The alternative construction method employed in the delivery of this Gauteng school reduces the time it takes to build a school from two years to six months.
Infrastructure development minister for Gauteng Bheki Nkosi has hailed the non-traditional construction of Olivenhoutbosch Primary School as a viable way to deliver quality educational infrastructure on time and within budget, to cope with the growing demand for Gauteng educational infrastructure. He described the project as “part of President [Jacob] Zuma’s ‘massive infrastructure development drive”‘.
The six-month alternative construction method (ACM) project was inaugurated by Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane on March 8 2012 and a mere two months later 40% of the project, comprising foundations, walls and part of the roof, has been completed, said Nkosi. The province is implementing the ACM in partnership with the Independent Development Trust (IDT) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The entire building is expected to be completed by July 2012 and the costs will be significantly lower than they would have been had conventional building methods been used. The R33.5-million project will provide 110 job opportunities to the community of Olivenhoutbosch.
The school will ultimately have 27 classrooms, which will house grade R, the foundation phase, intermediary phase and senior grade 7 block of classrooms, an administration block also housing the library and computer room, sports facilities, guard house, paved parking and grounds, security fencing and landscaping around the school.
The method employed in the delivery of the school entails the construction of a foundation and the erection of a steel frame on site while, simultaneously, the walls are constructed at a separate factory site. The wall panels are then mounted on the steel frame, which leads to faster completion of the building; on average six months.
Brick and mortar
The method of construction also includes more environmentally friendly products than those used in conventional brick and mortar construction and among its advantages are the eradication of heat transfer and resistance to rain penetration, contributing to healthy learning conditions, said Nkosi.
In addition to accelerating the delivery of social services this approach enables communities to gain new skills in construction and engineering.
According to Nkosi “service delivery and speedy access to social services remain a key priority of government as a whole and of Gauteng communities. The rapid growth in the number of people living in the province has escalated the demand for social services such as education and health, in line with the birth of new communities and the resultant living patterns.
“This challenge calls for faster and more efficient methods of constructing public buildings and amenities that are both of quality and are sustainable and will enable the efficient delivery of services. The Gauteng Provincial Government, through the leadership of my department, is responding to this challenge through the establishment of a partnership with the Independent Development Trust in developing an ACM for schools. This ACM enables the building of a new school within six months.”
Construction has also commenced in Lotus Gardens and schools are being rolled out in Eldorado Park, Temba, Winterveldt, Hammanskraal, New Eersterus, Soshanguve, Moreleta Park and Freedom Park.
Through this project the IDT will also be involved in the construction of a further 163 grade R classrooms and the upgrading of 42 schools across Gauteng.