Unisa building entered in Steel Awards

12th July 2013

  

Font size: - +

The extension project at the existing University of South Africa (Unisa) Cape Town Campus, situated in Parow, displays the power of local ingenuity for an institution that ranks among the greatest of its kind in the world and is one of several good entries in this year’s Steel Awards, says Southern African Institute of Steel Construction education director Spencer Erling.

“I am continually amazed at how the standard of entries improves each year. Considering the history of high-level work that has been entered in the Steel Awards over the years, it is most encouraging that the bar is raised so consistently,” he says, noting that this year’s Steel Awards theme is Proudly South African.

Erling adds that the work at the Unisa Cape Town Campus is an example of this ongoing quality and creativity in local structural steel design and construction.

Located in a light industrial urban context, the previous Unisa facilities consist of a combination of new educational and converted industrial buildings.

The increase in student numbers in the recent past and the subsequent burden on facilities compelled Unisa to rent nearby factory space, resulting in a sprawling and disparate campus.

In response to this, a decision was made to assimilate all these facilities back into the main campus by constructing a significant extension to the existing building.
The design brief included the construction of additional administrative space, classrooms and examination halls, as well as the creation of social spaces where the distance-learning students could interact with one another and sample campus life which, thus far, had not been possible.
The architects were tasked with designing a building that was environmentally responsible. “This meant that energy conservation, material selection, natural lighting and ventilation and the conservation and recycling of natural resources consistently informed every aspect of the building from inception to detail resolution,” says architectural practice Michele Sandilands Architects owner Michele Sandilands.

T

he Use of Steel
Owing to the need to build as quickly as possible and with as little disruption to the existing campus life as possible, a steel frame was, according to the project team, the “optimum way to go”.

“Steel framing and the use of the creative Cobiax system enabled flexible, unbroken and highly adaptable teaching spaces. The combined use of the steel frame and the Cobiax slab enabled the steel to span even further, with uninterrupted spans of 10 m × 20 m, which could be demarcated into teaching spaces and examination halls with ease.

“The Cobiax slab also had a 35% reduced weight, compared with a standard flat slab and, therefore, significantly decreased the number of columns required,” says the project team.


Further, the entire building is designed for adaptation. All the cross-walls are dry walls so that they can be positioned in different combinations, enabling the creation of smaller or larger spaces. Every module also has dry-jointed door openings with lintels in place to enable an instantaneous knock-out when required.

The architects wanted a building system that, in its simplest form, was devoid of “artificial ornamentation” and would still provide key articulation elements and rhythm to the façade.

“This desire for an honest and clear building system was well met using steel.

“Important, too, was the way in which the building related to its semi-industrial environment adjacent to the major railway line. “The use of steel framing and detailing was well executed and tied the building back to its surrounding environment with ease,” notes the project team.

Steel Awards 2013 is being held simultaneously in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban on September 19.

The main event sponsor is steel product supplier Aveng Trident Steel, while other sponsors include steel merchant Macsteel, building image model- ling tools supplier Cadex SA, the Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of South Africa and steel and engineering products supplier Stewarts & Lloyds.

Partner sponsors include steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa, structural engineering company B&T Steel, access machinery and equipment sup- plier Eazi Sales & Service and diversified engineering company Genrec Engineering.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION