WINNER: GRINAKER – LTA, "REDEVELOPMENT OF OLD MUTUAL PRECINCT"
The Old Mutual Centre is a landmark building in Durban and has just undergone a facelift to expand and include more parking bays and a new retail arcade. The project stands as a symbol of Old Mutual’s confidence in Durban’s central business district and addressed the demand for on-site parking which is a major CBD requirement. Prior to Grinaker-LTA’s arrival on site a specialist demolition contractor demolished the previous Mutual Building and Gardiner House.
The specific project involved the following: Construction of a new 10 storey parking garage and redevelopment of the existing ground floor arcades and street frontages between and around West, Smith, Gardiner Street and Mercury Lane. The redevelopment incorporated a new central court, four new arcades leading from the street to the food court as well as 70 new shops. The area of the new Parkade is approximately 14 300m2.
The construction generally of the Parkade consisted of the post-tensioned concrete framed flat slab supported on piled foundations with ground beams, concrete columns, lift shaft and stair core. The actual stair units were designed to be built as pre-cast units and these were made of site in our pre-cast yard. The actual placement of the ten floors of stairs took 2.5 days without the need for any additional work to be done.
