CR December / January 2010

South Africa: Celebrating a Hundred Years of Diverse Architecture

Centenary Building is a structure that was put up to celebrate one hundred years of innovative architectural ideas in the University of Pretoria. This building was borne out of a competition that was introduced by the university. The building will be used as a lecture hall as well as an examination room.

It has a 300-seater capacity. The Centenary Building gives equal prominence to internal and external space, with much of the circulation occurring on the exterior. This design was made to establish a public interface between the complex and its surroundings.

The spatial continuum of the ramp, the stairwells and moments of pause and rotation undeniably situate the work in the modernist provenance. However, the ultimate merit of the Centenary Building resides in the creation of a microregionalism through the perceptive distillation of a design idiom, specific to the campus of the University of Pretoria.

Ethiopia: Construction of the Bahir Dar Complex

Chinese company Jiangsu Construction beat six local and international contractors to win US$30 million project from the Amhara Regional State.

The project involves the construction of a huge complex in Bahir Dar on a 12 ha piece of land in front of Martyr's Monument. The complex includes the regional president's office, the regional parliament building and 15 conference halls and cultural centres. The parliament building will have a video conferencing facility and a secret ballot casting system, expected to cost US$4 million, according to the official.
The losing tenders for this project included Sprogi of India and CGC of China. MIDROC Ethiopia had also offered it’s tender.

The design was done by Abba Consult, and telephone and other IT installations will be carried out by GCS. Abba Consult has already designed Hope University College and the Addis Abeba Botanical Garden, which lies on 700 ha.

The construction involves diverting part of the Abay (Blue Nile) River so that a new smaller river will circle the complex site before rejoining the main river. There will be three bridges across the new river. The project is scheduled to take three years.

South Africa: Esorfranki Launches New Website

In line with its accelerated and dynamic publicity programme, JSE-listed construction group Esorfranki, has launched a new website (www.esorfranki.co.za) which portrays the exciting new branding of the group and includes all its flagship divisions and companies.

“Above all,” says Esorfranki group marketing manager, Tammy Davies, “we have designed an easy to use, customer-focused site that gives users a quick and comprehensive insight into what the Esorfranki group is all about.

“However, if it’s great detail that is required this is also available on the site, which is easily navigated,” she says.

Davies adds that the website has been developed as a search engine optimised (SEO), content managed site, which ensures that the information is always current.

Tanzania: Tanga Cement Company Hands Over Houses

Tanga Cement Company has built and handed over two residential houses to the Tanga Police. These houses are located in Pongwe (Saruji Village) where there Company had already built and donated a Police Station to serve the community.

The amount spent in the construction of these houses is US$70,000. The Saruji Police Station handed over in year 2008 was constructed at a cost of US$40,000.

Tanga Cement’s contribution made to this Fund from 2007 to present is US$90,000.

As a member of the Tanga Community, Tanga Cement Company is proud to be part of a group initiative that is supporting the Tanga Regional Police.

Botswana: Moropule B Power Project

Construction of the 600 mw Morupule B phase 1 power station has begun with the first output expected in January 2012. The project is expected to solve the country’s power problem. The contractor is China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC).

The Morupule B power station, which is executed on an Engineering-procurement-construction(EPC)/ Turnkey basis, entails the engineering design, manufacturing, procurement, construction and commissioning of 4 of 1500 MW units.

The first 150MW unit is expected to be in service by January 2012, and the last unit is expected to be in service by October 2012.

Congo: Renovating one of the longest Electricity links in the World

Renovation of 1700km km Inga-Kolwezi power line is underway. This is one of the longest electricity transmission lines in the world. International power automation group ABB has won a US$107 million order from the Democratic Republic of Congo's power utility to upgrade power transmission systems in that country.

The link uses high-voltage direct current technology to transmit power from the Inga Falls hydropower station on the Congo River to the mining district of Katanga in the southeast of the country. It also enables excess power to be exported to other southern African countries that are part of the southern African power pool, an organisation set up in 1995 to provide reliable and economical electricity to its members, including SA.

