Revolutionary design and construction at new Alexander Forbes headquarters
New corporate headquarters for Alexander Forbes in Sandton, Johannesburg
A Flagship Development
One of Zenprop Property Holdings most innovative developments is currently under construction in Sandton, Gauteng. The R840 million development of a new head office for Alexander Forbes at 115 West Street is being funded by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance. Construction commenced in February 2010 and Alexander Forbes is expected to take occupation in October 2012.
The eight storey, 36 950 m2 building will accommodate Alexander Forbes’ 2 200 Johannesburg staff and, for the first time since 1994, most of the firm’s major divisions will be in the same building. This will be Zenprop’s largest commercial property development in Sandton, and in terms of its scale and environmental innovation, will become their flagship South African commercial property.
Construction on a Massive Scale
Given the extent of the project, and the timeline for completion, the construction of 115 West Street is a mammoth task which is being undertaken by the WBHO/Tiber JV. In order to make it happen, workers are on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For their formwork needs, WBHO/Tiber JV contracted PERI South Africa, one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of formwork and scaffolding systems in the world.
Strydom Groenewald, Regional Director for PERI, explains the scope of the project; “The basement parking lot of 50 000 m2 took about four months to complete. That translates as a production rate of 2 825 m2 per week, using 5 000 m2 of PERI SKYDECK aluminium panel slab formwork. There is a total of 8 000 m2 of SKYDECK on site, which is being used for all the horizontal areas.
The timeline for the superstructure was eight months. In this time a horizontal concrete area of 101 000 m2 and a total amount of 43 000 m3 of concrete was poured.
Ground-breaking Design
The new Alexander Forbes head office is an architecturally ground-breaking space designed by Paragon Architects. Environmental sustainability is crucial to the design and the building is registered to be accredited by the GBCSA as a five-star “Green Star” rated building.
Since the health and well-being of staff is one of the central design mandates, it combines plant-filled outdoor areas, natural light, and energy efficient lighting. The circulation of fresh air and temperature control were also key considerations. As such, numerous pause or break areas are incorporated into the design.
In addition the latest available technology will be deployed in high speed lifts and state of the art auditoriums. Other benefits for staff include a state of the art in-house gym, coffee bar and staff restaurant. The property is also across the road from the Gautrain station and in close proximity to the BRT route, allowing staff and clients easy access to public transport, thus reducing vehicle dependence.
Formwork Solutions
The structure is unique in its architecture and comprises many complex vertical aspects. Strydom Groenewald of PERI explains that over and above the supply of formwork, they were involved from the planning stages onwards.
“We worked closely with the WBHO/Tiber JV in resolving the design challenges on this project” he says. “For example, due to its obvious advantages, self-compacting concrete was used on all the vertical walls. This raised concerns due to high pressure on the formwork at the window box-outs. In cooperation with the contractors, our engineers at PERI designed and manufactured special high-tolerance box-outs for the entire project.”
“The special architectural features of the S-shaped scallop walls on the West and East facades of the south building also posed some difficulty. The accuracy and finish required would normally call for highly specialised formwork at a high cost to the contractor. However, we were able to utilise PERI VARIO GT 24 girder wall formwork, made up in 10 m-long units with special radius whalers, ensuring the same quality and tolerance but at a much lower cost.” “In addition, the south facade wall and the north gable-end walls posed a challenge since they required a special texture on the walls.
After considering a specialised, and expensive, rubber form-lining, Paragon consulted with PERI for a custom solution. We produced a sample wall using VARIO and a special timber plank finish which was extremely effective and not as costly.” Trevor Dillon, the Contract Manager for Tiber has been duly impressed by the quality and commitment shown by PERI. “The trusted PERI formwork systems and their dynamic support teams have been integral to the success of the project”, he says.
Already an Award-Winning Project
The WBHO/Tiber Joint Venture has won the Gauteng Master Builders Association’s top award in the GMBA annual Regional Safety Competition. The JV received the FEM Super League Trophy for projects valued at over R500 million for its site safety and health achievements on the 115 West Street office block.
All stakeholders are confident that the remainder of the project will run smoothly and that the new Alexander Forbes head office will become one of the premier properties in the Sandton CBD, an area that remains a retail and financial powerhouse in Southern Africa.
One of Zenprop Property Holdings most innovative developments is currently under construction in Sandton, Gauteng. The R840 million development of a new head office for Alexander Forbes at 115 West Street is being funded by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance. Construction commenced in February 2010 and Alexander Forbes is expected to take occupation in October 2012.
