THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE

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Quality cast in concrete

• Durban Bluff project puts watertight jacking pipe to the test

• CMA’s new Executive Director

• Concrete masonry pitfalls and solutions

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PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

ON THE COVER

Two of five 100m (1 800mm

outer diameter) storm-

water drainage pipes dur-

ing the pipe jacking process

which is taking place under

the Transnet Freight Rail

Reserve near Wentworth

Station in The Bluff, Dur-

ban. The project is being

handled by Franki Africa,

one of the most difficult

below-the-water-table pro-

jects the company has undertaken in recent years.

The pipes were manufactured by CMA member,

Concrete Units, and are being installed below the

water table in ground which consists of running

sand and the consistency of soup. Butt-ended

joints, steel bands and O-rings ensure that the

pipes are watertight and have improved alignment

characteristics.

THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE

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Quality cast in concrete

• Durban Bluff project puts watertight jacking pipe to the test

• CMA’s new Executive Director

• Concrete masonry pitfalls and solutions

30 Industry news from Kaytech, Rocla, Echo, Birkenmayer, Mapei and Sika

INDUSTRY FORUM

FEATURE STORIES

16 CONCRETE MASONRY PITFALLS AND SOLUTIONS

21 PRECAST PRODUCTS USED EXTENSIVELY IN WATERFRONT PROJECT

22 LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD IN US HOME PAVING MARKET

26 REMACON SCORES A HIT WITH MODULAR WALL UNITS

28 GREENLOCK EARTH BLOCK MAKES GAUTENG DEBUT

14 WATERTIGHT JACKING PIPE PASSES TOUGHEST TEST

PEOPLE & EVENTS

4 CMA FEEDBACK SESSION PUTS MEMBERS IN THE PICTURE

6 NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TAKES OFFICE

9 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2016 PREVIEW

12 LATEST CMA MEMBERS

COVER STORY

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35PRECAST is the official journal of the Concrete Manufacturers Association NPC (CMA)

Physical Address: 16 Horn Street, Chloorkop, Kempton Park, 1620

Postal Address: PostNet Suite 8612, Private Bag X32, Kempton Park, 1620

Tel: +27 11 805 6742

Fax: +27 86 524 9216

E-mail: admin@cma.org.za

Website: www.cma.org.za

Publishers: Isikhova Publishing & Communications

Postal Address: PO Box 651793, Benmore, 2010, South Africa

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Fax: +27 11 783 2677

Website: www.isikhova.co.za

Publisher: Andrew Meyer

Tel: +27 11 883 4627

Cell: 082 456 5175

E-mail: andrewm@isikhova.co.za

Journalist: Julian Kraft

Tel: +27 11 883 4627

Advertising: Wally ArmstrongCell: 083 701 3278E-mail: legweak@mweb.co.za

Design, layout and production: Joanne Brook

Tel: +27 11 883 4627 E-mail: joanne.studio@isikhova.co.za

The views and statements expressed in this

publication are not necessarily those of the

editor or the publishers and neither the

publishers nor the CMA accept responsibility for

them. No person connected with the publication

of this journal will be liable for any loss or damage

sustained as a result of action following any

statements or opinions expressed herein. The

same applies to all advertising. Precast© 2015.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may

be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by

any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying, recording, or any

information storage retrieval

system, without prior written

permission from the publishers.

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

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(Top): CMA technical committee Chairman Taco Voogt during his presentation to the Feedback Session.

CMA FEEDBACK SESSION FORThe Concrete Manufacturers Associa-

tion’s annual Feedback Session was held

at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park,

Gauteng, on February 18.

The purpose of the Feedback Session

was to supply CMA members with infor-

mation about the latest developments

relating to precast concrete, as well as

update them on the CMA’s activities and

initiatives in the past year and what it

plans to do in the current year.

The morning session opened with the

focus on upcoming changes in concrete

standards that are due to be introduced

in South Africa shortly, and a move by

the CMA on behalf of the industry to

provide the means of ensuring that

installers of precast retaining blocks and

paving are properly qualified to do so.

Bryan Perrie, Managing Director of

the Concrete Institute, who is Chairman

of some of the SA Bureau of Standards’

committees on concrete standards, gave

a presentation on the pending changes

to codes, specifications, standards and

test methods.

Installation certification

Last year the CMA commissioned Tjeka

Training Matters (TTM), a specialist

training company for the construction

industry with branches in Krugersdorp

and Henley-on-Klip in Gauteng, to inves-

tigate how installers of retaining blocks

and paving blocks could obtain certifica-

tion as a first step towards establishing

standards of proficiency for this work

and thereby discourage use of unquali-

fied installers.

The presentation by Frans Toua, TTM’s

CEO, was on a proposed model for instal-

lation certification.

For brick paving he suggested that,

among various training options that are

available, installers seeking certification

would be best advised to obtain training

via a skills programme registered under

the Construction Education & Training

Authority (CETA).

However, no training standard for

installers of concrete retaining block

structures currently exists, Toua pointed

out. The CMA could consider approaching

the QCTO to work with it in establishing

one and thereafter devise a training

programme leading to certification of

installers qualifying through it.

As part of the morning session Graham

Smith, General Sales Manager, Technical

Sales, of Sephaku Cement, set out the

latest advances that have been achieved

by Sephaku in growing its business.

Awards for Excellence

The Feedback Session also included a

presentation by Monique Eggebeen,

Managing Director of the Echo Group,

who chairs the CMA’s Awards for

Excellence committee, about the plans

that are being put into effect to stage this

prestigious competition, which will culmi-

nate in a gala evening in February 2016.

She pointed out that it is not yet cast

in concrete and members are welcome to

make suggestions about its content – the

Awards categories, for example – and any

2014 SHOWS THE WAY AHEAD

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other aspects relating to it.

Another major initiative undertaken

by the CMA on which a presentation was

given at the Feedback Session was on the

proposed creation of a dynamic digital site

called “World of Precast”, in which all CMA

members’ products and services will be

accessible to customers and users.

Justin Kretzmar and Jason Roberts

of Infrastructure Specialist Group (ISG),

who have researched the concept on

behalf of the CMA, presented a variety

of options as to how it may be struc-

tured and designed to be as user-friendly

as possible.

They displayed some typical features

it would contain. A user would be able to

navigate the site to get an overview of

the “World of Precast”, in which three-

dimensional “fields” and cross-sections

of structures where precast elements

are deployed could be seen. From there

they would be able to zoom in further

to the products and services and their

respective specifications, as required in

the various applications.

The “World of Precast” site would also

provide links into members’ websites.

The project is to be taken further in

the current year with the creation of a

committee to oversee its development,

including seeking funding for it.

Achievements

Taco Voogt, Chairman of the CMA’s

technical committee, opened the after-

noon session with a short presentation

in which he provided information about

pending changes to specific precast

concrete codes and standards, adding

to what Bryan Perrie of the Concrete

Institute covered earlier.

Following a presentation by Financial

Director John Simpson of the CMA’s

financial report for the past year, retiring

Executive Director Wally Armstrong

outlined what the association has done

and achieved in that period.

These included:

• Participation in the Totally

Concrete exhibition.

• Presentations to producers in

the Western Cape, Eastern Cape

and Botswana.

• Paving seminar by Larry Green,

head of home paving installers

System Pavers in the USA.

• Discussion meetings with cement

producers and other CMA member

companies.

• Development of a quality manage-

ment guidelines booklet due for

publication shortly.

• Production of a wetcast

concrete manual.

• Production of a manhole manual.

• Precast magazine, the CMA’s

official journal, and the CMA’s

website continued to gain in

readership and popularity.

• The CMA continued to grow its

membership throughout the year.

Members were formally introduced

to Frans Minnaar, who succeeds Wally

Armstrong as Executive Director. He

spoke about the initiatives the CMA

intends to pursue and introduce in the

current year. Armstrong will continue

to work closely with the association as

Marketing Consultant.

The CMA also bade farewell to Pam

Zukor, Office Manager and PA to the

Director, who has retired after 13 years

of service.

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PAM ZUKOR RETIRES FROM THE CMA

Pam Zukor has re-

tired after 13 years

at the CMA as Office

Manager and PA to

the Director.

She joined the CMA

in January 2002 and

retired at the end of

February this year.

Bidding farewell to her on behalf of

the association and its members at the

close of its Feedback Session in Febru-

ary, Financial Director John Simpson

paid tribute to her for her loyal and

dedicated service.

“Pam has been with us through thick

and thin. She has great rapport with

members and I recall many circumstances

in which she was cool and calm. She had

an unmistakable way of being able to

cope with difficult situations and we

appreciate what she has done for the

CMA,” he said.

Zukor recalls that she was called “The

Karate Kid” for a long time, following

an incident in which then Director John

Cairns and a colleague phoned her for

help as they had got themselves locked

inside the CMA’s offices. She found the

security staff unable – or unwilling – to

do anything, so she took charge of the

situation herself by kicking in a window

pane. This did the trick, as it enabled

the two men to clamber out to freedom.

CMA’S NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TAKES OFFICE

TRIBUTE TO ARMSTRONG

Frans Minnaar, who has many years of

experience in quality assurance for pre-

cast concrete products, has taken office

as Executive Director of the Concrete

Manufacturers Association (CMA).

His appointment took ef fect at

the beginning of March 2015. His

predecessor Wally Armstrong, who

has held the post for just over two

years, has left to pursue other business

interests, but continues to work for the

CMA as Marketing Consultant.

Minnaar, 60, spent over 10 years with

the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS).

He obtained a qualification as a civil

engineering technician while there and

worked as a standards inspector and ISO

auditor – one of the first ISO auditors in

the country after the international ISO

Quality System Certification Scheme

was adopted in South Africa. While at

the bureau he also served in several

senior management posts relating to

civil engineering.

He subsequently worked for several

precast concrete manufacturers in qual-

ity assurance and management posts.

On two separate occasions, spanning

a total of 16 years, he operated quality

assurance consultancies of his own, with

clients that included prominent precast

concrete product manufacturers, Eskom

and the mining industry.

