Two great developments …
… two great geotechnical solutions
Two new buildings - the SASOL head office in Sandton and the Ballito Junction Mall in KZN - have
certainly caught the imagination of both professionals and the public alike.
M
agnificent designs, both prac-
tically and aesthetically - and
great buildings require great
geotechnical solutions. To this end, Franki
Africa, the leading geotechnical solu-
tions provider in South Africa, developed
technically robust and cost-effective
solutions for both buildings.
SASOL
“This was not just another building,” says
Franki Africa’s Paulo Alves of the SASOL
premises. “It has a massive footprint of
about 6,500m² and is 67,000m² in total.”
“Our main challenge on this job was
to excavate the 170,000m³ - of which
100,000m³ was decomposed granite
rock - to a depth ranging between 14m and
18m and still complete the job in seven
months, which is extremely tight from a
time perspective” Alves says.
Alves adds that this was a two-phase
contract, which meant that Franki Africa did
not have immediate access to the entire
site. “It is fairly difficult to work under
partial-access circumstances, which were
exacerbated by the fact that there were
also five large buildings on the site that
had to be demolished. We had to work
while the demolition was taking place and
on only half the site at a time.” Alves says.
But ultimately this project went off
very smoothly starting with the fact
Final touches being applied to the Sasol project
90
that the original soil investigations were,
according to Alves, pretty accurate. “There
were no surprises,” he said.
T he scope of works included :
170,000m³ excavation; 6,600m² of lateral
support; 169 (no) 600-diameter soldier
piles, 550 strand anchors, 400 rock-bolts
and a 6,600m² gunite face area. It also
included ±85 (no) structural piles and
the diversion of existing storm-water and
sewerage lines that ran through the site.
Ballito Junction Mall
This contract was on the 5,000m² exten-
sion to the existing mall and one of the
challenges was on a very fast-track
programme to meet the handover dates
demanded by the prospective new tenants.
Franki was appointed for the piling
works directly by Ballito Junction Mall
developers, Menlyn Maine and Flanagan
& Gerard consortium, in January 2015.
Franki’s scope of work comprised
±1,650 foundation piles made up mostly of
520mm and 610mm diameter Zwidi DCIS
piles, and 4,600m² of anchored CFA piles
for the lateral support – all to be completed
within 6 months!
The lateral support works entailed
retained heights of up to 14m with nearly
600 anchors in four rows up to 23m long to
support the heavily trafficked Ballito Drive.
The variable sands – some dangerously
The Ballito Junction Mall sprouts from the
ground close behind Franki’s piling works
collapsible – meant that excavation had to
be carefully controlled. The added burden
of dealing with storm water runoff from the
adjacent parking area and road increased
risk and lead to flooding and difficult
working conditions.
Staged access for the foundation piling
was required with critical areas being
those where key clients had requested
early access. The main contractor for the
building works, WBHO, followed closely
behind piling works meaning detailed
planning and co-ordination of the works
was essential.
Franki’s work was on the critical
path and handover of the various
zones was achieved on time, with zero
lost time due to injury. All the clients’
stringent specifications were met laying
the foundation for a successful new
development for Franki’s client.
Franki Africa, part of the Keller group
(the largest independent geotechnical
solutions provider in the world) is the
largest, oldest and most established
specialist geotechnical contractor in
Sub -Saharan Africa. Franki offers a
comprehensive range of services which
ensures that its customers benefit from
the most cost-effective solutions. Franki
operates in sub-Saharan Africa and the
Indian Ocean Islands and, together with
Keller, has the experience, capability and
capacity to undertake projects of all sizes.
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