WINNER: STEFANUTTI STOCKS BUILDING KZN - UNILEVER SOUTH AFRICA PTY LTD
The new production plant facility for Unilever in Riverhorse Valley Durban has been designed, from the building and process equipment stages to logistics, thus ensuring that it's environmental impact is as low as possible.
It is an 80 000m2 complex with external hardstands, which includes a 39 000m2 warehouse production facility, office block and external ancillary buildings. The 4 000m2 office block has been designed with a complex off-form finish requiring high quality formwork and concrete workmanship. A specialized concrete mix design was utilised to achieve early strengths and reduce shrinkage. Purpose made steel formwork was manufactured for the external vertical curved cantilevers, which can be split and rotated to use on the opposite elevations. As the element was tapered the form had to be flexible in application on rotation. This project saw a total of 39 000m2 of concrete decks/slabs cast over its thirteen and a half month duration. The success of this project must be attributed to the entire project team, comprising site construction team, professional team and the client.
This revolutionary and eco-friendly production plant was handed over on the agreed PC date within a 13 month period and involved both building and civil works. This project was one of the biggest private sector investments in the country since the soccer world cup. The factory and office block is entirely water neutral, where all the grey water is treated and recycled, including the rainwater off the roof which is harvested in a large concrete tank for use in the facility.
The state of the art ‘green building' is a trailblazing technological development and is the second largest factory in the world for Unilever. It is also expected to be Unilevers biggest global production rate for savoury dry foods designed to produce 65 000 tons per year with an expansion capacity of 100 000 tons.