One of his first tasks at the CMA

is completing the preparation of a

quality management systems guide-

lines booklet to assist members and

prospective members to establish

their own systems. Another will be to

establish and launch an accreditation

assessment scheme to help members

meet the quality, health and safety and

environmental regulations applicable to

their businesses.

A third envisaged goal on which

Minnaar has set his sights is to establish

an independent test laboratory to serve

the industry.

“Some of these are long-term pro-

jects that may take several years to get

off the ground. Broadly speaking, I am

looking to extend the range of services

offered to our members wherever pos-

sible. We are in constant communication

with members to establish what they

want,” he said.

At the CMA’s recent annual Feedback

Session to provide members with an

update on progress to date with the

association’s various programmes and

initiatives, Financial Director John Simp-

son paid tribute to Wally Armstrong for

what he has achieved during his term of

office over the past two years as Execu-

tive Director.

In particular, he deserved to be credited

for putting the CMA back onto a sound

financial footing after finding it in “a parlous

state” when he took office, he said.

He commended Armstrong for his

tireless energy and enthusiasm, com-

bined with a powerful drive

“to get the job done”. “He’s

an action man – a Duracell

Bunny on steroids!” Simp-

son quipped.

Armstrong was popular

in the industry and did a

great job recruiting new

members and winning back

the trust of previous mem-

bers who had left. He also

transformed many of the programmes

run by the CMA – Simpson cited the

fact that the website had

“grown in leaps and bounds”

under his directorship, for

example – and introduced a

number of new ones that

have proven highly success-

ful, such as the magazine

Precast and the CMA’s

participation during the

past two years in the Totally

Concrete trade exhibition.

(Above): Tumi Dlamini, MBSA Executive Director for the past three years, has en-rolled at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to study public administration.

TUMI DLAMINI LEAVES MBSA FOR HARVARD STUDIES Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) has

announced that Tumi Dlamini’s three-year

contractual term as its Executive Director

ended on 28 February 2015.

Dlamini will shortly be departing for

the USA, where she has enrolled at the

Harvard Kennedy School of Government to study for a Master

in Public Administration degree.

In a notice to stakeholders, MBSA President, Neil Cloete, said

that since taking over the reins on 1 March 2012, Dlamini had

played a significant role in raising the profile of MBSA and Women

in Construction, opening dialogues with government and other

public institutions, implementing transformation initiatives and

generally delivering on the strategy of MBSA to ensure that it

remained the “Leading Body in the Building Industry”.

Cloete advised MBSA stakeholders that until the appointment

of a new Executive Director, Operations Director Pierre Fourie

would manage the affairs of the organisation. “Mr Fourie has

25 years’ experience with MBSA and is well placed to manage

the affairs of the organisation during the transition period,”

he added.

MANUFACTURERS OFPrecast Bridge Beams, Road Barriers,

Light Mast Bases, Toll Gantry Elements

Tel: +27 12 804 4525 Fax: +27 12 804 9673 Mob:+27 83 354 6823E-mail: george@silvertonprecast.co.za

Precast concrete barriers, Lintels, channels, slabs

Silverton Precast (Pty) LtdEstablished 1998

AESTHETICS • STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY • OUTSTANDING SERVICE

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Quality cast in concrete

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Preparations for the Concrete Manu-

facturers Association’s Awards for

Excellence competition, in which the

best products and other innovations and

developments relating to precast con-

crete are showcased and given worthy

recognition, are well underway.

At the CMA’s Feedback Session

to update members on progress with

the association’s various programmes

PREPARATIONS WELL UNDERWAY FOR AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2016

Monique Eggebeen

and initiatives, Monique Eggebeen, the

Echo Group’s Managing Director, who

chairs the CMA’s awards committee,

outlined the plans that have been put

in place for the competition, which will

culminate in the award presentations in

February 2016.

A list of award categories has been

drawn up by the committee. These are sub-

ject to possible change in response to re-

quests or suggestions by CMA members.

The six award categories are applica-

ble to both of the industry’s major sub-

sections, Building and Infrastructure,

resulting in a total of 12 awards – except

in the unlikely event of the panel of judges

deciding not to make an award in a par-

ticular instance.

The award categories as currently

envisaged are:

• Aesthetic Award

• Sustainability Award

• Community Upliftment Award

• Technical Excellence Award

• Innovation Award

• Precast for Life Award

The competition rules allow for more

than one entry per competitor – in the

same categories and/or in different ones.

Eggebeen urged CMA members to

come forward with entries and also in-

vited nominations for judges. The panel of

six to eight judges will comprise mostly

presidents of various industry-related

associations.

The awards gala event is set for

February 20 at a venue in Gauteng still

to be arranged.

Those serving on the awards com-

mittee with Eggebeen are John Cairns,

a Consultant and former Director of the

CMA, Kgomotso Modise, Operations

Director of the Echo Group, Vincent

Erasmus, Key Accounts Manager of PPC

and Gert van Wyk, Marketing Manager of

the Bosun Group.

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The Infrastructure Specialist (IS) Group,

comprising Technicrete, Rocla (both

CMA members) and Ocon Brick, recently

funded a Golf Day for customers and

colleagues to help raise funds for a

special school in Gauteng that caters

to learners who are mildly intellectually

disabled (MID).

The Roodepark School focuses on pro-

viding training in practical vocational skills,

including welding, brick-laying, woodwork,

panel-beating and spray-painting.

“The Roodepark School greatly

assists the technical development of

those learners with special needs,” said

Christo van Zyl, Sales and Marketing

Director for the IS Group.

“After visiting the school and seeing

the amazing products the learners were

creating, we decided that we should

assist in creating an awareness of their

activities, not only among our group, but

among suppliers and customers as well.

“The Golf Day was a token of our belief

in what the school is achieving for these

IS GROUP SUPPORTS LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Some of the IS Group’s personnel and customers at the Golf Day staged to raise funds for the Roodepark School.

workplace and is expensive.”

She added that the skills training

the school provides for learners with

special educational needs affords them

the opportunity to become economically

active and part of productive society.

Van Zyl said the IS Group will continue

to help raise funds for and create aware-

ness of the school’s training programmes

for MID learners.

special needs learners. Their enthusiasm

and dedication to learning new skills are

a remarkable reflection of their passion

to succeed.”

Renée van der Merwe of Roodepark

School said: “The national curriculum

is adapted to meet the needs of our

learners and our technical curriculum

is outcomes-driven. The equipment we

require is the same as that found in the

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Six companies have recently become

members of the Concrete Manufacturers

Association.

They are Enviro-Cast, a manufacturer

of a range of precast concrete products

that include kerb stones and building

bricks, Hydraform International and

Quadra, both manufacturers of concrete

block-making and other equipment, Taco

Voogt Consulting Engineers, Pegaso

Stampi, a manufacturer of moulds for dry-

cast concrete products and Quangong

Machinery, a leading Chinese concrete

block machine manufacturer.

Enviro-Cast

Established in early 2014, Enviro-Cast

initially focused on the manufacture of

precast concrete kerb stones for the civil

industry. It has subsequently extended

its range to include building bricks and

blocks, cobble stones, flagstones, pool

copings and interlocking and bevel paving.

Enviro-Cast’s main factory is in Mey-

erton, Gauteng, and it has a smaller plant

in Pretoria. It operates a laboratory to

ensure that its bricks and blocks meet

the applicable quality standard of the SA

Bureau of Standards, pending accept-

ance of its application for the SABS mark

of approval.

The company owns a fleet of trucks

for transporting aggregates and other

materials used in its manufacturing

processes and for delivery of product

to customers.

NEW CMA MEMBERSPegaso Stampi

Pegaso Stampi, based in Poggibonsi,

Italy, manufactures moulds for concrete

elements which it supplies to all parts

of the world through agents based in all

continents.

Operating since 2002, the company

specialises in the production of moulds

for a wide variety of dry-cast concrete

elements made in vibropresses.

Uganda, as well as sales agents in Nigeria,

Tanzania, Angola and New Zealand.

Hydraform has a well-established

reputation as an innovator in alterna-

tive building technologies. Through

continuous research and development

with leading institutions, it developed an

interlocking building system for produc-

tion of dry-stack interlocking building

blocks. This cost-saving system com-

pletely eliminates the need for concrete

or steel columns in building construction

and reduces the use of mortar in 70%

of the building structure.

Some of Enviro-Cast’s products at its Meyerton factory.

One of the Zenith block-making machines produced by Zenith Maschinenfabrik of Germany, which was acquired last year by Quangong Machinery of China.

A few samples of the numerous dry-cast products made using Pegaso Stampi moulds.

Quangong Machinery

Quangong Machinery (QGM), a leading

Chinese manufacturer of concrete block-

making machines, was established in

1979. The company, based in Quanzhou in

China’s Fujian province, has branch offices

in Brazil, Algeria, Libya, Zambia, Saudi

Arabia, Oman, India, Indonesia, Singapore

and Russia.

QGM’s product range encompasses

block-making machines, ready-mix con-

crete batching plant and AAC block plant.

In 2014 the company purchased

leading German concrete block making

and multi-layer machines manufacturer

Zenith Maschinenfabrik GmbH.

Hydraform International

Hydraform International, based in Boks-

burg, Gauteng, has been in operation

since 1988.

It is a leading manufacturer and

supplier of interlocking brick and block-

making machinery in southern Africa and

has a branch sales office in Kampala,

Hydraform’s best-selling block-making machine, the M7MI Super 3.

Quadra

Quadra, a manufacturer and supplier of

concrete block-making and block grinding

machines, handling systems and wet-

cast production lines, was established

in 1993 and is based in Contamine sur

Arve, France. It operates a sales branch

in Brazil.

Taco Voogt Consulting Engineers

Taco Voogt, head of civil engineering con-

sultancy Taco Voogt Consulting Engineers,

is already well known to most CMA mem-

bers as the Chairman of the association’s

technical committee.

The company, established in 2008,

offers expertise in the use of various

precast concrete products, including

hydraulic and pavement engineering, soil

and embankment stabilisation and ero-

sion control.

Voogt is a Civil Engineering Master’s

graduate from the Delft University of

Technology in the Netherlands and worked

mainly in dredging and port engineering

in West Africa and the Caribbean before

settling in South Africa. Prior to setting

up his consultancy, he worked for several

large construction and civil engineering

contractors and a precast concrete

product manufacturer.

