Murray & Roberts Western Cape have moved on site to start construction of a R1billion mixed-use development in the Bridgeways precinct in Century City.
This follows completion of the phased bulk excavations on the site by Umzali Civils which started in February and which resulted in a total excavation of around 70 000 cubic metres of material.
Tafadzwa Ncube, project manager for Rabie Property Group, said Murray & Roberts were establishing a site camp and batch plant to feed both this development comprising a conference centre, hotel, offices, showrooms and apartments anchored by a public square as well as an 18 000 square metre Bridge park office complex, the latter of which is being jointly developed by the Rabie Property Group and Growthpoint.
Ncube said the joint batch plant, which has a current discharge rate of 38 cubic metres of concrete per hour, would be capable of discharging 65 cubic metres of concrete once a second hopper was installed. The total cubic metres of concrete to be used for the entire project was estimated at more than 36 000 cubic metres while the total tonnage of steel to be used is expected to exceed 7500 tonnes.
Esorfranki has now started piling more than 1200 piles on site with four piling rigs. More than 1200 piles will be done over the next two months, he said.
Ncube added that the two tower cranes currently on the Bridge Park site would shortly be joined by four more to work on the conference centre and allied buildings.
The conference centre, which is being built to meet burgeoning demand for conferencing in the Century City precinct and to fill a gap in the market, will be able to accommodate up to 900 delegates in cinema style seating and will have a total capacity of 1900 over 20 different venues including 12 meeting rooms and a business lounge.
The project, designed by Vivid Architects, also comprises a 125 bedroom business hotel, a seven storey office block with ground floor showrooms and retail and some residential apartments. The buildings will be built around a public square and over a super basement parking garage.
The project is due for completion by the end of 2015 with the first conferences been hosted in February 2016.
