Construction World January 2019

CREATING JOBS THROUGH ROAD CONSTRUCTION The Msikaba North haul road is nearing completion after early delays necessitated by relocation of families and graves. Irvin Khoza, assistant resident engineer on the project says the road is being built to help transport material for the building of the N2 Msikaba bridge.

Emmanuel Sisanda’s company First Building Construction has helped to create much needed jobs in the Msikaba area.

T he estimated value for the project is R29-million (ex VAT), 30% of which has been allocated to SMMEs. There are no joint ventures appointed on the project which started in October 2016. “This is the first phase of the project. The second phase will be the actual N2 that’s going to be running across next to what we have now which is the haul road,” says Khoza. The road features a 140 mm depth of concrete pavement. “With this concrete pavement you’ve got panels that are different. You’ve got what we call anchor panels. With these panels in this area I would say instead of having your normal C4, you’d have that as a trench that’s been opened, so the concrete can go deeper. This is so it can be that anchor for the road so that it can hold on to the other to bond with the road itself. Underneath you’ve got mesh steel reinforcement. We’ve also installed guardrails for safety purposes,” Khoza explains the specifics of the road. The end of the first phase completed at the end of March 2018. He says they have managed to work hand in hand with the local SMMEs and offer them guidance on how to help their businesses to succeed. What products did you supply for the construction of the Komatsu Campus? Alchimica Building Chemicals supplied the products for the flat concrete roof and the balconies at the Campus. Hyperdesmo was used on the UV exposed roof. The area for old oil storage was done with our chemical resistant top coat Hyperdesmo ADYE. How much of this product did you supply? The flat roof is 1 000 m 2 and the balconies were just over 500 m 2 and Dilatation joints and inner angles were treated with HYPERSEAL- EXPERT-150 Did you assist with the application? We are not applicators just the suppliers, an approved applicator did the installation with our technical team doing quality control throughout the duration of the project. What are the benefits of the products that you supplied? The Hyperdesmo Flat roof system is a seamless liquid applied system that is UV stable, trafficable and easy to apply around existing structures.

Emmanuel Sisanda’s company First Building Construction has helped to create much needed jobs in the Msikaba area where they are contracted to help build a haul road for the construction of the N2 highway. Before being contracted on the project, he worked in the construction sector building schools and other public amenities. He was sub-contracted on the Msikaba North haul road project by Grinaker. The company’s responsibility includes building a concrete pavement and steel fixing. They also supply the concrete used on the project. “On this project I have 17 labourers drawn from the local community,” says Sisanda. “There is a lot that we are looking forward to. We have always wanted to be a growing company. Working for SANRAL is a good opportunity for getting exposure and people will know about us through the work we do here. “We would like to say thank you to SANRAL for what you are doing for us because even as individuals we are benefitting from this project. The community is also benefitting from this so, thank you SANRAL,” he says.  Why were the products specified? The fact that Hyperdesmo is maintenance free, is a big incentive to building owners. The system is attractive on appearance and the surface is trafficable, ideal for maintenance areas where there are aircon units and solar panels. What were the challenges for supplying product to the Komatsu Campus? During construction of any building all the trades are trying to get their job done quickly. In an ideal situation, as applicators it would be ideal to have an area which is not being worked on by any other contractors. Why would a client choose one of your products over a competitor’s product? Hyperdesmo flat roof system is a maintenance free system with a 10-year guarantee and a life expectancy of 25 years. The products have been used worldwide for over 35 years with great success. The cost of ownership is cheaper than conventional double layer waterproofing systems which need a bi-annual maintenance contract. 

Waterproofing INDUSTRIAL HUB Polymers Waterproofing South Africa was involved in the waterproofing of the Komatsu Campus, a new industrial hub that was built at a cost of R985-million in Germiston, east of Johannesburg. The 300 000 m 2 development is one of the largest industrial campuses in South Africa.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JANUARY 2019