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Franki’s requirement was for jacking

pipes with leak-proof joints. It required

them for use in pipejacking projects

where it was necessary to jack below

the water table. Concrete Units de-

signed the new pipe in consultation with

Pretoria-based pipe design specialist

company Pipes.

Franki has successfully deployed the

pipes in several jacking contracts in the

Western Cape since Concrete Units

started manufacturing them in 2012.

The latest contract is one of the most

difficult below-the-water-table jacking

contracts the company has undertaken in

recent years. Awarded by eThekwini Mu-

nicipality’s stormwater division in August

last year, it is an upgrade of the storm-

water drainage at the Transnet Freight

Rail Reserve near Wentworth Station.

This area, which is situated at the low-

est point of the Bluff area, has been sub-

ject to heavy flooding for many years due

to the inadequacy of the existing drainage

system. The railway lines that give access

across the reserve to the shunting yards

at Wentworth Station, as well as adjacent

buildings, are often flooded.

The new system being installed by

Franki consists of five 100 m-long pipe-

WATERTIGHT JACKING PIPE IN ACTION

(Left): Some of the watertight pipes specially designed and manufactured by Concrete Units for Franki Africa to use in jacking projects below the water table.

(Above): The start of two of five 100 m-long con-crete pipelines forming part of the new stormwater drainage system being established in the Transnet Freight Rail Reserve in Durban’s Bluff area.

A precast concrete jacking pipe with watertight joints developed by CMA member Concrete Units at the request of Franki Africa, the leading geotechnical engineering company in Africa, has demonstrated its effectiveness in a jacking contract Franki is currently engaged on at Durban’s Bluff area.

T that it would have

joints of ordinary

jacking pipes.”

lines installed side-by-side under the

railway lines, with two large in-situ cast

concrete chambers at each end to evenly

distribute the stormwater flow into and

out of the pipes. The construction of the

chambers and of a new culvert that ties

into the existing stormwater system

form part of Franki’s contract, which is

scheduled for completion in June this year.

“The challenge here is that the pipes

are to be installed 6 m below the ground

water level, where the ground consists

of running sand with the consistency of

soup,” commented Byron Field, Franki’s

Contracts Manager for pipe-jacking

projects.

Preparation prior to jacking has

consequently been a prolonged process,

involving the installation of a de-watering

system along the full length of the jacks

and sheet piling around all the new

chambers and culvert works.

Having pipes with watertight joints

was shown to be even more critical in

this case than in the previous contracts

in which they have been deployed. “The

sand is so fine that it would have flowed

through the joints of ordinary jacking

pipes,” Field said.

The pipes used in the Bluff contract

were manufactured and supplied by Con-

crete Units’ Meyerton plant, whereas the

pipes used in the earlier contracts in and

around Cape Town were manufactured

and supplied by the company’s Cape Town

facility, which initiated their development.

The joint design in the new pipe

represents a departure from the in-the-

wall joint design of most conventional

jacking pipes. The new pipe has a butt-

ended joint with a steel band cast into

it to provide a close fit for the receiving

pipe-end, which is equipped with an O-ring

to seal the joint. The tight tolerance of

the joint in the new pipe also improves

its alignment characteristics compared

with the conventional product.

For the Bluff contract, Concrete

Units’ Meyerton plant manufactured and

supplied Franki with a total of 500 m of

1 470 internal diameter pipes in individual

pipe lengths of 2,4 m.

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“Concrete masonry is prone to mois-

ture movement that is generally not

well understood,” stated Crofts, who is

Principal of the Pretoria-based company

FSC Consulting Engineers.

“Defects caused by moisture move-

ment in concrete masonry walls can add

Precast concrete masonry units have

come to the fore in building construction

today, mainly because of the cost-sav-

ings they offer and their greater variety

and flexibility compared with traditional

masonry materials. But the trend has

been accompanied by problems associ-

ated with the increased incidence of

water ingress into building structures.

In a paper entitled “Sustainable Con-

crete Masonry in South Africa” present-

ed at a national symposium on Concrete

for a Sustainable Environment, organised

by the Concrete Society of SA, masonry

consultant Fred Crofts set out most

of the errors in concrete masonry con-

struction that lead to damage resulting

from water ingress. He also presented

remedies for addressing these problems.

to the life-cycle and operating costs of

a building and can compromise durable

construction. By creating an awareness

of the behaviour of concrete masonry and

manufacturing specifications, the con-

struction of durable concrete masonry

building envelopes can be ensured by ap-

plying relevant details and specifications.

“Appropriate design, workmanship

and an understanding of the behaviour of

concrete masonry materials are the cor-

nerstones for sustainability and resource

conservation,” he emphasised.

Advantages

Concrete masonry has undoubled advan-

tages over other building materials and

also meets many of the requirements

for sustainable building. DPC detail of a collar-jointed foundation wall (Courtesy NHBRC)

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“The provision of affordable hous-

ing poses a major challenge in South

Africa. Concrete masonry is playing an

increasingly prominent role due to its

competitive price over other traditional

materials. Ease of site manufacturing,

availability of suitable aggregate and

the reduction of transportation costs

also contribute towards this trend,” he

commented.

Concrete masonry units can be

easily manufactured to the strengths

and dimensions required. They offer the

added advantages of material savings and

thermal and rain penetration benefits.

Quality assurance has also helped to

ensure that good-quality concrete

masonry units are produced.

Crofts said history has shown that

non-durable masonry wall construction

places great economic burdens on own-

ers, and wastes energy, materials and

resources.

Eaves, canopies and other forms

of overhangs have traditionally been

used to protect walls from rain, but

their use has declined. Flat roofs have

become more frequent and, where

pitched roofs still prevail, eave overhangs

have diminished. The absence of gutters

and downpipes results in roof drainage

being discharged onto wall surfaces. The

omission of weather-steps at thresholds

directs surface run-off onto unfinished

surfaces, causing ingress of water

into floor slabs and walls, while the

omission of drip ledges at slab and lintel

soffits allows rainwater to run back onto

wall surfaces. Furthermore, unfinished

horizontal surfaces of walls, including

parapet walls, are the origin of damp. The

application of render over the damp-proof

course (DPC) of foundation walls is the

source of rising damp in walls.

“Today it has become vogue to provide

rendered and painted foundation walls

using porous concrete masonry in direct

contact with the soil,” he pointed out.

“Poor-qual i ty porous concrete

or high water absorption masonry

units will be protected from moisture

movements and minimise maintenance if

the abutting backfill material under floors

can be isolated to prevent direct contact

with foundation walls with a vertical

waterproofing application.

“An exterior waterproofing appli-

cation may be sought to remedy the

problem, but this only addresses the

symptom and continuous maintenance

of the foundation wall will be required,”

Crofts stressed.

“Blistered paint on walls due to damp

has become the norm, rather than the

exception. Masonry plinths are being

built lower with hardly any ground

aimed at improving productivity in the

construction of houses.

Modular planning of large-format

concrete masonry units in walls, normally

referred to as blocks, further increases

productivity. “However, the importance

of suitably trained block masons cannot

be over-emphasised,” stated Crofts,

adding that the user of modular door and

window frames is also essential.

Life-cycle costing

“Life-cycle costing, as well as life-cycle

assessment of buildings, are other

terms that have become commonplace.

Where sustainability embraces con-

servation of energy and the use of

renewable, recycled, non-toxic and

abundant materials, it is necessary to

ensure that the masonry envelope also

be made durable,” he said.

In South Africa little attention has

been given to this essential requirement.

Frequently the waterproofing quality,

function and durability of masonry have

been sacrificed to save costs or for

aesthetic reasons.

Most of the problems still experienced

with concrete masonry relate to ingress

of moisture into walls. Other causes are

as a result of manufacturing defects,

such as insufficient curing and the use

of chemically unstable waste products.

”Poor workmanship also compounds

stress build-up in walls and results in

cracks. Incorrect mixing of masonry

mortar, re-tempering mortar past the

recommended setting times of cement,

using masonry units of dissimilar

materials in the same wall and failing to

cross-bond the stretcher-bonded leaves

in collar-jointed walls all exacerbate the

problem,” he added.

The attainment of successful masonry

depends on adequate design, sound

construction practice and specification

o f mater ia ls. The development of

bond between the masonry units and

the masonry mortar depends on the

masonry materials and texture of the

unit. Good workmanship is dependent in

turn, on access to accepted norms of

local detailing practice.

Concrete masonry shrinks upon

drying and curing after manufacture and

is also subject to reversible moisture

movement, for which allowance needs

to be made if defects are to be avoided.

“Defects caused by moisture movement in concrete masonry

walls can add tothe life-cycle and operating costs of a building and can

compromise durableconstruction.”

clearance, thus placing the DPC too

close to the ground. In coastal zones

rain penetration at the junction of

window frames with walls has been due

to inadequacies in the detailing of the

DPC at jambs or sills.”

To facilitate durable designs of the

masonry envelope and ensure a lower

life-cycle costs, a number of changes

need to be applied, including the use of

new manufacturing specifications that

are in line with sustainable building.

In recent years the sustainable use of

building materials has come into effect,

accompanied by reductions in costs of

building materials, as well as changes

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a high rate of initial water absorption

(IRA), as found with fired clay masonry,

and should not be wetted when laying. At

coastal zones the walls should be covered

with plastic during rain.

The use of control joints placed at

predetermined positions is essential.

SANS 1215 governs the manufacture

of precast solid and precast hollow

concrete masonry units in South Africa.

Requirements are laid down for shape,

appearance, colour, surface texture,

dimensions, shell and web thicknesses,

squareness, compressive strength,

drying shrinkage, expansion on rewetting

and soundness. Appendices contain

details of an efflorescence test and

materials recommended for use in the

manufacture of the units.

Non-compliance

Some manufacturers provide compres-

sive strength test results and market

their units as SANS-compliant without

fulfilling the other requirements, espe-

cially drying shrinkage and expansion on

rewetting. Concrete masonry conforming

to SANS 1215 has drying shrinkage limi-

tations which range from 0,06%-0,08%

for normal and high-shrinkage units re-

spectively, with wetting expansion limited

to not greater than 0,02%.

