Renish Girls High Stellenbosch

The purpose of the project was to replace the existing timber structure that is deflecting and collapsing after 70 years service.

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To comply with the heritage of the building and new building regulations, to keep the appearance the same as the existing structure.

Was the project envisaged in steel from the start? If not – why was it built in steel in the end?

Timber was an option as the existing structure is of timber, LWS was chosen as a new material that will give a long service period in a public building and complies with all regulations.

Give a brief description of the structural framing. What type of sections were used (e.g. hollow, cellular, I beams etc) and why?

LWS profiled sections where used, the profiles differ according to the strength required for each truss design.

Give a brief description of the cladding process (complexity, difficulty, innovation etc)

The 60 degree pitch was a challenge for safe working conditions with long sheet lengths.

Give a brief description of the Light Steel Frame Building element of the project. (Notable features/ achievements made possible by LSFB)

The entire roof was assembled on ground level in sections and then hoisted to roof level with a mobile crane.

Were there any challenges in the fabrication of the project from the engineer’s design – if yes, please tell? Tell more about fabrication and erection process if it was complex, difficult, innovative etc.

With the entire roof structure assembled on floor level it was easier to handle, this was made possible by creating a wallplate level replica of the building at a lower more easily accessible platform.

How did the project team work together (e.g. contractor involved early, challenges/ ease of communication etc.)

All teams communicated from the start, as the existing roof had asbestos slate that needed to be removed first. At a public school this poses many challenges to co-ordinate the time of removal without interfering with the day to day school process. During the construction phase areas had to be hoarded off to prevent access as overhead hoisting was occurring for installing large sections of the LWS roof structure