Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - September 2017 | Page 42

CONSTRUCTION
Commercial
building solutions
Pipe joining systems save time and money
BY BARRY VAN JAARSVELD
T
he South African Property
Owners Association (SAPOA)
paints a rather bleak picture of
the current South African commercial
building sector in a recent quarterly
report, stating that the national office
vacancy rate is currently at its highest
in 12 years. This is not surprising, giv-
en the fact that business capital invest-
ment in our country remains negative
at -1.6%, which often prompts a selec-
tive approach to capital allocation. The
SAPOA report also indicates that office
vacancy rates could deteriorate further
before improving.
However, leasing opportunities still
do exist, with 23 of the country’s 53
office nodes reporting improved occu-
pancy rates during the first quarter. In
these nodes, quick, reliable solutions fo-
cused on reducing building maintenance
costs and the need for skilled labour are
crucial. In addition, for new commercial
developments, innovative technologies
that decrease construction times, limit
labour costs, and prove more versatile
will be particularly lucrative.
One such technology provides a
groundbreaking solution to construct-
ing and maintaining the piping systems
for heating, cooling, plumbing and fire
protection in commercial buildings.
Traditionally, flanges and welding have
been used for this purpose. However,
mechanical pipe joining systems are a
far more cost-effective, time-saving and
reliable alternative that last over the life-
time of the pipe system. a much greener building process, as in-
stallation does not require welding and
therefore uses less energy.
Victaulic’s mechanical pipe joining
system requires fewer and less-skilled
workers, which further reduces installa-
tion costs. In addition, with no fire risk
there is no need for fire protection and
the health and safety risks on the job site
are limited. This also means work can
be completed while tenants are in the
building. Furthermore, there are few-
er people working on site for a shorter
period of time, which in itself reduces
health and safety risks. This means that
maintenance or renovations can be done
at a faster rate.
Pipe joining technology is especially
suited to commercial building projects
as it can easily accommodate chang-
es in the scope of the project. Unlike a
welded system, a mechanical pipe join-
ing system can easily be taken apart and
the same parts can be reassembled. The
initial installation of the system is about
five times faster than welding, but when
welded systems need to be reworked, the
system can be ten times faster.
Contractors are always under pressure
to finish a project, whether it be a new
building or a renovation, and unplanned
stoppages can put increased pressure
on schedules and budgets. A pipe join-
ing solution such as that offered by
Victaulic can relieve some of this pres-
sure through quicker installation. The
Victaulic system can also contribute to Local solutions
Pushed for time
40
Rethinking our options
Yet there is still a widely held perception
that pipe coupling technology can only
be used on a temporary basis. It must be
stressed that this is not the case. Victau-
lic offers a permanent solution that lasts
the lifetime of the pipe system. Our
pipe joining technology has been used
in buildings like the CN Tower in Can-
ada, the Petronas Towers in Malaysia
and Trump Tower in the United States.
South African installations include the
Telkom Data Centre in Centurion as
well as the Standard Bank Building in
Rosebank.
The Standard Bank Head Office,
which was built to reflect sustainability,
is a particularly compelling case study of
how pipe joining is a far more efficient
SEPTEMBER 2017 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
and effective way of installing an HVAC
system. The developers faced numerous
challenges when it came to construction
of the building. Space constraints made
it impossible for flanges and traditional
expansion and contraction methods to
be installed, while welding would have
meant longer lead times and safety risks
due to open flames and noxious emis-
sions.
Barry van Jaarsveld is the Victaulic
Regional Manager for Africa
HOW DID WE
OVERCOME THESE
CHALLENGES?
• Tight installation spaces
were easily completed, due
to the push-on nature of the
couplings.
• There were no loose bolts,
nuts or gaskets that could be
dropped within the vertical
riser space, which resulted
in improved efficiency and
minimised time wasted.
• The fact that the joint instal-
lation needed only a quick
visual verification to confirm
its validity eliminated addi-
tional checks and rework.
• Originally estimated to re-
quire two full weeks to com-
plete the system by welding,
Victaulic QuickVic couplings
helped to compress the as-
sembly to 19 hours – nearly
75% savings in installation
time – and 1½ weeks ahead
of schedule.