The consequence of non-compliance

with drying shrinkage and expansion on

rewetting limits, together with poor

detailing, can result in random cracks

in walls, thereby adversely affecting the

life-cycle costing of the masonry envelope.

Movement in walls due to moisture

is also covered in SANS 10145, the

Code of Practice for Concrete Masonry

Construction. The stresses in walls in

normal residential dwellings are small and

are of minor consequence if there are no

durability considerations.

South Africa is to adopt Eurocode 6

and supporting standards for the design

of masonry structures. This standard

covers reinforced, prestressed and

confined masonry. The four parts cover

the rules for reinforced and unreinforced

masonry, structural fire design and

detailed rules for lateral loading.

“The significance of the adoption of this

standard is that it is less descriptive than

the local standard and declares critical

design values for moisture movement and

compressive strengths, thus allowing the

consumer to select a unit in accordance

with his requirements,” Crofts stated.

Collar-jointed wall

An example of incorrect masonry con-

struction practice that leads to water

ingress and subsequent damage is in a

collar-jointed foundation wall where the

rendered application is continuous with

the DPC not protruding. Generally, this

detail is applied incorrectly, with the

render applied over the DPC; a horizontal

crack will delineate the location of the

DPC with rising damp present.

An acceptable alternative is to

provide a V-joint in the rendered surface

delineating the horizontal DPC’s location,

thus preventing damp from bridging over

the horizontal moisture barrier.

Other conditions where moisture in-

gress may occur, and the measures that

should be applied to prevent this, include:

• Provision of control joints. If control

joints are not contrived and neatly

detailed, random cracks will appear,

causing more points of entry for water.

Concrete masonry generally shrinks as

it cures – a process that occurs over an

extended period. Installed materials which

are too rigid to absorb this shrinkage

must be provided with movement joints

at regular intervals. They should also be

installed where differential movement

can arise between parts of the structure

differently affected by temperature or

moisture content, or parts constructed

in different materials.

• Damp often occurs through the

inner wall surface as a result of human

activities and condensation. Examples of

such sources of moisture are unvented

heaters and gas ovens, combined with

poor coating applications on the internal

surfaces of the walls.

• Hollow concrete blockwork. The

control of moisture-induced movement

in hollow concrete blockwork is more

critical, since the blocks are laid in shell

bedding to reduce rain penetration into

the internal block surface. Shell bedding

results in a reduction in the strength of

a wall. The use of block reinforcement

or reinforcement that aligns with the

mortar in the shell bedding is imperative,

together with the provision of vertical

control joints.

• Balustrade/parapet walls. Parapet

walls should be waterproofed on the

top horizontal surface, using a precast

concrete coping or waterproofing a

rendered surface. It is good detailing

practice to provide a slope inwards to

“I expect great strides to be made

in reducing life-cycle costs for masonry

envelopes.”

Fred Crofts

The lack of attention to architectural

and construction details during the

construction of the masonry envelope

is often the direct cause of moisture-

induced movement and rising damp in

concrete masonry.

The watertightness of the masonry

wall is dependent on the quality of

masonry used and the workmanship

applied to rule the bed and perpend

joints. A protective rendering and

coating is an important application

to facilitate watertightness where

poor-quality masonry units are used.

Excessive movement in a masonry

wall can also increase the r isk of

ingress of moisture. Vertical mortar

joints, in particular, are not adequately

compacted to prevent rain penetration.

The risk is increased if the mortar

is of poor qual ity. I f the perpend

joints of masonry are filled and ruled

inadequately, the rain penetration will

cause damp patches on the internal face

of the wall. Water-repellent solutions

are often applied to reduce the risk

of rain penetration in existing walls.

The effectiveness of these coatings is

compromised when cracks occur.

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wall surface.

• Free-standing boundary walls. These

are subject to moisture ingress due to

the omission of a DPC at foundation

level and the exposed surface at the

top – the omission of the DPC here

being a structural necessity to ensure

bond between masonry units and

mortar to facilitate lateral stability

of the wall. The use of masonry units

with low water absorption is better

suited to this application. The ingress

of water onto concrete masonry at

foundation level can be prevented by

applying a “chemical DPC” (ie mixing a

proprietary waterproofing agent into

the masonry mortar) or can be treated

with a water-repellent solution. The

same can be done to the top of the wall,

or a precast concrete coping can be

provided. Vertical control joints have to

be provided at regular intervals. In the

case of free-standing retaining walls,

the vertical surface in contact with the

soil has to be waterproofed, while the

provisions as applied to free-standing

boundary walls also apply.

Guidance for the spacing of vertical

control joints in horizontal lengths of

walls is given in SANS 10249 and the

Concrete Manufacturers Association’s

Masonry Manual. Guidance is also given

to modify control joint spacing with the

inclusion of masonry reinforcement.

Slip joints

The provision of slip joints and vertical

bond breakers between the suspended

reinforced concrete slab and the masonry

support allows the free movement of

the slab when subjected to concrete

shrinkage and creep. The failure of

this slip joint causes mechanical lock

between the masonry support and the

slab, resulting in a horizontal crack line

on the exterior rendered surface of the

wall. It is therefore prudent to pro-

vide a deeply recessed V-joint in the

external rendered surface to delineate

the soffit of the slab and to control this

crack formation.

SANS 10164: Part 2 gives guidelines

with respect to the type of masonry

accessories, such as wall ties and ma-

sonry reinforcement, and the minimum

level of protective coating to be used in

the various types of construction and

exposure conditions.

The protection of reinforcement from

corrosion provided with masonry work

is lower with higher water absorption

concrete masonry units and when

weaker masonry mortar is required. In

these cases, special attention should

be given to the galvanising requirements

of the steel.

Crofts concluded by saying that there

is a greater awareness today among

specifiers, developers and contractors

about the moisture behaviour of concrete

masonry materials.

“Together with good building practices

outlined in current SANS pertaining to

construction works of masonry walling

and cement plaster, I expect great

strides to be made not only in addressing

the pressing need for the provision of

affordable housing, but also in reducing

life-cycle costs for masonry envelopes,”

he said.

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building, while No 6 Silo will be developed

as a mid-scale internationally branded

hotel with approximately 220 beds.

The historic grain silos are being con-

verted into the architecturally innovative

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Africa art.

The design by Heatherwick Studios will see

some of the silo tubes cut away and others

retained to form viewing galleries.

David de Villiers, Project Director for

Mace International, project managers for

the various developments in the district,

said precast concrete is to be used

wherever possible.

“In addition to the sheet piling and the

Fish Quay Road corridor elements, we are

Precast concrete products that have

been used so far include sheet piles

deployed in a new 2 750 m2 parking-

bay basement and culverts used to

construct a sea water service corridor

under Fish Quay Road.

The Silo district, situated at Cape

Town harbour’s old grain silos, is already

home to the 18 000 m² six star green-

rated No 1 Silo, which made extensive

use of aesthetically pleasing concrete

cladding, and No 2 Silo, a luxury residential

apartment complex.

The new development involves the con-

struction of Nos 3-5 Silos and will feature

environmentally sustainable building tech-

niques, as applied with Nos 1 and 2 Silos.

No 3 Silo will comprise a structure

with 78 one-to-four bedroom luxury

apartments, No 4 Silo will house a Virgin

Active Classic Health Club and No 5 Silo

will be a 13 500 m² AAA-grade office

PRECAST CONCRETE DEPLOYED EXTENSIVELY IN V&A WATERFRONT ‘SILO DISTRICT’ PROJECT Various examples of precast concrete

2 the V&A Waterfront’s Silo district, currently under construction and

201

looking at using precast concrete stairs

on Nos 3 and 5 Silos. They will speed up

construction and give us a better-quality

finish,” he explained.

”We are also investigating the

installation of precast concrete cladding

on some of the facades and we will be

using precast concrete stormwater

piping for the drainage of the precinct.”

One of the more challenging applica-

tions was in the design and implementa-

tion of geotechnical solutions for the

construction of lateral support for the

new parking basement. This was handled

by Franki Africa and involved the use of

precast concrete sheet piles and post-

tensioned anchors.

Anton Stol l, Senior Contracts

Manager for Franki Africa, said the sheet

piling operation entailed the delivery of

a wide variety of products and services

on a site which was hampered by strong

tidal flows, varying rock profiles and

restricted access.

“The site’s geology comprised im-

ported f ine silty and clayey sands,

together with rock fill overlying highly

fractured greywacke residual rock.

Areas of beach zones or sand and

shelly fragments were also encountered

in areas above the residual rock, which

varied in depth from ground level to

13 m,” he said.

The piling took place on the northern

and eastern ends of the basement where

driven concrete sheet piles with grout

socks and anchors were installed.

CMA member Concrete Units of Cape

Town supplied 228 precast concrete

sheet piles, ranging from 9-13 m in length,

which were installed to create a 206 m

wall. Grout socks were installed between

the concrete sheets to prevent water

seepage. Temporary anchors will be in-

stalled to support the sheet piles once

excavation of the basement begins.

Franki executing concrete sheet pile wall installa-tion as part of the Silos district project.

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new methods for recruiting and training,

initiated new marketing strategies and

put into effect new ways of retaining cus-

tomers, following sales leads, and more.

In October last year the Concrete

Manufacturers Association (CMA), in co-

operation with CMA members Bosun and

Smartstone, arranged for Green to run

a one-day seminar in Gauteng for CMA

members to give them insights into his

highly successful business methods – at

the same time demonstrating how a “lo-

cal boy” made good in the USA’s reputedly

highly competitive business environment.

In the following interview with Pre-

cast, Green identifies some of the key

strategies behind System Pavers’

During the past 20 years spent in

California, the former founder of local

precast concrete block paving company

SA Paving has transformed the US

market by introducing new ideas and

approaches to home paving, building a

multi-million-dollar paving installation

management business in the process.

His company, System Pavers, today

operates throughout California, Oregon,

Washington and Colorado, executing

about 5 000 home remodelling projects a

year. He has introduced a raft of exciting

SOUTH AFRICAN MAKES GOOD – CHANGING THE FACE OF US HOMES

success. As those who attended his

seminar discovered, the initiatives he

describes here make for an instructive

case study which local companies may

use to their benefit.

