Corestruc, a leading South African precast-concrete specialist, continues to work alongside many emerging contractors on its reservoir construction projects, demonstrating that its unique precast-concrete systems complement labour-based construction methods.

One of the small, medium and micro enterprises with which the company is currently working is Pamsensive Projects, a black women- and male-owned contractor that was appointed to undertake parts of the in-situ concrete work on a new 30ML reservoir that is being built in Selcourt in Springs.

The company was introduced to Corestruc by Selby Construction, the principal contractor on this Water and Sanitation Department of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality project that will bolster water supply in a rapidly expanding area of Gauteng. Corestruc is manufacturing and installing the reservoir roof and wall on behalf of Selby Construction as a specialist sub-contractor.

Pamsensive Projects’ scope of works included the accurate construction of the concrete bases for the precast-concrete columns that support the modular roof structure, and the company is now working on the ring-beam upon which the various prefabricated concrete wall panels will be placed.

Gift Mohwaduba Moroe, a Director of Pamsensive Projects, says that the construction of both the concrete column bases and the ring-beam are extremely precise undertakings.

“The various precast-concrete elements were manufactured during the earthworks and construction of the concrete bases and ring-beam to fast-track the project. Once our work is completed, Corestruc immediately dispatches components of the reservoir system to site for installation. Impressively, it maintained tolerances of 20mm at height when erecting the inside portion of the roof of the structure. There is less

scope for error in the construction of the wall where this specialist contractor must achieve tolerances of as little as 5mm. The holes at the bottom of the wall panels must perfectly align with the bolts grouted into the ring beam. At the same time, the steel plates at the top of each wall panel have to line up with the voids in the adjacent slabs and those that traverse the full width of the panels through which the post-tensioning strands are threaded,” Mohwaduba Moroe says.

Tango’s Consultants, the design engineer and the firm of consulting engineers that has been appointed to supervise the construction works, specified Corestruc’s precast-concrete system for the construction of two reservoir projects in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality areas to significantly accelerate the construction programmes and to ensure a high-quality final structure.

To eliminate errors, the Pamsensive Projects team, which comprises about five people who were employed from the local community, maintains constant contact with Corestruc’s factory, the heart of the operation where the precast-concrete elements are being manufactured. It has also received training from the principal contractor and Corestruc as part of the socio-economic targets on this Expanded Public Works Programme project.

A further seven people will be employed from the surrounding community by Pamsensive Projects when it starts constructing the in-situ concrete floor slab, while Corestruc completes the installation of the wall panels and precast-concrete buttresses that reinforce the structure.

The precast-concrete specialist will then commence with the post-tensioning of the wall and finalising the outer portion of the roof to complete the project.

Willie de Jager, Managing Director of Corestruc, says that he remains impressed by the high-quality workmanship of the Pamsensive Projects team.

“The company has an impressive portfolio of completed projects and has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to its clients and other members of professional team on this contract. We look forward to successfully completing this project with the company by the end of this year,” De Jager says.