The Docklands
Zutari’s technical prowess enables a memorable feat of engineering at The Docklands
The Docklands is a nine-level, mixed-use building situated less than 200 m from the V&A Waterfront Marina in the scenic De Waterkant Village in Cape Town’s sought-after Prestwich Street. Zutari was appointed as the structural engineer to help realise the client’s vision for an affordable yet upmarket apartment building.
“The Docklands development marks a significant paradigm shift in what is possible and achievable in terms of structural engineering in South Africa. It is destined to become an iconic feature in De Waterkant with its cutting-edge architecture and hi-tech interior finishes – a modern new addition to Cape Town’s city skyline,” says Jaco de Villiers, Technical Director at Zutari.
The site housed an existing office building with one level of semi-basement parking, ground floor parking and three levels of offices above that. The proposed new development required three levels of parking and six levels of apartments over the full footprint of the property.
Fast-tracking the construction programme
Tight budget and time constraints meant a fast-track construction programme, which negated the option to build from scratch. To overcome this challenge, the project team came up with an innovative conceptual design that incorporated the existing building. Such a solution required an additional two basement levels to be constructed below the existing four-storey structure, while simultaneously constructing four levels above.
The project team’s technical prowess led them to design a solution that would enable the centre of the building to be kept in place, while excavating and constructing new basements below and adding new floors on top. It was achieved by implementing a novel ‘underpinning’ method, which included constructing new steel micropiles through existing foundations in a four-pile group arrangement per column and connecting the piles to the existing columns with transfer steel pods. The existing structure was then strengthened with steel additions to existing columns to enable new floors to be continuously added on top.
“The implementation of the underpinning method to enable the simultaneous construction of four levels above and two levels below the existing office building is one of those memorable feats of engineering,” says de Villiers.
“The Docklands development marks a significant paradigm shift in what is possible and achievable in terms of structural engineering in South Africa.”
The next step involved carefully excavating additional basements around the newly installed piles. The pile groups had to be braced against slenderness effects during the restricted excavation work. Upon reaching the final excavation level, the team installed new pad foundations and columns under the existing columns. The steel bracing and piles then had to be removed while the topmost floor of the new building was completed.
The innovative underpinning solution, meticulous planning and collaboration of the project team, as well as finishing on time and within budget, were all contributing factors to the project being considered an immense success.
Construction commenced in September 2017 and was completed in March 2019. The building consists of 200 m² retail space, 134 apartments and 160 parking bays, and was ready for occupation in April 2019.
In 2019, the project won a Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) AON Engineering Excellence Award in the category ‘Projects with a value between R50 million and R250 million’.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