Why did you choose to leave South

Africa when you had a flourishing paving

business here?

The country was in the grip of sanctions

and the political climate, especially after

former President PW Botha’s 1985 Ru-

bicon speech, was precarious, to say the

least. I led an incentive trip to Israel with

some of my sales people in 1988 and took

the opportunity of visiting Ackerstein

Industries, one of the world’s largest

Expat South African Larry Green has single-handedly revolutionised the US home paving market.

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

paving manufacturers. They had set up

a paving factory in California which was

losing money and I was invited to run the

company with an option to buy the residen-

tial marketing and installations division. I

moved over in October 1992, but soon

realised that it was not going to work, as

the company was essentially bankrupt.

I was then introduced to a concrete

paving block manufacturer, Angelus

Block, run by third-generation Italians.

The owner of the company, Mario

Antonini, suggested I start a paving

company using his pavers. He helped

me get System Paving going in Newport

Beach by setting up a $100 000 line-of-

credit. I was joined by Doug Lueck, who

had been in the industry for some time

and we have been working together for

22 years.

Could you describe your business model?

We adopted a model similar to the

one we had first used in South Africa.

Essentially, we are a marketing, sales and

project management organisation aiming

at middle- to upper-income families. We

don’t manufacture, nor do we employ

labour to install the paved surfaces we

sell. We source high-quality pavers from

manufacturers and all laying work is done

by sub-contractors who follow strict

best-practice installation protocols

set by us. Moreover, we supervise the

installation process and maintain a

hands-on approach with the client.

I transferred my family to the USA

early in 1993 and they underwent a bap-

tism by fire. I mean this both literately

and figuratively, because shortly after

their arrival, we experienced widespread

fires, flooding and an earthquake. How-

ever, the latter proved a blessing in

disguise because many driveways and

other paved areas were destroyed and

the cost of installing paving was covered

by insurance.

In your presentation, you said you were

surprised to find that very few Ameri-

can homes were using concrete block

paving (CBP).

Yes, we found many beautiful homes in

California, but most of them had stamped

concrete driveways and they looked

dreadful. Driveways were lifting every-

where and we realised we had to educate

people about why CBP was preferable.

Once they were re-paved with CBP, our

“Relationship- building really works

– it’s proven itself over and over again.”

Larry Green

clients loved the transformation. In those

early days, we used radio endorsements

which made us sound like a much bigger

organisation than we were. We had to

travel a long way to meet with custom-

ers and traffic was so bad in Los Angeles

that we found we could only manage one

appointment a day.

In 1995 we completed a huge bus

terminal project in Los Angeles and

we had to import 1,3 million paving

block bricks from England. This was

an incredibly challenging project which

involved putting up a 100% performance

bond. We grew up on that job.

Notwithstanding our success in the

commercial sector, we preferred the

residential paving market and in 1998

we decided to focus on it exclusively. It

was at that point that we really started

to grow.

You extended your footprint into other

states such as Oregon, Washington and

Colorado, as well as some East Coast

states. You also began franchising. Can

you elaborate?

Neither the East Coast nor franchising,

which we attempted on a small scale,

really worked for us. However, our limited

exposure to franchising taught us some

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

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systems and it helped us with record-

keeping and installation standards, as

well as selling and training methods. It

was then that we realised we had to

become a training organisation. There

being no model we could follow, we had

to develop our own programmes.

Our peak years were reached in 2007

and 2008, when we were doing ±5 000

projects a year. It was then that we were

approached by a large private equity

group to buy us out for an insane number.

It would have meant gearing the company

heavily and I didn’t want to be a CEO with

so much debt on the books.

Then in October 2008, the financial

markets started to crash and by 2010

sales had dropped to 35% of where they

had been. Despite this, we only posted

a loss in 2009, a year in which our ratio

of marketing spend to sales increased

from 8% to 17%.

We survived this period by develop-

ing a sub-set of outdoor products and

transforming ourselves into a lifestyle

company. A drought in 2010 led us to

promote synthetic turf and water fea-

tures and we also introduced built-in

barbecues, other outdoor elements and

landscape lighting. A landscape archi-

tectural division followed recently, as

did greenscapes and plants. We are now

finding that the more lifestyle products

we sell, the greater our CBP sales.

Part of our survival strategy involved

using our database to reach people to

whom we had already sold, as well as to

those who were on our list, but who had

not bought from us. We felt that once

people knew and trusted us, we could go

back and do other business with them

– and this worked.

Baby boomers formed the largest

segment of our market and as the stock

market recovered, so did the demand

for home improvement. Sixty percent

of housing in the USA is over 30 years

old and outdoor living has become the

fastest-growing segment in the home

improvement market. We are back at our

pre-recession peak levels and projected

growth is at least 10%, if not 15-20% a

year. I am more excited about the work

that I do now than I’ve ever been.

Winning and maintaining the trust of

your customers is obviously crucial to

the long-term viability of your business.

Could you expand on this?

In the old-school paving installation

model, doing one job well and never having

to go back defined success. Our model is

based on long-term relationships which

are grounded on the 25-year warrantee

we offer on paving installations. It’s not

just the paving blocks which are covered,

but the labour and installation work as

well. We always use aggregate in our

sub-base layers 50 mm to 200 mm deep,

together with geofabric reinforcement,

and this ensures that our work lasts a

long time. We monitor the progress on

our various projects very closely and

each project manager oversees 2,5

projects at any given time. I visit our

sites randomly and the greatest joy I get

out of this business is hearing what the

customers have to say.

Setting the highest possible stand-

ards in all facets of our business helped

build relationships with our clients.

Relationship-building really works and

since 2010 it’s proven itself over and

over again.

You mentioned earlier that you have

become a training-based organisation.

What does this entail?

Ours is a low-barrier-to-entry business,

so our focus is on providing excellence to

differentiate us from our competition.

We aim for peak job per formance

and perfection. This involves ongoing

training and translating our mission

into systems and processes. We spend

1,7% ($2 million) of revenue on skills

development and we’ve proved that it

impacts positively on the bottom line.

We wouldn’t be able to fulfil our mission

without it.

Our training is not confined to those

in the field, but involves everyone in the

company. It entails centralised core

training of all the basic skills, as well as

leadership development. Sales people

are flown in from our nine dif ferent

offices to our training centre in Santa

Ana, California and we pay them a basic

salary during the training week. Although

our paving crews are sub-contractors,

we train them how to lay pavers in line

with our standards and specifications,

which are the highest in the industry.

Incidentally, we also teach them how to

manage their accounts – in other words,

how to make money.

We use role-playing and videos ex-

tensively in sales training. We cover

problem-solving, creativity and new

product induction. Leadership manage-

ment, culture inspiration, motivation,

follow-up evaluation, chairing meetings

and corrective action are also part of

our curriculum. Additional training in-

cludes advanced sales techniques, sales

manager to branch manager training, and

construction manager training.

Our sales people undergo a role-play

test at the end of the first week and

“If you’re not failing some of the time, you’re not pushing

the envelope.”

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

the pass mark is 80%. However, we

give those who don’t make it a second

chance, but they must achieve 80%

in order to continue working for us.

We insist on this figure because we

need highly skilled sales people for our

business model to work, which is based

on closing 25% of our leads.

One of our biggest challenges is finding

people to promote and replacing those

who leave us. We have two full-time

recruiters and we examine personality

profiles very closely before we hire.

How do you generate sales leads?

We use several tools, many of them

linked to relationship-building. These

include physical mailshots, emails,

referrals, door-to-door canvassing, radio

advertising, newspaper advertising,

home improvement shows, seminars,

newsletters and sweepstakes. All our

leads are channelled into a large database

which we work continuously. Referrals

are very important to us and we give

$500 for each successful referral. We

also offer $10 000 towards a lifestyle

project for five successful referrals.

We source much of our information

on potential leads from data companies.

They give us a sense of market size and

of our share of it. We rank the cities in

which we’ve done the most revenues and

we give them the highest priority. We

also assess how people live in our high-

value areas, the size of their properties

and their equity in the property.

The sales yield of our various market

tools is analysed regularly. This costs us

around 8% of revenue, on average, with

our internal database marketing efforts

as low as 2-4%. Relationship marketing

is clearly the most effective cost of

acquisition tool we have.

Tell us how you measure

client satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction is where it

all happens. We use a third-party

organisation, Guild Quality, to contact

our customers and we pay them $30

for every survey. These surveys are our

best marketing tool by far and we post

the results on our website absolutely

seamlessly. Every one of our projects

is surveyed based on a set of criteria

we want measured. We score between

92-95% of customers willing to re-

commend us and we build these scores

into the incentives and bonuses for our

sales people and project managers.

What message would you like to leave

our readers?

I believe that failure is an important

component of success. If you’re not

failing some of the time, you’re not

pushing the envelope, which is something

we all have to do if we want to excel.

One of our main drivers is our core

belief that we are creating a better

living environment. It guides all of us at

System Pavers every working day and it

underpins all our decisions. Moreover,

we believe that if we excel at what we

do and do it better than anyone else, the

money will take care of itself. We don’t

sell on price, but on emotion and sharing

special times with family and friends in a

beautiful environment.

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FLEXIBLE MODULAR WALL SYSTEM

YFEL – so called because of its inverted

“Y” shape and its resemblance to the

Eif fel Tower in Paris – was devised

by ReMaCon because of its flexibility

of application in numerous dif ferent

industries that are not the obvious

target for precast concrete products.

“Our first three sales already confirm

this diverse demand,” commented Silvio

Ferraris, the company’s Managing Member.

“One is for shipping company Grindrod

Intermodal, which purchased mainly

4 m-high YFELs – the largest in our range

– to contain and separate a variety of

locally mined high-value minerals such as

chrome and ferro-manganese in granular

and powder form it holds in storage

at its Bluff Road, Durban, and Denver,

Johannesburg, premises prior to export.”

Another is for Remade Recycling, a

Germiston-based company that recycles

various waste materials, mainly paper.

