The construction of a new Magistrates’ Court in Palm Ridge, near Alberton, has been completed by contractor Liviero which has also been awarded a number of government department public works tenders of late

Hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup has come at a massive cost for South Africa, with some stadiums running over the initial budgets more than R1bn.

Neil Potgieter took the helm of Grinaker-LTA Building earlier this year, following the promotion of predecessor Neil Cloete to Group MD of Grinaker-LTA. Unveiling his first strategic plan for the division, Potgieter notes that Grinaker-LTA Building’s order book has changed in recent months from one dominated by private sector projects to one in which a substantial portion of work is coming from Government.  “In the past number of years, most of our work has traditionally been for private sector clients, on projects like office blocks, shopping centres and residential accommodation. Our current order book has changed - most notably in the Cape - to one in which a large chunk of our work is now being undertaken for Government.”

The division is busy with more than R1 billion of work at Cape Town International Airport, a state-of-the-art forensics facility planned to boost the country’s fight against crime, three 2010 soccer stadiums, a prison in Kimberley and a youth care centre for juvenile offenders in Bhisho.

Grinaker-LTA Building, in joint venture with Stocks Africa, is undertaking a R664-million contract to build a new integrated terminal, as well as a R375-million contract for the construction of a new multi-storey parkade, at Cape Town International Airport.
In Plattekloof, Cape Town, the division is currently busy with the construction of a new high-tech forensic facility that will enhance the SA Police Service’s fight against crime. This R359-million contract for the Department of Public Works is scheduled for completion in March 2010.

The construction of the new Kimberley medium security correctional centre is progressing well, and is on track for completion in February next year, Potgieter states. Grinaker-LTA Building is undertaking this R777-million contract in a joint venture with BEE company Keren Kula Construction. Situated on Griekwastad Road, 1 km outside Kimberley, this facility will provide accommodation for 3 000 adult male offenders.

Grinaker-LTA Building’s R230-million contract for the construction of the Department of Public Works’ new “Special Youth Care Centre” in the Eastern Cape capital of Bhisho is due for completion in May 2009. This facility is designed to accommodate 320 juvenile offenders.

The division’s work on 2010 stadiums includes the construction contract for the main event stadium, Soccer City in Soweto, the contract for the construction of the new Orlando Stadium in Soweto - which is due for completion next month (May 2008) – and the construction of Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Grinaker-LTA’s Soccer City and Nelson Mandela Stadium contracts are being undertaken in joint venture with Interbeton bv, part of the Royal BAM Group from Holland.

But while Government contracts have bolstered its order book, Grinaker-LTA Building is still keeping busy with private projects ranging from more than R1.5-billion of retail contracts and a striking new casino resort to luxury housing and golf courses in Mauritius.

The division’s retail projects include a R350-million contract to extend and refurbish the popular Eastgate shopping centre in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, and a R550-million contract – being undertaken in joint venture with ENZA Construction – to build a new 60 000 m2 shopping centre in Durban’s new Bridge City Precinct, which boarders Kwa-Mashu and Phoenix. Grinaker-LTA is also building two more new malls in Durban – the 35 000 m2 Westwood Shopping Centre in Westville and Philani Valley in Umlazi, and is wrapping up contracts to extend and refurbish Richards Bays’ Boardwalk Shopping Centre.

Near Krugersdorp (Mogale City), Grinaker-LTA Building is close to completing its R733-million contract for the construction of the Silverstar Casino Resort.

Rehm-Grinaker, the Mauritian construction company in which Grinaker-LTA is a shareholder, has an order book in the region of R600 million, Potgieter says. This includes work on several projects falling under the groundbreaking new Mauritian property ownership system, the ‘Integrated Resort Scheme’ (IRS), which is allowing foreigners to purchase property in Mauritius for the first time. Rehm-Grinaker’s contracts include an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Ernie Els at the Anahita resort. This development is set to be the largest and most extravagant IRS development on the East coast of Mauritius. It also aims to be one of the top five developments of its kind in the world in the next five years, amid tough competition from regions like Dubai.
 
With its growing workload, Grinaker-LTA Building has also doubled its people resources, and Potgieter says he currently has in excess of 4 700 people under his leadership. He has cited safety and skills development as strategic priorities going forward, and notes that the shortage of skills in the industry is a challenge. “Training is a critical focus area, and we have numerous learnerships, apprenticeships and bursary schemes in place to begin to address the current skills deficit. An in-house training centre is operating in KwaZulu-Natal and provides training in various construction disciplines such as carpentry and brick-laying.”

Potgieter believes one of the greatest challenges currently facing the building industry is the power outages. “The power crisis could cause significant delays and disruptions on new developments. In most cases, we have stand-by generators on our sites, to minimise downtime, but this is a concern.

“The upside, however, is the new business to be picked up in the construction of new power stations. As part of the multi-disciplinary Aveng Group, Grinaker-LTA Building is well-placed to capitalise on this,” he concludes.

The massive new Fairland office complex – a new landmark at the intersection of Gauteng’s Beyers Naude Drive and the N1 Western Bypass – is taking shape, and construction is on track for completion in early March 2008, building contractor Grinaker-LTA has announced. The firm is undertaking the R715-million construction contract for this 120 000 m2 development in a joint venture with Wilson Bayly Holmes Ovcon.

“The concrete structure and structural steel roofs are complete,” notes Grinaker-LTA Building managing director Neil Cloete. “"The brickwork is nearing completion, and the windows and glazed screens
are being installed. Construction of the unusually shaped fire stair pods - which are designed to display signage – is in progress.”

Inside the buildings the contractors are currently installing access flooring and ceilings. The finishing trades, such as tiling, have just started, Cloete adds.

”The roadworks for the paved parking areas and access roads has also started and we are trying to make as much progress as possible before the next rainy season,” he concludes.

This office complex is being developed by RMB Properties for tenants FNB Homeloans and Wesbank.

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.

The Silverstar Casino Resort will comprise three gaming venues – the main casino, smokers’ casino and a VIP casino.