Construction World September 2022

PROJECTS

R16BN HARBOUR ARCH MEGA-DEVELOPMENT REACHES HIGHEST POINT The first of six towers at Cape Town’s largest and most ambitious new mixed-use precinct has “topped out” on the 23 rd floor, 95 metres above ground, just 30 months after breaking ground in January 2020. “R eaching the highest point of Tower 1 at Harbour Arch represents a significant milestone in our construction

150 km of joint sealant, and 13 301 panes of glass have been used in the construction of Tower 1. It has also taken around 3 million man hours to get this far, with tens of thousands of people - including unskilled laborers, builders, tradesmen, technicians, engineers, and architects - working together, day and night, to bring this iconic landmark to fruition. Harbour Arch Tower 1 comprises double-volume glass fronted retail space at ground level – earmarked for exclusive motor dealerships and coffee shops – and further retail space on the eighth-floor which will house restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating; 1 188 parking bays across three basement and seven above-ground levels; and 560 residential apartments -82 inclusionary rental units, 158 studio apartments, 203 one-bedroom apartments, 58 two bedroom apartments and 59 three-bedroom apartments. There is also an open-air sundeck and swimming pool on the 18 th floor, offering 360 degree mountain and harbour views. “A multi-billion Rand project of this magnitude requires the technical skill, expertise, and dedication of a highly specialized multi-disciplinary team,” confirmed Stopforth. “The professional team has proven to be up for the task, while WBHO was an automatic first choice, having

journey,” said Nicholas Stopforth, Managing Director of Amdec Property Developments. “Despite an unforeseen delay following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, work has advanced at pace and is on schedule for completion in May next year. Main contractor, WBHO, had to endure several significant structural-engineering challenges, not least of which was the deep ground-rock drilling and excavation required for the precinct’s 3- level super-basement, 11 metres below ground,” shares Dale Blanchard, Contracts Director at WBHO. “Working within a restricted space and access, 65 000 cubic metres of earth and 5 000 cubic metres of rock had to be removed during the excavation process.” “The wind also played havoc with our construction programme, particularly the higher up we went,'' he said. “In one of the windiest years in Cape Town’s history, we’re thrilled that the team was still able to top out a structure of this enormity on time.” With just under a year to go till completion, 50 000 m 3 of concrete, 6 million bricks, 4 500 tons of steel reinforcement,

34 CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2022