The order from Grindrod Intermodal

was placed in September last year for

a total of 367 YFELs, comprising 164 x

4 m units for Bluff Road and 179 x 4 m

units and 24 x 3 m units for the Denver

facility. The 4 m units supplied to both

storage sites include special corner

units that are designed to intersect a

YFEL wall at right angles to provide for

establishment of a series of separate

adjoining enclosures.

ReMaCon completed delivery of the

Bluff Road units in February and of the

units for Denver in March this year.

The YFEL wall units are transported on site and put in place using a forklift truck or crane.

PROVES A WINNER“YFEL”, an innovative modular precast concrete wall unit developed by retaining block producer and CMA member ReMaCon Products

1 months ago, has won acceptance by a variety of industries requiring easy-to-assemble and moveable walls for containing and separating different types of products.

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

Purchasers of the units are provided with

instructions for installing the walling, for

which either forklift trucks or a crane is

used to lift and place them. The YFELs

are designed to hold support pins used

for this purpose.

Remade Recycling ordered over

60 x 1,8 m-high units that have been

shared among its Kya Sands, Pretoria

and Kempton Park sites. In all but one

instance, they have been installed in

external areas to optimise the use of

space for storage of waste paper, plastic

and other recyclable materials.

The single different application is at the

Kya Sands facility west of Johannesburg,

where some of the YFELs have been

installed in place of the bottom sections

of the sheet metal-clad sides of a waste

paper storage shed as protection from

forklift trucks, which previously damaged

the walls while operating inside the shed.

The third purchaser of YFEL wall

units is a chemical company in North

West Province. ReMaCon supplied over

100 x 4 m YFELs along with a number

of corner units for establishment of

a series of separate enclosures for

storage of various materials involved in

the company’s production processes.

The YFEL is particularly well suited for

storage of dry bulk materials.

“Its great advantage over conventional

storage methods, which invariably com-

prise fixed built-in structures, is that

it can be easily and quickly installed and

reshaped in accordance with changing

requirements for dividing and storing

products of many dif ferent kinds,”

Ferraris explained.

The units are manufactured in heights

ranging from 1,2-4 m.

In addition to the YFELs, ReMaCon,

based in Kempton Park, Gauteng,

manufactures and supplies a wide range

of precast concrete retaining blocks and

also produces a near-vertical retaining

wall system, manufactured under licence

to a UK-based company, which is suitable

for use mainly for retention of large earth

embankments of up to 20 m high, such as

mine tip walls and any near-vertical high

wall structure.

(Right): A special corner YFEL unit, as shown here, intersects the wall at right angles to pro-vide for separate adjoining storage enclosures.

(Below): Grindrod Intermodal is using 4 m-high YFEL wall units to separate high-value minerals stored at its Durban and Johannesburg depots prior to export.

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WECB, best known in the province as a

producer and supplier of pavers and hol-

low blocks, manufactures and supplies

a variety of precast concrete products

developed in-house, as well as a range

of retaining wall blocks under fran-

chise to the Cape Town-based

Greenlock Group.

The new G8 earth

block is also a Green-

lock-designed prod-

uct, which has already

won favourable atten-

tion and proven successful

in the Western Cape since being

introduced there in 2008. WECB,

which has the exclusive franchise for

Greenlock products in Gauteng, com-

menced production of the G8 earth block

in October 2014.

The G8, which comes in a single stand-

ard size of 340 mm x 340 mm x 100 mm

and weighs 18,5 kg, is designed for use

in a variety of applications that include

paving of roads and stormwater drains, as

well as for earth-stabilisation purposes,

such as on embankments and in wetlands.

ULTRA-VERSATILE EARTH BLOCK

“This is a very versatile, multi-purpose

earth block,” commented Pieter Theron,

WECB’s CEO.

“Due to its unique flexible design, it

can be laid in closed mesh formation,

in standard layout or in what we call

‘economical layout’, each depending on

what the particular application is. The

closed mesh layout would be used typi-

cally for road building to provide maximum

strength and rigidity, the standard layout

is best suited for stormwater channels

and similar applications, while the

open format economical layout

allows ample space to al-

low for soil and grass

between the blocks.

This is the ideal solu-

tion for various soil-

stabilising applications

such as embankments, parks

and other open areas where the soil

may be at risk of being washed away if

left unprotected.”

As its name implies, the “economi-

cal” layout offers cost savings through

the use of fewer blocks to cover a given

area compared with the other two lay-

out options.

If the user seeks to achieve greater

rigidity and stability than already provided

by the four-way locking block design,

metal or plastic cables may be threaded

through holes that are provided in the

blocks to tie them tightly together.

“The profile of the blocks is not uniform

in shape on every side, so they have to be

laid in a particular way in relation to each

other. Therefore, to prevent confusion

and make the installation process as

easy and quick as possible, every block

has a distinctive mark on one corner as

a guide to the installation team for how

it should be positioned in relation to the

others,” Theron pointed out.

WECB produces the G8 blocks in two

compressive strengths: 25 MPa and

35 MPa.

In addition to the Greenlock products,

pavers and hollow blocks, WECB also

produces and supplies solid building

bricks and maxi-bricks.

(Top): The new earth block used for road paving.

(Above): West End Cement Bricks’ Production Manager Denver Rambaros (left) and Sales Manager Rudi Brits display the new G8 Earthlock block at the company’s Westonaria plant.

LAUNCHED IN GAUTENGA member of the CMA, West End Cement Bricks (WECB) of Weston-aria, Gauteng, recently launched an exceptionally versatile earth block

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The company, which introduced a near-

vertical block of its own design in mid-

2014, landed a contract in November,

involving the design manufacture, supply

and installation of over 2 000 m2 of re-

taining walling at the Milkwood Office Park

currently under construction at Umhlanga

Rocks on the Kwazulu-Natal North Coast.

Its client is United African Marine

Shipping, owner of the Milkwood Office

Park development, an addition to its

vast property portfolio in the Umhlanga

Rocks area.

BrickCast’s product is a gravity in-

terlock system that enables a retaining

wall to be built up to heights in excess

BRICKCAST MAKES A BREAKTHROUGHCMA member, Durban-based BrickCast Industries, best known for its precast concrete block paving products, has made a breakthrough into the specialised but growing market for near-vertical retaining wall blocks.

“The parking area retaining wall forms an integral part of the building design.”

of 20 m at an angle of 86˚.

The retaining walls for the Milkwood

Office Park comprise four separate walls.

One is located immediately adjacent to

the office block and flanking one side

of the parking area under the building,

while the other three retaining walls

are situated alongside the access road

leading up to the complex.

“The 5,5 m-high x 90-m long parking

area retaining wall forms an integral

part of the building design as it not only

encloses one side of the parking area, but

the top of the wall meets up with the main

walkway giving access into the building’s

lower floor,” explained Sean Sewnaath,

BrickCast’s CEO.

The three 550 m-long retaining walls

installed alongside the access road to

the office park are all 3 m high.

The retaining wall contract is sched-

uled for completion in May 2015.

In addition to the specially-designed

precast concrete retaining blocks that

BrickCast developed for its near-vertical

retaining wall system, the system features

a polyethylene geo-grid system together

with a blanket-like synthetic fabric that

are laid under the block courses at regular

intervals to tie the wall securely against

the earth embankment. A drainage

system to prevent the accumulation of

water is also installed at the base of the

wall, which is built securely on a starter

base concrete block foundation.

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The telecommunications utility is now

making use of precast concrete poles

supplied by CMA member Aveng Infraset

in place of traditional timber poles to

support phone lines in areas where cable

theft is rife.

It first put the concept to the test

in early 2013, when it embarked on a

pilot project in KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN’s)

South Coast area of Braemer, using

prestressed concrete poles manufac-

tured and supplied by Aveng Infraset’s

Effingham, Durban, plant. A total of 400

x 7 m poles were supplied.

Telkom’s strategy was to run the

pilot project for 10 months to enable

it to prove itself. Having done so, it

has followed up by placing a further five

orders with Effingham since February

last year for poles for installation in two

other areas in KZN and three areas in

the Eastern Cape.

The first of these orders was for

500 x 7 m poles for installation in the

Lusikisiki area near Port St Johns in the

Eastern Cape.

The next two orders consisted mostly

of 7 m poles as previously, but also

included taller poles to provide for dips

in undulating landscape encountered

at these locations. An order placed

with Effingham in September for poles

destined for Sinembe on KZN’s North

Coast near Tongaat comprised 657 x 7 m

poles, 14 x 9 m poles and two 10 m poles.

The company received a further order in

November for poles for Kenterton near

Ixopo in KZN, consisting of 380 x 7 m and

20 x 9 m poles.

Telkom subsequently placed orders

in December and January for Mthatha

and Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape,

for 550 x 7 m poles and 75 x 7 m poles

respectively.

“Telkom is satisfied that our poles

contribute a lot towards solving the van-

dalism problem, so we expect the orders

TELKOM USING AVENG INFRASET CONCRETE POLES TO WARD OFF VANDALISM

Telkom has found prestressed concrete poles to be highly effective in discouraging and preventing cable theft.

from them to multiply in coming months,”

commented Samantha Chetty, Sales

Consultant: Construction Products, at

the Effingham facility.

“A further incentive is that, even when

the poles are not likely to be targeted by

cable thieves, they have the advantage

of durability and a much longer life-span

than timber poles,” she added.

The Effingham plant is one of two Aveng

Infraset plants in the country – the other

being its Brakpan, Gauteng, plant – that

manufacture and supply prestressed

concrete poles for lighting and related

purposes, such as the application now

being put into effect by Telkom.

Among a range of other products the

Effingham plant produces are masts used

for electrification purposes, including

electric lines for railways.

Prestressed concrete poles and

masts are maintenance-free and have

a high strength-to-weight ratio, making

them easy to handle and transport.

Aveng Infraset’s poles and masts,

which are based on a unique design, are

available in a wide range of strengths and

sizes. They are ideally suited to applica-

tions such as power transmission, distri-

bution, telecommunications and overhead

electrical equipment for railways.

(Left): A worm’s-eye view of one of the concrete poles alongside the wooden pole it has replaced.

