and the surrounding communi ty which i t ser ves . Kl iptown in Soweto, has 44 000 res idents of which 3 out of 4 adul ts are unemployed, the communi ty struggles wi th a high number of teenage pregnancies ; HIV/AIDS; substance abuse and food insecuri ty. Thei r underper forming schools are overcrowded wi th one teacher for 40 to 50 students . The Kl iptown Youth Programme was establ i shed in 2007 by a group of individuals in the Kl iptown communi ty, wi th the view to upl i f t the chi ldren and youth in the communi ty by providing a faci l i ty that focusses on improving educat ion. The s i te of the exi st ing faci l i ty l ies on the southern s ide of the Kl iprivier in Soweto. The programme has been so successful , that KYP was now in a pos i t ion to completely revamp the old faci l i ty by demol i shing the ent i re campus and bui lding new opt imi sed spaces to carr y out the requi red funct ions to the 500+ members of the communi ty that they now ser ve. The new faci l i ty has a hal l , 20 classrooms , a l ibrar y, computer laborator y, admini strat ion block , an Astro tur f playing field as wel l as a complete revamp and re structuring of the exi st ing bui ldings . As i t i s the role of the KYP to ser ve the communi ty, the project provided work opportuni t ies for the local communi ty. 

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21 st Best Project Awards 2022