Stofland Primary School - De Doorns
Department of Transport and Public Works Western Cape
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The scope of the works entails the construction of a new primary school that comprises 36 classrooms, a Hall and Administration block as well as associated playing fields and parking area.
Construction of the structures are not only normal load bearing brick work but also long and high retaining walls which certain sections of buildings rest on. There is a combination of vinyl floor tiles, ceramic and porcelain floor tiles as well as carpets and two stage grinding finished concrete walkways. The hall has castellated designed beams which span 20m over the hall with acoustic ceiling panels horizontal and vertical. 5 different classroom blocks received concrete slabs which formed the second and third floors.
Two concrete PT slabs (netball fields) were constructed, one in the centre between foundation, senior and intermediate classrooms and the other behind foundation classrooms. The natural ground level of the site has a significant slope and a small area which made the design to have many flights of stairs linking walkways of different classrooms. Each block, Grade R, Foundation, Intermediate, Senior, Admin and hall have their own ablution facilities. The hall has a cloak room next to the stage and also a kitchen area.
Admin block comprises of a staff room, reception, principal office, book store, server room, two store rooms and also 3 other offices and walk in safe which can be accessed from two different offices. The school’s design allows for differently able access anywhere and also designated parking areas for ease of access. The main entrance and roadway to parking has a roundabout for ease of traffic movement. The fencing around the school consist of 2.4m high clearvu and vibrecrete fencing.
a.) Since the area where the school is being built is small and the 9.5m natural ground level slope from one end to the other, very deep excavations had to be made with a lot of earth that had to be moved. The area is 70% soft to hard rock which made excavations a strenuous and time consuming activity.
b.) Large retaining walls had to be built before some of the classrooms brickwork could proceed due to the classrooms foundation’s being the retaining walls. This meant that all civil and load bearing concrete work had to be completed and cured before construction of certain classrooms could commence.
c.) As the small area of the school a few buildings overlap which make the ease of access for plant and machinery very difficult, for example concrete trucks that could not reach certain areas as well as concrete pumps not being able to reach certain points to cast concrete.
d.) CPG targets in the De Doorns area is difficult to reach due to De Doorns being a grape farming community and not many locals have the necessary skill to be able to work on site. Also the close vicinity around De Doorns do not have much suppliers or sub- contractors available.
e.) Many local labour have been appointed, but since the grape farming is seasonal work a lot of people from the community want work and constantly demand they be helped which causes some tension in the community and affects the project
Project Overview
Client:
Department of Transport and Public Works Western Cape
Date of Project:
Started: July 2018
Value:
R64,072,656.72
Consultants:
Visser Kapper de Bruin Argitekte (EDMS) BPK – Principal Agent
SBDS Western Cape – Agent’s Quantity Surveyors
Aurecon – Structural and Civil Engineers
De Villiers and Moore – Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Safe Working Practice – Occupational Health and Safety for Agent