(Below): Samantha Chetty, Sales Consultant: Construction Products, of Aveng Infraset’s Effingham facility with two Telkom site foremen during erection of concrete poles the company has supplied to replace wooden telegraph poles.

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TRAINING CAN DISPEL COSTLY CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY MYTHSMisconceptions abound in South African

concrete technology – and training is

the only way to dispel these myths that

produce flawed concrete requiring costly

remedial action, says John Roxburgh,

lecturer at The Concrete Institute’s

School of Concrete Technology.

Roxburgh says the Information Centre

of The Concrete Institute stocks a DVD

called Top 10 Myths in Concrete Construc-

tion. The American-produced DVD deals

with the most common concrete miscon-

ceptions in the US construction industry.

“Interestingly, these American myths

differ quite substantially from those we

encounter while lecturing at the School

of Concrete Technology. I would say the

top 10 South African ‘old wives’ tales’,

or misguided philosophies, that crop up

during school classes are:

1. Be very careful not to over-vibrate

concrete;

2. “I have 30 years’ concreting experience

– so I know everything about concrete”;

3. Adding more stone to concrete makes

the concrete stronger;

4. Extended cements always take longer

to set and gain in strength;

5. Just add salt to your concrete to

make it waterproof (very popular among

farmers);

6. To make concrete stronger, simply add

more cement;

7. To make concrete more durable, just

add more cement;

8. The stronger the mortar or plaster,

the better;

9. “Integral” waterproofing admixtures

are an absolute necessity for concrete

water retaining structures; and

10. It is impossible to produce very strong

concrete using cement with a strength

class rating of 32,5N.

“Those with some knowledge of con-

crete technology will realise that many

of the above views are actually partially

true. But the alarming fact is that far

too many people involved in concrete

production do not seem to know which

are partially true and which are absolute

myths,” Roxburgh adds.

The School of Concrete Technology

is South Africa’s leading provider of

education in concrete technology with

its broad spectrum of courses, and

caters for a wide variety of educational

needs within the construction, mining

and concrete-related industries.

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DESIGNING SAFE RETAINING WALLSTerraforce, a CMA member, provides

first-class engineering, management

and specialist technical service to users

of any Terraforce products, aiming to

set industry standards and make a

significant contribution to safe retaining

wall design throughout South Africa and

the world. To illustrate the scope of this

service, we are highlighting some of the

projects utilising Terrasafe, currently

under construction:

The new International Convention Centre

and five-star resort, eZulwini, Swaziland:

At this prominent R500 million project

in Swaziland, the Terraforce walls were

designed as terraces, with the first level

being 2m, followed by 4m steps up to a

total height of 18m. The first terrace

is being constructed with reinforced

concrete infill at 85° and the 4m steps

thereafter, at 80° with reinforced

concrete infill. Double skin walls are also

utilised at specific places, for additional

strength. Geogrid reinforcing to the

backfill is specified at intervals.

Sasol Garage Complex, Mthatha,

Eastern Cape:

This particular site had a relatively new

gabion wall installed that had collapsed

and damaged the concrete columns

supporting the building overhanging a

steep embankment. The client requested

an alternative design and out of a few

options, settled for the Terraforce

system. The Terraforce walls were

designed at 80° for better slope

stability and to simplify construction

due to the limited head space under

the structure. About two-thirds of the

wall is constructed with a double skin

of blocks, partially filled with reinforced

concrete and tied into the back-fill at

regular intervals with geo-grid for extra

reinforcement.

Thaba Moshate Hotel & Casino in Burg-

ersfort, Mpumalanga:

Terraforce rock-face walls are in the

process of being instal led around

the swimming pool area and along

embankments on the property. Two

rows of cheaper grey blocks are used

below ground level, followed by a row of

smooth, flat face blocks (to facilitate a

neat finish where paving meets this level)

and then continued with rock-face blocks

in Kalahari colour.

INSULATING COMPANY USES MAPEI PRODUCT ON SOWETO CHURCH ROOF Multi-Dex 2000 of Edenvale, Gauteng, an

approved applicator of Mapei sealants,

adhesives and chemical products for build-

ing, recently completed refurbishing the

9 000 m² roof of the Universal Church of the

Kingdom of God in Orlando West, Soweto,

using one of Mapei’s insulation products.

“We have tackled a number of difficult

projects, but this job was especially in-

teresting and challenging,” said Warren

Botha, Director of the company.

“We were working 18 m off the ground

and experienced delays as a result of high

winds that made it unsafe to handle the

sheets of insulation and torch-on wa-

terproofing. Added to this, the roof was

dome-shaped and presented a 35-50˚

gradient that was difficult to measure, let

alone work on.

“In spite of this, we still managed to

complete the project in seven weeks.

For the final protective finish, we used

Mapei’s Polypaint Alu, which is easy to

apply and gives reliable and exceptionally

good results.”

Mapei’s Polypaint Alu is a versatile,

water-based, effective silver paint de-

signed to protect talc, sand and granu-

lated bituminous polymer membranes,

as well as unprotected liquid bituminous

coatings, from UV sunlight.

“We have been using Mapei products

for about three years now,” commented

Botha. “We regularly use the silver protec-

tive paint, the Mapelastic cementitious

waterproofing mortar products, as well as

other waterproofing products in its range.”

A bird’s-eye view of work in progress during insulation of the domed roof of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Orlando West, with Mapei’s silver Polypaint Alu applied as the final protective finish.

BIRKENMAYER MACHINES INSTRUMENTAL IN BLOCK- MAKING COMPANY’S SUCCESSRustenburg-based block-making company

Cemblocks recently acquired an additional

two Birkenmayer (CMA member) block-

making machines to increase its produc-

tion capacity to 13 million bricks a month.

Cemblocks has only ever used Birken-

mayer machinery during its 32 years in

business and attributes its success, in

part, to quality equipment and the sound

back-up support Birkenmayer provides.

The current equipment of Cemblocks,

which supplies contractors and retailers

within the greater Rustenburg area,

comprises a VB1, purchased when the

company began production, a VB4, two

VB5 block-making machines and one VB6.

“The VB1, purchased in 1981, is a me-

chanical miracle. Birkenmayer assisted

with the plant assembly and we feel this

a key contributing factor to its equip-

ment’s durability,” said Francois Alberts,

Cemblocks’ CEO.

“Despite its age, the plant continuously

delivers 1 500 pallets of product per day

in nine-hour shifts and we have only had

to replace the PLC once.”

B ir kenmayer’s Mon ika Howar th

commented:“An endorsement of this na-

ture proves the durability, reliability and

consistency of Birkenmayer brick- and

block-making machinery and parts.”

Cemblocks’ product range comprises

solid large blocks, maxis, stock bricks,

several paving products, retaining wall

blocks and rock-face bricks. Cemblocks

also manufactures customised products.

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ROCLA SUPPLIES JACKING PIPES FOR WATER PIPELINECMA member Rocla was contracted to

supply a part of the 1 100 m of jacking

pipes for two of the 19 sections for un-

derground construction to the upgrades

for the Palmiet Pumping Station to Sig-

nal Hill Reservoir project currently being

constructed for Rand Water.

Two contractors, Wepex and Esor,

are using Rocla’s 100D jacking pipes

on the project, which commenced in

April 2014 and is due for completion in

November this year.

“The Palmiet/Signal Hill project is an

18-month one with hard rock alongside

residential and national roads needing

to be blasted,” said Luke Woodhams,

Contracts Manager: Pipe Jacking Divi-

sion for Wepex.

“Rocla had the right pipe with good

availability. Its product is of an excellent

quality and we are very pleased with

its service.”

Anton Naudé, Director of Pipejacking

for Esor, commented: “The jacking pipes

need to be able to last the lifespan of the

project, which they will easily do due to A Rocla 100D jacking pipe.

the quality of the pipes. These are huge

pipes that have an approximate mass

per metre of 5 680 kg/m and a mass of

8 518 kg/pipe.”

The Rocla 100D jacking pipe used on

the project has a nominal diameter of

2 500 mm and a proof load of 250 kN/m.

Steel pipes will be inserted into the

jacking pipe for extra support and for

their anti-corrosion properties.

The Rocla 100D jacking pipe is made

from self-compacting concrete and clas-

sified to SANS 677. The self-compacting

concrete renders a good surface finish

and the vertical cast process applied

in its manufacture ensures consistent

thickness throughout the pipe wall, as

well as providing excellent compaction

and bonding to the reinforcement.

Self-compacting concrete contrib-

utes towards increased safety on

the job by eliminating the need for con-

solidation. It is also cost-effective as

it offers improved pumpability, higher

labour efficiencies and shorter con-

struction times.

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KAYTECH INTRODUCES CONCRETE CANVAS CMA member Kaytech has signed a

distributorship agreement with Concrete

Canvas SA to supply geosynthetic

cementitious composite mats into the

South African civil engineering industry,

including road and rail applications.

Concrete Canvas is used specifically

for the lining of culverts, channels, slope

protection and remediation of existing

concrete structures.

Concrete Canvas is a flexible con-

crete-impregnated fabric that hardens

on hydration to form a thin, durable,

waterproof and fire-resistant concrete

layer. Essentially, it is concrete on a

LAFARGE SOUTH AFRICA’S WHITE CONCRETE SOLUTION FOR CHEVRON HEADQUARTERSWhen Chevron South Africa, a leading

ref iner and marketer of petroleum

products, looked f or a landmark

susta i nab l e des ign f o r i t s new

headquarters in Century City, Cape

Town in 2011, Louis Karol Architects

& Interiors proposed a “naked” white

concrete building – but the client

was initially sceptical that the local

construction industry could successfully

bui ld a major structure in white

concrete. As the concrete solution,

Lafarge South Africa, a member of the

CMA, proposed its innovative ArteviaTM

decorative concrete.

ArteviaTM decorative concrete is

a high-quality structural concrete

combining durability and low maintenance

with a high standard of aesthetic finish.

The product is produced with an integral

UV stable colour pigment.

“We believe the Chevron project in-

volved the largest volume of white con-

crete ever used in the Western Cape,”

commented Johann van der Merwe,

Contracts Manager for Stefanutti

Stocks. “The extent of the challenges

that had to be addressed was hard

to envisage, but Lafarge Cape Town

Readymix worked closely with us as a

team to ensure a successful outcome.”

