CMA AWARDS FOR
EXCELLENCE 2016
The results of the CMA Awards for Excellence competition, announced at
a gala dinner function in Johannesburg on April 23, suggest that advances
in precast concrete technology were significant influencers in this year’s
judging process.
T
he judges had no hesitation in awarding the concrete cladding of No. 1 Silo
at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront the Aesthetics Commercial Trophy. Besides
its striking visual appeal, which showcases the beauty of precast concrete
construction at its best, the project also involved high levels of skilled
precast concrete engineering.
Similarly, the judges were unequivocal in nominating the Gouda Wind Farm
concrete tower project for the Technical Excellence Trophy, which again
reflects substantial levels of technical engineering input. It is a project with
a pronounced innovative bias, being the first time that a South African
wind farm used precast concrete segments in the construction of its towers, which in
this instance were 100m high. Not surprisingly, the project was also entered into the
Innovation category where it prevailed as a Commendation Winner.
Entries closed on October 16th last year and the judging took place on November 23 at
the Johannesburg offices of PPC Cement, the main sponsor of this year’s event. The five
judges, all leading professionals in the field of construction, comprised:
• Landscape architect and director of Arla Consulting, Antoinette de Beer
• Architect and media manager of Paragon Architects, Hugh Fraser
• Civil engineer and president of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering
(SAICE), Malcolm Pautz
• Civil engineer and a director of Nyeleti Consulting, Abe Thela
• Quantity surveyor and managing director of Bert van der Heever Bourekenaars Ingelyf,
Bert van der Heever.
Interest in this year’s completion was far greater than in 2012 when the CMA was
celebrating its 40th anniversary. This was borne out by the number of entries which
spiked from 77 in 2012 to 117. As anticipated, Aesthetics Commercial was the dominant
category, attracting an impressive 47 projects. Submission numbers in the other
categories were as follows: Aesthetics Residential 12; Community Upliftment nine;
Technical Excellence 26; Innovation 15; and there were eight entries in the Precast for
Life category. Some projects were entered in two or more categories, the Gouda Wind
Farm being one example.
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