Technical expertise, extensive experience and the accumulation of intellectual property have contributed to the development of the Sandton Central Business District (CBD). Esorfranki Geotechnical is a major player in the provision of geotechnical solutions for decades of development in the area. With the urban decay in downtown Johannesburg, companies started moving their operations into Sandton in the early 1970s. The iconic Sandton City was one of the first major developments in the area and was quickly followed by other landmark developments. Esorfranki’s entry into Sandton began ten years prior to this with the installation of 53 hand augered piles of approximately 4’6” in length for a private residence. Mike Taitz, divisional director at Esorfranki Geotechnical, explains that Sandton has a challenging geotechnical structure and through a multitude of subsequent projects, the company has developed a number of solutions to counter these challenges and make developments economically viable.

“Underlying the Sandton area is highly undulating bedrock granite with residual granite above. As a result of irregular weathering patterns in this granite, the level of rock is not constant. In addition, the area is punctuated by numerous diabase dykes typified by the formation of large boulders and hard rock spheroids. During a development in Alice Lane fairly recently, we encountered super-hard 300 MPA rock that called for even more rigidly controlled blasting than usual,” Taitz says. As Sandton City expanded between 1990 and 1992, Esorfranki Geotechnical returned to site to undertake blasting, excavating, lateral support and underpinning, to create a new cinema complex beneath this shopping centre. Another prominent project during the 1990s was the Nedbank Group headquarters development that spanned an area from Maude to Fredman Drive.

Other notable projects completed by the company include the Hilton Hotel, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Deutsche Bank, Sandown Village, phases of Investec headquarters, Discovery headquarters, Sandton Square, various international embassies, the Rand Merchant Bank headquarters, and the Michelangelo Towers —the tallest building in Sandton. More recently, Esorfranki Geotechnical has been contracted to provide geotechnical services on projects that include the Sandton Gautrain Station, the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, Alexander Forbes headquarters, the Ernst & Young headquarters, Phases 1 and 2 of the Standard Bank development in Alice Lane, Morningside Clinic and numerous apartments and office buildings along Grayston Drive.

“We’re currently providing geotechnical services on the development of the new Sasol headquarters, the new Webber Wentzel headquarters and a development opposite the Benmore Shopping Centre,” says Taitz. “At the same time we’re involved in an ongoing tender process as development in the Sandton CBD continues unabated, with existing older properties giving way to major developments.” “A key element in ensuring that we manage the critical path constraints without compromising on technical, safety and quality issues is the interface with the earthworks contractor. In this regard we have forged relationships with a few preferred contractors who understand the complexities of a restricted basement dig compared with general earthworks,” Taitz says. “We are able to capitalise on the hard-won technical information we have gained on numerous projects to optimise designs and reduce costs. This expertise has resulted in the acquisition of a multitude of geotechnical contracts in the area,” Taitz concludes.