Standing back to appreciate the

overall ef fect, the superb Chevron

building gleams like travertine marble.

While initially it has been expensive

to create, the monolithic external

structure will only require cleaning

every seven or eight years. “We are

overwhelmed by the outcome,” enthuses

architect, Silke. “The building looks

beautiful and demonstrates that in

partnership with Lafarge’s technical

resources, the local building industry

has the construction skills to create a

world-class result.”

roll. It allows concrete construction

without the need for plant or mixing

equipment.

The concrete is pre-mixed so there

is no need for mixing, measuring or

compacting: just add water.

Concrete Canvas consists of a three-

dimensional fibre matrix containing a

specially formulated dry concrete mix. A

PVC backing on one surface of the mat

ensures the material is completely wa-

terproof. The material is hydrated either

by spraying or by being fully immersed in

water. Once set, the fibres reinforce the

concrete, preventing cracking and provid-

ing a safe plastic failure mode.

It is available in two thicknesses, CC5

and CC8, which are 5 mm and 8 mm thick

respectively.

Concrete Canvas can be laid at a

rate of 200 m2/hr – about 10 times

faster than conventional concrete

solutions. It is available in shorter rolls

for applications with limited access. The

speed and ease of installation make it

more cost-effective than conventional

concrete, with less logistical complexity.

Concrete Canvas is a low-mass, low-

carbon technology using up to 95% less

material than conventional concrete for

many applications.

Key properties include:

• The PVC backing on one surface of

the GCCM ensures that the material has

excellent impermeability.

• The fibre reinforcement prevents

cracking, absorbs energy from impacts

and provides a stable failure mode.

• It is twice as abrasion-resistant as

standard OPC concrete, has excellent

chemical resistance, good weathering

performance and will not degrade in UV.

Concrete Canvas has good drape

characteristics and will closely follow

the ground profile and fit around existing

infrastructure. While unset, it can be cut

or tailored using basic hand tools.

Concrete Canvas being installed for channel lining.

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

CHRYSO GROUP APPOINTS ANGOLAN DISTRIBUTORS The Chryso Southern Africa Group has entered into an agreement

with the Luanda-based company, Lunapa, for the distribution of the

Chryso range of admixtures and ancillary concrete performance-

enhancing products in Angola.

Lunapa, based in Benfica, Luanda’s industrial zone, has been

operating for the past five years as a supplier of imported concrete

admixtures for the construction industry.

Business Development Manager of Chryso SA, Luis Ferreira,

says the construction industry in Luanda has been extremely ac-

tive in the past few years and the growth is expected to expand

further into Angolan cities and rural areas as the need for new

infrastructure is being addressed by the government.

The appointment of Angolan distributors is the latest

development in a concerted effort by Chryso Southern Africa to

boost exports to the rest of Africa. Chryso and abe products

are currently being used on several major African infrastructural

development projects, particularly Zambian mining, commercial,

industrial and fuel industry projects – and in Mocambique, where

the Nacala Rail Corridor and other industrial and commercial

developments have, for example, led to major orders.

There are distributors for Chryso/abe operating in several

African countries, including Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana,

Namibia, Ghana and now also Angola. Chryso SA is also planning to

establish distribution outlets in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the

southern part of the DRC.

Norman Seymore, Vice-president of the Chryso Group globally,

recently said the group had decided to concentrate more on

exports to the sub-Saharan African market about three years

ago, when a special Business Development division, concentrating

mainly on African and Indian Ocean islands sales and distribution,

was established.

“Our quest to boost exports is now showing the results we

sought, with the growth in exports to Africa, particularly to

neighbouring states, growing by 25% in total last year. The growth

showed that the Chryso SA Group must continue to seek increased

representation in sub-Saharan Africa. We are also planning to

establish production facilities in east and west Africa,” he stated.

Luanda, the capital of Angola, is experiencing an upsurge in construction activity.

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MTN DATA CENTRE EXTENSION ROOFED WITH ECHO PRESTRESSED HOLLOW-CORE SLABS Echo prestressed hollow-core slabs have

been used to roof a second storey added to

MTN’s Data Centre in Centurion, Gauteng.

The extension followed the use of

(CMA member) Echo slabs to roof the

original single-storey building built in

2012. The second storey has been built

on top of the prestressed slab roof of

the original structure. Grinaker-LTA

(Above): The MTN Data Centre’s second storey under construction, showing the Echo prestressed slabs installed to roof it.

was the main contractor and DSM

Consulting Engineers was the engineering

consultancy involved.

The prestressed roof slabs are 250

mm deep with spans of between of 2,2-

11,5 m. They are designed to carry live

loads of 10 kN/m² and dead loads of 2,5

kN/m². They are mounted on precast

inverted T-beams measuring 420 mm

deep and 630 mm wide, which Echo

subcontracted to ENCON to design and

Civilcon to manufacture.

The beams have been installed on

6,5 m-high reinforced cast-in-situ

concrete columns, most of which feature

rebar that protrudes through the slab

roof to support solar panels and other

plant to be mounted on the roof.

A lightweight politerm screed-to-falls

has been installed over the slabs, followed

by a second screed covering to take a

dual layer of waterproofing.

SIKA ACQUIRES DURO-MOZA OF MOZAMBIQUECMA member Sika has acquired the

assets of Duro-Moza, a Mozam-

bique-based company producing spe-

cialised mortar and tile adhesives.

The transaction will accelerate

the development and market

penetration of Sika Mozambique,

which Sika founded last year.

The acquisition provides Sika

Mozambique with an ideal start

in the market, giving immediate

access to its own production

facility and to an established cus-

tomer base in the fast-growing

construction sector.

Maputo-based Duro-Moza has

developed a comprehensive prod-

uct range covering plasters, tile

adhesives, dry shakes, grouting and

concrete repairs.

Don’t miss out! Book your advertising space in the next issue of Precast magazine.issue of Precast magazine.

THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE

PRECAST

VOLUME EIGHT ISSUE 1 • 2014

CO

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MANUFACTURERS

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CIA

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uality cast in concrete

• Building practice antiquated

• Precast transforms factory into showroom

• Record retaining wall height

CO

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TTEE

MANUFACTURERSA

SS

OOC

IAT

ION

Quality cast in concrete

Building practice antiquateds factory into showroom

Record retaining wall height

Contact Wally Armstrong for more information

Tel: 083 701 3278

E-mail: legweak@mweb.co.za

THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE

CO

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ANUFACTURERS

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Quality cast in concrete

MAKE SURE YOU

YOUR SPOTSECURE

CLICK H

ERE

FOR WEBSIT

E

PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015

40

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PRODUCER MEMBERS

A FICK SEMENTWERKE BKTel: 022 913 2370Province/Country: Western CapePillar: PB

AVENG MANUFACTURING INFRASET (12)Tel: 011 876 5500Province/Country: GautengPillar: PB/PI

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MOBICAST PTY LTD Tel: 044 874 2268 Province/Country: Western Cape Pillar: PB

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MVA BRICKS Tel: 012 386 0050Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PI

PANDA GROUP (2)Tel: 00267 244 2107Province/Country: BotswanaPillar: PB/PI

PORTLAND HOLLOWCORE SLABS PTY LTDTel: 021 972 1111 Province/Country: Western Cape Pillar: PB

REMACON PRODUCTS CCTel: 011 393 5504 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PI

REVELSTONE (CAPE) PTY LTD Tel: 021 761 9739 Province/Country: Western Cape Pillar: PB

ROCLA (12)Tel: 011 670 7600 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PB/PI

SHUKUMA BRICKS Tel: 041 372 1013 Province/Country: Eastern CapePillar: PB

SILVERTON PRECAST PTY LTD Tel: 012 804 4525 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PB

SMARTSTONE (13)Tel: 011 310 1161 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PB

SOUTHERN PIPELINE CONTRACTORSTel: 011 914 8500 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PB/PI

SWAKOP TILES CC T/A NAMIB ROOF TILE COMPANYTel: 00264 6446 3717 Province/Country: Namibia Pillar: PB

TECHNICRETE (6)Tel: 011 674 6900 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PB/PI

TOPFLOOR CONCRETE (2)Tel: 021 951 7700 Province/Country: Western Cape Pillar: PB

VANSTONE PRECAST PTY LTD Tel: 012 541 2056/1808 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PI

WEST END CEMENT BRICKS PTY LTDTel: 011 851 1005/1063 Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PI

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

ASPASA Tel: 011 791 3327 Province/Country: Gauteng

ARQ CONSULTING ENGINEERS PTY LTD Tel: 012 348 6668 Province/Country: Gauteng

BRITISH PRECAST CONCRETE FEDERATION Tel: 044 116 253 6161 Province/Country: United Kingdom

CONCRETE SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICATel: 012 348 5305 Province/Country: Gauteng

ILIFA AFRICA ENGINEERS PTY LTD Tel: 012 362 1473 Province/Country: Gauteng

JC PAVING CONSULTING Tel: 011 431 0727 Province/Country: Gauteng

SEKHUKHUNE & ASSOCIATESTel: 012 993 4776 Province/Country: Gauteng

SNA CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENG Tel: 012 842 000 Province/Country: Gauteng

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TACO VOOGT CONSULTING ENGINEERSTel: 079 505 7840Province/Country: Gauteng

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TERRAFORCE PTY LTD Tel: 021 465 1907 Province/Country: Western Cape

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DOUBELL BRICK MACHINES Tel: 041 585 9060 Province/Country: Eastern Cape

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DICK KING LAB SUPPLIES Tel: 011 499 9400 Province/Country: Gauteng

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HAWKEYE PEDERSHAAB Tel: 00 45 9645 4040 Province/Country: Denmark

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KAYTECH Tel: 031 717 2300 Province/Country: Kwa-Zulu Natal

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OCEM Tel: 0039 055 658 0120 Province/Country: Italy

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AFRISAM SOUTH AFRICA 011 670 5500 Gauteng

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PPC LTD Tel: 011 386 9000 Province/Country: Gauteng

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DECORTON RETAINING SYSTEMS Tel: 021 875 5155 Province/Country: Western Cape

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