Gauteng Piling successfully coped with another rocky challenge in providing the foundations for a new luxury apartment block in Bryanston.
The contract for 153 auger piles for The Hub, a one- and two-bedroomed upmarket apartment block with penthouses in Muswell Road being developed by Renprop, unexpectedly produced solid rock on the northern part of the 4 800-m2 site.
“Fortunately the rocky strata was confined to a relatively small part of the terrain and not as widespread, nor as formidable, as we some we have encountered,” Hennie Bester, MD of Gauteng Piling, stated.
For The Hub apartment block, being built by Vlaming Construction, Gauteng Piling had three weeks to provide 153 auger piles, varying in depth from 3 to 7,3 m. The diameter of the piles ranged from 350 mm to 1,1 m says Gauteng Piling site manager, Keoatlaretse Lekutu.
Auger piles are deep foundation elements that are cast-in-place using flights of various diameters. The process is carried out by auger drills that excavate the piling holes into the soil to pre-designed depths. After reaching the required depths, the auger hole is cleaned, and concrete is placed into the hole from a readymix truck. Reinforcing steel cages are then lowered into the fresh concrete.
“The steel reinforcement cages in the piles for The Hub ranged from 200 mm to 950 mm in diameter. The pile bearing capacity ranged from 400kN for the smallest diameter pile to 4400kN for the biggest,” Lekutu stated.
Gauteng Piling, established by leading Master Builders SA and MBA North personality, Nico Maas (the company’s current chairman), and led by MBA North past president, Hennie Bester, will next year celebrate its 20th anniversary.
A sister company of Barrow Construction, Gauteng Piling has in the past 19 years completed over 1,500 projects and is now one of the major players in the piling industry in Gauteng with a fleet of 20 auger drilling machines, two bore rigs, two cranes, four Grundo hammers, and two lateral support machines.
More information from Hennie Bester, Tel: +27(0)114657751/www.gautengpiling.co.za
