African project
Buscor Bus Terminus – South Africa
covered walkways looking down onto the bus platforms with large overhangs which
allows cool fresh air to pass through freely. The facility is equipped with a back-up
diesel generator plant and a 200 000 litre water reservoir, allowing the facility to
function uninterruptedly during power and water outages. The water reservoir was
also a necessity with regards to fire safety as the water pressure in the fire hydrants
in White River area was not sufficient for the scale of the project. With South Africa’s
water scarcity in mind, the valet facility was designed with a water recycling and
oil separator plant, promoting the reuse of water for vehicle washing with minimal
wastage. A two lane diesel filling station formed part of the project envelope which
allows for a 70 000 litre underground fuel storage.
Challenges on the project included the natural slope of the site and a large portion
highlighted as protected wetland area. As passenger safety played a major role in
the design, the entire site had to be graded and re-levelled in order to achieve slopes
suitable for loading passengers, general bus manoeuvrability and parking.
Key materials utilised in this project include a mixture between off-shutter concrete,
red face brick, steel and aluminium. All building materials were sourced within a
close proximity of the site in order to minimize the embodied energy of the
development.
THE CONTRACTOR
Click plans to enlarge
The professional team of Breet Construction applied their years of experience and expertise
on the Buscor Bus Terminus project by identifying with the brilliant design which the architect
wished to portray – the ultimate success of the project was an accolade to both the architect
and the contractor and it was enormously satisfying to hand over a project of this volume to
the complete requirements of the client.
The contract in its entirety was a challenge due to the fact that the contract period was limited
by time constraints, but eventually the contract was completed to the satisfaction of all
concerned.
Breet Construction is one of the leading privately owned Construction companies in
Mpumalanga. The Company has an annual turnover in excess of R200 Million. Breet
Construction employs 200 permanent staff members and has the capability to deliver a wide
range of complex projects to a very diverse market. Breet Construction started as a family
owned Maintenance and Civil Construction Company in 1985 and was located at Sappi
Ngodwana for 20 years under the name Master Civil Contractors. All operations at Sappi
Ngodwana were terminated in April 2004. Breet Construction entered the construction sector
in Nelspruit in 2005 where the demand for complex projects started to escalate. They are
currently involved in the 340 million rand extension of Ilanga Mall, Nelspruit as well as the
new Riverside Boutique Hotel due to open in July 2016.
18 africandesignmagazine.com