The 52 ha Freedom Park heritage site situated on Salvokop Hill overlooks the southern gateway to the City Tshwane. The site is strategically located between the Voortrekker Monument and the University of South Africa (UNISA), which is a fitting location for the celebration of the rich cultural heritage of all South Africans.
It was one of 11 legacy projects launched in 2000 by former president Thabo Mbeki, and aimed to promote unity, peace and reconciliation amongst South Africans. The Freedom Park Museum phase of the heritage site development is known as ‘//hapo’ (pronounced ‘Hlapo’), which is derived from a San expression ‘a dream is only a dream if it is dreamt by the community’
Zutari provided structural, civil, wet and façade engineering services for the 7,100 m² museum complex, which houses interactive exhibits depicting the different epochs of South Africa’s history dating back 3.6 billion years. The asymmetrical, interlinked buildings on various levels of the northern slope of Salvokop Hill represent a cluster of boulders that would typically form part of many African landscapes. The museum also houses an archive area, visitors centre and canteen.
Various stakeholders were involved in the design of the museum, which was especially challenging from a briefing point of view. Zutari was closely involved in decision-making processes relating to the museum, which involved giving serious consideration to a multitude of views and perspectives, and distilling them into a balanced, logical action plan.
The buildings are multileveled and designed to follow the natural mountain contours, creating an easily walkable, flowing route for visitors. Engineering was pivotal in bringing this to life and required extensive interaction with the Office of Collaborative Architects (OCA) consortium responsible for the look and feel of the building. Given the steep slopes of the site, Zutari had to design a series of very technical, high retaining walls.
“The complicated geometries of the museum structures with their multifaceted façades were achieved in close cooperation with various role-players, including the architects and structural steel fabrication drawing detailers using 3D modelling expertise,” says Zutari Project Manager, Tommé Katranas. “To express the architectural concept cost-effectively but as a durable landmark, structural steel was chosen as the only construction material that would accommodate these challenges”, he says.
The primary construction system was a multilevel concrete frame supporting the exhibition floors with a top level of braced structural steel frames. A secondary steel frame system, consisting mostly of angle frames, enabled the sculpting of the complex rock-like shapes the architects required, while providing the flexibility to make late changes and additions to the structure with relative ease. The use of structural steel supported by sophisticated 3D modelling also enabled the fast track contract to be completed in 24 months.
One of 11 legacy projects launched in 2000 by former president Thabo Mbeki, and aimed to promote unity, peace and reconciliation amongst South Africans.
Since Freedom Park opened, it has become a place where both South African and international visitors find a haven to reflect on the past and inspiration for the future.
The success of Zutari’s design solution was reflected in the subsequent Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) award for architectural steel.
After presenting various options for the façade engineering to the clients, copper cladding was selected despite it being a complicated, expensive material. Its advantages lay in its cultural symbolism and the beautiful patina it acquires which adds significantly to the intended rock-like appearance of the buildings. The engineering design challenge was linking a completely different from normal cladding medium to the complex geometry of the steel framework. The interface with glazing was especially complicated and needed careful attention to detail design. The outcome was a unique façade for the museum that enhances the unique character of Freedom Park as a whole.
Since Freedom Park opened, it has become a place where both South African and international visitors find a haven to reflect on the past and inspiration for the future.
“The need to work closely together on the project with all stakeholders and listen to a broad spectrum of opinions from academics and political leaders, to spiritual leaders and the man on the street, was in itself symbolic of achieving the vision for a cohesive South Africa,” adds Katranas. “Last year, it was both rewarding and humbling to see that Freedom Park had achieved a special aura and was a focal-point for well-wishers praying for Nelson Mandela.”
Zutari is privileged to have played a key role in all phases of development of the Freedom Park site, the primary features being the Monument, the landscaped park on the top of Salvokop Hill and the cluster of museum buildings. Zutari was originally appointed as part of a consortium to construct the services infrastructure for the Park as a whole (Phase 1), as well as the civil, electrical, mechanical, structural and wet services for this phase. Zutari, in joint venture with BEE partner Leslie Madinga Associates (LMA), was then awarded the tender for the design of all structural engineering services for the subsequent phases, including the monument (Phase 2) and museum (Phase 3).
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
