South Africa and US-based nonprofit organisation Growing Up Africa (GUA) formed a collaboration in the building industry for the construction of a multipurpose education campus, the Devland Community Education Campus, in Soweto.

The building is primarily funded through pro bono professional services and in-kind sponsorships from national and international construction companies and suppliers to the construction industry.

“As part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility and investment, the South African division of global engineering consultancy SMEC has agreed to provide its professional services, as lead civil and structural design engineers, on a pro bono basis,” explains SMEC structural engineer Effort Mokoena.

He notes that SMEC started offering its services in September 2012 during the concept stages of the project and has been actively advising the architects on the civil and structural design requirements of the education facility building.

Bulk earthworks on site started in late September 2013 and were completed in January this year.

“We are currently constructing the superstructure, which includes construction of the foundations and raising the support columns for the concrete roof.

“GUA completed the site establishment work, which started in October 2013. Engineering and infrastructural company Group Five is working on the foundation work. Construction and engineering group Basil Read is contracted to do the bulk earthworks at the site, while construction company ProBuild has been contracted as the site surveyors and the company also set out the building location,” says Mokoena.

The multipurpose education campus covers about 2 000 m2 and will include a main auditorium, classrooms, a lecture hall, a management office, ablution areas and a cafeteria with a kitchen and dining area.

He notes that a major cement producer and supplier company indicated from the start of the project that it would like to be involved and is sponsoring a substantial amount of concrete. Owing to the project being driven by in-kind sponsorships, it was subsequently decided that the building would be designed to have a reinforced concrete roof.

“On a commercial project, the roof would be specified as being either concrete or steel, depending on the aesthetics the architects intend to achieve. However, for this project, we had to consider which materials would be sponsored before we could complete the design,” Mokoena explains.

The reinforced concrete roof includes built-in box gutters and downpipes built into the walls. The complete roof is designed to cantilever around the entire perimeter of the building by slab lengths varying between 1.5 m and 6 m.

“We intended to deliver the project at the end of this year, as the construction phase of the project was supposed to take eight to ten months. However, as the project relies entirely on in-kind sponsorships for the construction of the building and all materials needed, we expect to complete the project next year,” Mokoena explains.

He adds that, because the building has a concrete frame and roof, the main materials needed are reinforcing steel, formwork, scaffolding and concrete. “We need 1 661 m3 to complete the project and we have cast just more than 50 m3 of concrete.”

He notes that the project is receiving in-kind sponsorship from various companies, including cement companies Lafarge, IDM Safika and insulation specialists Rigifoam.

A mobile concrete batching plant has also been established on site.

Mokoena notes that the building has a 6 m high, double-glazed glass façade, which is being sponsored by glass and aluminium fitters Govender’s Glass & Aluminium. He explains that double-glazed glass was selected to improve temperature control in the building and reduce the energy consumption of the building.

To further improve temperature control, the perimeter of the building will have an ecowall, which will essentially comprise more than 140 000 sand-filled bags stacked as infill. “Green building solutions provider African Olive Concepts, which has been involved in the project since 2012, designed the wall,” Mokoena highlights.

Several architectural firms also provided their services free of charge, such as New York-based William Reue Architects, for concept architecture; lead architects Boogertman & Partners; and project architect Mark Laburn Architects.

Electrical works are being sponsored by electrical engineering consultancy Spoormaker & Partners, while fire-protection services are being sponsored by surge protection solutions provider Pontins.

Quantity surveyors Norval Wentzel Steinberg are providing all quantity surveying services. The project is managed by Metrum Project Management.

South African steel company Aveng Steel will supply 99 t of structural steel elements and steel reinforcement, which will be cast into the concrete reinforcements.

Industrial services group Waco Africa’s divisions - Formscaff, Sanitech, SGB-Cape and Abacus Space Solutions - are supplying formwork, scaffolding, ablutions and site containers respectively.

The daily construction materials and consumables are being supplied by South African retail franchise Builders, brick manufacturer Heidelberg Clay Bricks & Sand and construction materials suppliers Gomes Sand and Drift Super Sand.

The construction plant is being sponsored by Group Five Construction, construction company Barrow Construction, industrial tools supplier EW Tools, and earthmoving equipment suppliers Barloworld Equipment Africa and Active Hire.

Sanitary and piping systems solutions provider Geberit and drainage solutions manufacturer Saint-Gobain Pipelines are providing the wet services materials. Waterproofing products manufacturer Penetron is providing the waterproofing materials.

Finishes will be sponsored by entrance systems manufacturer Assa Abloy, moveable walls manufacturer Hufcor and interior building solutions group Saint-Gobain Gyproc.