The eight storey, 36 950 m2 building will accommodate Alexander Forbes’ 2 200 Johannesburg staff and, for the first time since 1994, most of the firm’s major divisions will be in the same building. This will be Zenprop’s largest commercial property development in Sandton, and in terms of its scale and environmental innovation, will become their flagship South African commercial property.
Construction on a Massive Scale
Given the extent of the project, and the timeline for completion, the construction of 115 West Street is a mammoth task which is being undertaken by the WBHO/Tiber JV. In order to make it happen, workers are on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For their formwork needs, WBHO/Tiber JV contracted PERI South Africa, one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of formwork and scaffolding systems in the world.
Strydom Groenewald, Regional Director for PERI, explains the scope of the project; “The basement parking lot of 50 000 m2 took about four months to complete. That translates as a production rate of 2 825 m2 per week, using 5 000 m2 of PERI SKYDECK aluminium panel slab formwork. There is a total of 8 000 m2 of SKYDECK on site, which is being used for all the horizontal areas.
The timeline for the superstructure was eight months. In this time a horizontal concrete area of 101 000 m2 and a total amount of 43 000 m3 of concrete was poured.
Ground-breaking Design
The new Alexander Forbes head office is an architecturally ground-breaking space designed by Paragon Architects. Environmental sustainability is crucial to the design and the building is registered to be accredited by the GBCSA as a five-star “Green Star” rated building.
Since the health and well-being of staff is one of the central design mandates, it combines plant-filled outdoor areas, natural light, and energy efficient lighting. The circulation of fresh air and temperature control were also key considerations. As such, numerous pause or break areas are incorporated into the design.
In addition the latest available technology will be deployed in high speed lifts and state of the art auditoriums. Other benefits for staff include a state of the art in-house gym, coffee bar and staff restaurant. The property is also across the road from the Gautrain station and in close proximity to the BRT route, allowing staff and clients easy access to public transport, thus reducing vehicle dependence.
Formwork Solutions
The structure is unique in its architecture and comprises many complex vertical aspects. Strydom Groenewald of PERI explains that over and above the supply of formwork, they were involved from the planning stages onwards.
“We worked closely with the WBHO/Tiber JV in resolving the design challenges on this project” he says. “For example, due to its obvious advantages, self-compacting concrete was used on all the vertical walls. This raised concerns due to high pressure on the formwork at the window box-outs. In cooperation with the contractors, our engineers at PERI designed and manufactured special high-tolerance box-outs for the entire project.”
“The special architectural features of the S-shaped scallop walls on the West and East facades of the south building also posed some difficulty. The accuracy and finish required would normally call for highly specialised formwork at a high cost to the contractor. However, we were able to utilise PERI VARIO GT 24 girder wall formwork, made up in 10 m-long units with special radius whalers, ensuring the same quality and tolerance but at a much lower cost.” “In addition, the south facade wall and the north gable-end walls posed a challenge since they required a special texture on the walls.
After considering a specialised, and expensive, rubber form-lining, Paragon consulted with PERI for a custom solution. We produced a sample wall using VARIO and a special timber plank finish which was extremely effective and not as costly.” Trevor Dillon, the Contract Manager for Tiber has been duly impressed by the quality and commitment shown by PERI. “The trusted PERI formwork systems and their dynamic support teams have been integral to the success of the project”, he says.
Already an Award-Winning Project
The WBHO/Tiber Joint Venture has won the Gauteng Master Builders Association’s top award in the GMBA annual Regional Safety Competition. The JV received the FEM Super League Trophy for projects valued at over R500 million for its site safety and health achievements on the 115 West Street office block.
All stakeholders are confident that the remainder of the project will run smoothly and that the new Alexander Forbes head office will become one of the premier properties in the Sandton CBD, an area that remains a retail and financial powerhouse in Southern Africa.
CHIEF CONTRACTOR
WBHO/Tiber Joint Venture
Contract Director
Jose Correia (Tiber)
Wolfgang Neff (WBHO)
Contract Manager
Trevor Dillon (Tiber)
Arlindo da Costa Jnr (WBHO)
CLIENT
Zenprop Property Holdings (Pty) Ltd
ARCHITECTS
Paragon Architects
CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Sotiralis Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd
WBHO/Tiber Joint Venture
Contract Director
Jose Correia (Tiber)
Wolfgang Neff (WBHO)
Contract Manager
Trevor Dillon (Tiber)
Arlindo da Costa Jnr (WBHO)
CLIENT
Zenprop Property Holdings (Pty) Ltd
ARCHITECTS
Paragon Architects
CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Sotiralis Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd
