Projects

CLIENT: Nelson Mandela University

Services Provided:

• Conceptual design
• Engineering and detailed design
• Construction management
• Commissioning

Project Scope: The two-storey facility comprises a 150-seater dome, has extensive open-plan exhibition space, a 100-seater interactive teaching laboratory with moveable desks, another 60-seater digital space a boardroom and office space. There are six 4K projectors serving the planetarium. The dome is 15m high and consists of steel lattice trusses covered in steel plate forming a permanent shutter. The external face of the shutter has shear connectors welded to it and is encased using 150mm thick shotcrete. Our scope included all engineering elements including civils, structural, mechanical, electrical, access control, CCTV, fire detection/protection, etc. The facility covers approximately 2 900 m2 of floor area.

Features:
Overall features of this project:

• Complex structural analysis of elliptical dome base projection and the consequent 3 dimensional construction set-out of the various elements.
• Large spans without the use of column heads to counteract shear.
• Analysis and prevention of mechanical noise in the auditorium.

Project Value: R 50 million