- Project: Renovation of Provincial Government Headquarters
- Client: Provincial Government of the Western Cape
- Contractor: Group 5
- Engineers: BBI Consulting Engineers
- Architects: Jakupa Architects and CS Studio Architects
- Commencement Date: October 2010
- Expected Completion: June 2012
- Scope: Surface area of 28000m2 and a total of 3037 windows
3,037 Windows
For protection of the glass as well as worker safety, all windows were insulated with reusable timber boards. Due to noise created by the city centre, acoustic tests were conducted to determine noise pollution levels penetrating the building. As a result all windows were insulated and bonded.
28,000sqm Facade facelift
Concrete renovations to the building have been achieved using repair mortars; Sika MonoTop-610 (513 kits), a bonding slurry and primer containing active corrosion inhibitors; Sika MonoTop-615 HB (2452 kits), a high build, repair and reprofiling mortar containing silica fume, designed for repairing thick layer concrete, especially in overhead and vertical applications; Sika MonoTop-612 (180 kits), a fibre-reinforced mortar which can be wet sprayed or applied by hand. The above-mentioned mortars are all cementitious, one- component, polymer-modified products.
Challenges
After repairs on the first floor of the building were completed the contractor realised there was a discrepancy in concrete repair volumes and that, compared to the original quote, 80% supplementary materials were needed. Emergency funds were requested and the estimated completion time for this project was extended to June 2012, a further eight months.
A problem was encountered during surface preparations when water jet pressure, which was originally quoted, was found to be insufficient to create adequate open-pore surfaces for maximum adhesion. The contractors resorted to using grinding machines that were fitted with vacuums to extract excess dust created during the process.
The main challenge encountered during this project was delamination of the external plaster, which not only posed public safety problems, but also caused significant noise pollution. This resulted in labour working night shifts to complete the delamination process, while repairs were carried out during the day.
Source: All images and information sourced from Leading Architecture