Newlands Cricket Ground Development Project

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Newlands Cricket Ground Development Project

The award-winning Newlands Cricket Ground Development project in the Western Cape was constructed by the Stefanutti Stocks Building Discipline between Feb 2019 and March 2022.

Background: The WPCA (Western Province Cricket Association) together with EDUDEV (Development Managers) and other stakeholders had a vision to develop the land around the Western Province Cricket stadium that would generate a long-term income stream to fund. This led to the development of a masterplan for further infrastructure development in the northern portion of the property, as well as re-developing various existing suites around the central cricket pitch.

The Project Scope

The 50 000m2 development included the construction of various parking levels, office spaces, educational block (Varsity college), Sports Performance Lab (for CPUT), a museum, conference centre, entrance block (Campground building) and a pedestrian bridge over the railway line.

Lateral Support
The lateral support around the basement perimeter, that enabled the 50,000m3 bulk excavation for the two levels of basements, comprised a concrete sheet pile system (closely spaced piles with gunite in-between). The six-metre deep basement structures were constructed within close proximity to the existing stadium, to the adjacent property and to the PRASA rail line, and these concrete sheet piles enabled a safe working space within this constrained space. This system proved to be very successful within the Newlands area in Cape Town, which is known for its clay soil conditions and wet winters,

Concrete super-structure: The structural engineers designed the in situ-concrete columns to be spaced on grids of 9,3m x 8,5m with 300x600mm columns used to maximise the parking in the basements, as well as enable a sensible slab footprint for the 280mm flat slabs.

Lateral stability of the building was provided by means of seven reinforced concrete shafts for lifts and staircases. Flat slabs minimise the floor to floor distance to a statutory minimum in basements, and limit the structural depth of upper levels. This allows the maximum number of building floors to be achieved within the overall building height restriction.

The parking levels range between three to five levels below the various upper level buildings. Above these parking levels, three distinct and separate buildings – the six-storey Quadrant, Snake-Pit and Wicket Building together with various other concrete structures – form part of The NCG.

Aesthetic concrete elements
Various off-shutter concrete elements were designed to enhance the aesthetic and durability features of the development. These include:

  • external public benches, stairs and walkways,
  • stair 3, a 15m high element, positioned in the centre of the development,
  • various façade pop-outs, portals and plinths, and
  • exposed aggregate (polished) concrete floors in numerous internal spaces.

Construction methods and systems
The project’s position within the existing precinct and the continued operation of the cricket stadium, meant that space on the site was extremely limited. This far outweighed any other constraints.

The 32 000m3 of concrete was batched off site and trucks entered the site through a small access road off the busy Camp Ground Road. The concrete was then either pumped, craned or transported in small dumpers to its final position. The majority of the concrete was pumped with a static concrete pump through pipelines up to 360-metre long, and teams worked late into the nights to get the pipe lines cleaned and moved for the next day’s pour. A successful outcome was ensured through detailed planning and a huge team effort.

The largest single continuous concrete pour on the proect was 430m3 pumped through a 310-metre long pipe line.

Fast-track construction
The fast-track construction process meant that the turn-around time of the use and re-use of formwork and shuttering had to be optimised. At the same time the concrete curing times had to remain within a safe allowance in terms of concrete strength gained, not only from an ultimate strength point of view, but also limiting deflections and possible shrinkage cracks.

The concrete vertical shafts were cast ahead of the floors using climbing formwork systems, whereafter the slabs were structurally tied into the shafts with dowels. This process enabled the shafts to be built with dedicated specialised input and effort, thus removing it from the critical path of the construction programme.

The team achieved vertical accuracy with less than 25mm tolerance on the 35m high main lift shaft.

3D modelling
The project’s 3D model was displayed to the construction teams during the daily planning sessions to assist them with their planning and coordination.

Health and Safety
The project achieved over 1,6 million injury free man hours, with over 400 workers on site daily, during peak periods.

Achievements

The project placed first in the regional Master Builders Assocation competition and was the recipient of a Fulton Award Commendation (2022).

Notable quantities:  

  • 50 000m3 bulk excavation
  • 200 CFA (continuous flight augured) piles (up to 18 metres deep).
  • 700 600mm diameter piles (up to 15 metres deep)
  • 32 000m3 of concrete (with largest single continuous concrete pour of 430m3)

Customer feedback

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