Flexibility, value engineering and high-quality products deliver sought-after luxury apartments

Elematic South Africa’s high-quality precast hollow-core concrete slabs and top-notch service on the Carlswald Luxury Apartments development in Midrand secured the company a good pipeline of work from the estate’s developer, Century Property Developments, going forward.

The Carlswald Luxury Apartments project was no small undertaking. The 470 units, configured in 86 blocks, were developed and built in a single phase by Century Property Developments between May 2015 and October 2016. The development also includes a variety of amenities such as a multi-purpose hall, club house, swimming pool, braai facilities, tennis court with pavilion, children’s play areas, outdoor gyms, a skate park, a bird hide and a Spark School for the children of residents.

Elematic South Africa (ESA) supplied all the precast hollow-core concrete slabs for the project – about 55,000 m2 in total. Hendry Brand of Century Property Developments explains that precast hollow-core slabs were selected primarily because of the speed they offer in comparison to cast-in-situ concrete slabs. Overall, the construction team was able to complete approximately 40 units a month on average – an achievement which would not have been possible without careful planning, co-ordination and team work.

In that respect, Brand is highly complimentary about the service Century Property Development received from ESA. “To begin with, there were a number of different designs that had to be catered for because of the various apartment and block configurations. We used all the different thicknesses of concrete slabs available – sometimes we even used them all on a single floor,” he notes.

He continues, saying that even before the project broke ground, the Century Property Developments team, including its in-house architects, sat with the ESA team to look at ways of optimising the structures for economies of scale, and to value engineer for cost-effectiveness.  “We worked well together because we both like precision, and we like to have things well planned in advance,” he comments.

There was an ESA team on site almost constantly for the duration of the project, measuring up and installing the slabs, which were on the critical path for project completion. Brand reports that Century Property Developments has been very pleased with both the quality of the slabs and the service received from ESA. “In terms of price, quality, service and our working relationship, we really do get the whole package from ESA,” he says.

“We need a high-quality product because we want longevity in our buildings, especially since they are for the rental market. At the same time, we also need to find ways of optimising our costs, which can escalate quickly on a project this size,” he continues. ESA’s willingness to explore options with the client, while maintaining careful attention to detail and not compromising on product quality, helped ensure the successful delivery of Carlswald Luxury Apartments.

“We make every effort to explore options and to value engineer each project with our clients,” notes Craig Webber, director at ESA. “We also try to continually improve on what we have done before.” This meeting of minds has resulted in a good working relationship with Century Property Developments, which has awarded ESA a number of other contracts subsequent to this one. “There are benefits to working with the same contractors and suppliers if we can,” comments Brand.

“The ESA team know what questions to ask, they know how we work and they are extremely thorough. Like us, they take pride in their work. We also find that working with people we know means we don’t have to go through a process of trial and error with a new contractor for every project, because that can result in costly mistakes,” he adds.

The Carlswald Luxury Apartments development has certainly been a success, with only a few units left to let at the time of writing. With one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments available, ranging from 53 m2 to 113 m2, these luxury rental units in a secure lifestyle estate have become extremely popular. The project also saw the development of a good working relationship between Century Property Developments and ESA. With a number of new projects in the pipeline, both parties look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship in future.

About ESA:

Elematic South Africa (Pty) Ltd manufactures precast hollow-core concrete slabs for the South African market. Elematic is a well-established international brand which was established in Finland in 1959 and has since set up precast production plants in over 70 countries worldwide. As part of the Consolis Group, which focuses on research and development in cement and precast concrete products, Elematic is backed by extensive knowledge and experience.  Elematic South Africa supplies the latest available technology in precast concrete products. Its state-of-the-art production facility on Gauteng’s East Rand is ISO 9001 certified and all its products carry the SABS mark of quality.

More information from Craig Webber, Tel: +27(0)11 423 2700  /  www.elematic.co.za