construction phase . The process allowed for early problem identification and resolution of items such as waterproofing at junctures where wind girders penetrate the façade to be supported by internal reinforced concrete columns and appreciating the tight tolerances of façade construction vs . the primary structural elements .
Vehicular and Service Passage Underpasses What made these underpasses unique and particularly challenging was the amount and type of services needing to remain live and passed below during construction , mated with an excavation that was well below sea level in cohesionless soil along the Foreshore . Some of the more critical services needing to be crossed below were 13No . of 132kV cables providing power to Sea Point , Camps Bay and portion of the CBD as well a vast amount of optic fibre cables connecting the same areas to telecoms .
There was also the Heerengracht canal , a 15m wide concrete canal running below ground discharging stormwater into the ocean . The canals runs all year round and is influenced by the tide . With an invert of 0m the water level is typically sitting anywhere between 30 and 150cm within the canal . An in-house innovative design solution was developed by using jet-grouting to create lateral support walls to retain the soils during construction and supporting the canal . Steel tubes were placed in strategic positions between the services to allow the jet nozzle to pass safely between the services and create walls within the insitu material below them . In the case of the concrete canal the tubes were dropped through cored openings and were not only used during the jet-grouting phase but also for the casting of the new tunnel roof slab where self-compacting concrete was passed through and acting as vents for air to escape during pouring .
The CTICC 2 is a much awaited addition to the phenomenally successful original conference centre that has put Cape Town on the map with regards the hosting of world class conferences .
CTICC 2 63