The Nizamiye Turkish Masjid in Midrand, seen from the busy highway as one travels between Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the first Ottoman-style mosque in the Southern Hemisphere. The mosque is a smaller replica of the Selimiye Camii mosque in Edirne, Turkey, completed in the 1570s and now a World Heritage Site. The Midrand version is approximately 25% smaller than the Turkish original. Set on 10 hectares on Old Pretoria Road, the Nizamiye Turkish Masjid was built at a cost of several hundred million Rands. The mosque can accommodate 6000 worshippers and is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The video, sponsored by Lafarge was filmed by Concrete.TV and our team took the time to find out about this great site and the complexities of the project and the use of concrete in its dome (which rises 32m) and the four towering minarets (each 55m high).
Other site visits being hosted as part of the Totally Concrete Expo and the African Construction Expo in Johannesburg:
• Alexander Forbes 4-star green building site visit
Wednesday, 28 May 2014 from 15:30 to 18:00
The new headquarters for Alexander Forbes is a flagship 4 Star Green Star rated building, located opposite the Sandton Gautrain Station. This architectural tour will reveal the design processes of a large north west facing building, the workings of a bespoke, responsibly designed sustainable structure that reflects the transparency of a financial services company; and the elements of concrete, exploiting the potential now possible with parametric modelling. Hosted by Paragon Architects.
o Discover how to effectively implement green implements into commercial design
o First hand viewing of revolutionary concrete design and construction
• Gautrain depot site visit
Thursday, 29 May 2014 from 8:30 to 11:00
The Gautrain site visit allows delegates to take a closer look at one of Africa’s most advanced transport systems. After a short ride on the train, attendees will arrive at the Midrand control centre to explore the Gautrain Depot. Delegates will hear about the unique engineering and construction challenges in this large and complex infrastructure project. Hosted by Gautrain Management Agency.
o Discover which challenges this mega project had to face and how they were solved
o Take a look behind the scenes of Africa’s most advanced public transport system
• PPC cement applications site visit
Thursday, 29 May from 9:00 to 15:00:
During a tour of an active construction site using PPC cement, exposure is given to the technical aspects of the cement application process. It is exciting to be exposed to the physical conditions of an active work site where work circumstances and conditions will be experienced first-hand. The reality of the conditions that employees are working under can be seen. This visit will provide each participant with a comprehensive understanding of the exciting process that is undertaken when constructing commercial infrastructure. Hosted by PPC.
o Find out how the use of PPC cement promotes efficiencies at the construction work site
o First hand viewing of cement techniques and technologies that facilitate project completion on budget and on time