The link uses HVDC (high-voltage direct current) technology to transmit power from the Inga Falls hydropower station on the Congo River to the mining district of Katanga in the south-east of the country. It also enables excess power to be exported to the Southern African Power Pool countries.

ABB will be responsible for system engineering, including design, supply and installation of new thyristor valves, high-voltage apparatus and ABB’s MACH2 control and protection system. The project is scheduled for delivery in 2013.

Dubai: Construction of the Marina 101 Tower

The under construction Marina 101 is a one hundred and one floor, 425 m-tall tower close to the Palm Jumeirah and the exclusive Dubai Marina megaproject.
The Marina 101 joins the exclusive set of supertall towers, those iconic high-rise buildings more than one hundred floors high.

The tower's central cast-in-place concrete core and the imposing columned facade are being constructed in record time with Doka's Platform SCP automatic climbing formwork, alongside its SKE 50 SKE 50 automatic climbers and folding formwork.

Scheduled for completion in 2011 when the first 28 floors will house a luxury hotel with 324 suites and 505 apartments on floors 36 and above, short cycle times for the cast-in-place concrete elements was essential for main contractor TAV Construction.

Doka's SCP system is made to meet maximum efficiency, according to the company, with the site crew totally familiar with the routine, making a four-day cycle for each complete floor standard for the project. And with the number of concreting sections is high at 110, so any time savings on the carcass work are tremendously important.

Switzerland: ABB wins US$104 million Contract

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an a contract worth US$104 million from FEWA (Federal Electricity & Water Authority) in the United Arab Emirates to supply substations that will help increase power supplies in the north to meet a growing demand for electricity. The business will be active for the whole of the first quarter of 2010.

ABB will supply, deliver, install and commission five new 132 kilovolt (kV) substations, and expand an existing one. ABB will supply such products as gas- and air-insulated switchgear, power transformers and capacitor banks, as well as control and protection equipment.

The project is expected to be completed in around 15 months.

Substations are key installations in the power grid that transform voltage levels and facilitate efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protects and controls electrical power.

ABB is the world’s leading supplier of air- and gas-insulated substations covering a range of voltage levels up to 1,100 kV, and has more than 10,000 installations worldwide.

NEW PRODUCTS

Ditch Witch PR100

The new PR100 is the most powerful pipe bursting system to date from Ditch Witch’s range of machines. it is used in pipe bursting. It is capable of fracturing clay, PVC, steel, cast iron or ductile iron pipes, the PR100 features 91 tons of pullback force enabling it to pull in new pipe up to 400 mm in diameter.

Reinforced steel shrouds protect the unit's hydraulic cylinders from damage and debris. Load-sensing hydraulics cause the bursting unit to downshift automatically when load is introduced, allowing for higher speeds during makeup and breakout to increase productivity.

The PR100 is powered by a fully enclosed 45 kW Cummins diesel engine, which operates at just 83 dBA, making it one of the quietest units in its class.
The rod box for the PR100 is mounted on top of the bursting unit, enabling the whole assembly to be fitted into a smaller entry pit and easing operator access.

EVENTS

The Oil & Gas Technology Forum Drilling Day

Date: March 25, 2010
Venue: London
Theme: Maximise Resources and Minimise Risk in Your Drilling Operations through Effective Use of Cutting-Edge Technology and Industry Best Practice Processes.

As operators look to maximise returns and employ new technologies to extract harder to reach oil, effective drilling strategies and technologies come to the fore. This is global event and partiocipants will come from all parts of the world.

Drilling professionals worldwide are put under increasing pressure to cut costs while employing new techniques to facilitate increased production. 2010 will be a busy year for drilling experts – with new projects and tough targets, time is in short supply.

That’s why World Expro magazine is pleased to welcome you to this comprehensive one-day industry-driven event, designed to pack in all the information you need about solutions to your drilling challenges.