The extensions, which were undertaken in joint venture with Sivukile Contractors, include the lavish new theatre where the much touted stage production of The Lion King will open to the public tomorrow (June 6). Boasting a seating capacity of 1 900, the “Montecasino Teatro”, as it has been named, represents a truly outstanding achievement in engineering and construction, comments Grinaker-LTA Building managing director Neil Cloete.

“It is the largest theatre in the southern hemisphere, and sets new South African standards in world-class entertainment facilities. One of the most exceptional elements in the construction of the theatre is the massive transverse beam supporting the semi-circular mezzanine level. Spanning the entire 31.4 metres across the auditorium, this beam not only supports its own weight but also the dead weight of the terraced upper gallery and the live weight of 800 people.

“The theatre’s structural steel truss roof weighs 60 kg per square metre, and is designed to keep noise - such as aeroplanes and Highveld thunder - out of the theatre. The building is supported by piled foundations and has a concrete frame and cavity brick walling, for acoustic purposes among others,” Cloete notes.

Some 4 million bricks were used in the extensions at Montecasino, together with 25 000 m³ of concrete and 2 000 tons of reinforcing steel.

A new four-storey, 179-room hotel has also been added to the development, as well as a new parkade comprising 994 parking bays, a conference centre and outside entertainment area. The latter is the rugby field-sized Montecasino Piazza, which is modelled on an Italian gathering place. “It is surrounded by buildings and features a bell tower as its focal point. It opens Montecasino out into Gauteng's magnificent climate and is designed to be the ideal venue for a wide variety of outdoor activities and events. Restaurants and the hotel line the Piazza.”

The Montecasino development has been extended by a total of 42 000 m2. All the additions match the design of the original Montecasino complex, with its aged look that represents the prevailing architecture in the historic Tuscan village of Monte.

The challenges faced by the contractor during this project included redirecting a spruit that flowed through the development site. “The project team also faced the additional challenge of contending with an above average rainfall at this time,” Cloete says. “The spruit was finally diverted along the eastern and northern borders through a storm water culvert set in a deep trench. A manmade wetland waterway was constructed above the culvert to provide a neat, attractive solution.”

In addition to trials posed by Mother Nature, Grinaker-LTA also rose above other challenges at Montecasino. One of these was the specification that this project should not interrupt the 24-hour access to the VIP parking area beneath the casino, the entrance of which is located on the east side of the existing complex - precisely where all the construction took place. “The only solution was to continually move the access road in and around the construction site as work progressed.  With clever planning, this was successfully accomplished.

“This project was a rewarding follow-up to Grinaker-LTA’s completion of the original Montecasino complex in 2000,” concludes Cloete.

Nedbank Corporate Property Finance is pleased to announce that Brian Roberts has been appointed as divisional director of the Gauteng region of Nedbank Corporate Property Finance with immediate effect

New train system could be extended to other congested areas of Joburg and beyond

A 5ha development stand in Honeydew was sold and confirmed for R30m, the highest price received at the Auction Alliance multi-property auction last Wednesday, when nine properties came under the hammer.

Construction of a R662 million prison outside Kimberley, one of seven new jails, was well underway, the construction company said on Wednesday.

The medium security facility would accommodate about 3,000 men and was due for completion in November 2008, said contractor Grinaker-LTA, part of the JSE-listed Aveng Group.

Three of the other prisons, announced in 2002, would be built in Leeuwkop, Johannesburg, Nigel on Gauteng's West Rand and Klerksdorp in the North West.

Chairman of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services Dennis Bloem said the seven new prisons were designed to make rehabilitation of offenders easier by housing fewer people, about 10 to 15, in sections.

At present there were communal cells designed for 30 that housed up to 119 prisoners.

"By overcrowding you are brewing more criminals than rehabilitating them. You can't manage so many people in one cell. The smaller the group, the better for the social worker, for the psychologist, for the teacher and prison officials."

According to the University of London's International Centre for Prison Studies, South Africa had 160,198 prisoners by the end of 2006, but could accommodate 115,344 prisoners - an occupancy level of 138.9 percent.

Bloem said what contributed to the overcrowding was the large number of awaiting-trial prisoners, about 50,000.

He said the committee would meet the correctional services department on May 22 to get a progress report on the new prisons.

Grinaker-LTA contracts manager Cyril Kitching said the Kimberley prison was designed around a 10m wide central thoroughfare with a control room at its centre.

Medical and education facilities, industrial workshops, a vocational training centre, multi-purpose hall, kitchen, laundry and segregation unit would be situated on either side of this avenue. Twelve accommodation blocks and three recreation centres would be situated behind these buildings, said Kitching.

The facilities would cover more than 41,574 square metres and would be reinforced concrete structures with brick walls. Roofs would be made of timber or structural steel with sheet metal covering.

Kitching said local labour would be used for the project and workers would participate in an HIV/Aids awareness programme.

Use grants or lose them, says official

Transport civil engineering com-pany Arup SA has been awarded a R150m contract to monitor work on the Gautrain project.

Gauteng residents are choosing where to live and work based on traffic congestion, but have admitted that they are unlikely to give up their vehicles even if public transport becomes more efficient, says a recent study.

The Gauteng executive had also approved, last week, the creation of a new not-for-profit enterprise, the Gautrain Management Agency, which would essentially manage government's overall risk exposure to the mega project.

Lanseria International Airport is set to undergo a R100-million face-lift as it prepares for an influx of foreign visitors ahead of the 2010 soccer World Cup