Page 115 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE

19. Dams of the Western Cape form a crucial ◊ From top to bottom:
support system for the communities of the area. The ◊ Woodhead Dam
winter rainfall in the Cape Town region has to be stored ◊ Garden Route Casino
to provide water in the dry summers. The many dams ◊ Grandwest Casino
are described in detail in the book by Lani van Vuuren
– In the Footsteps of Giants: Exploring the History of
South Africa’s large dams.

The first rollcrete dam in the world, Knellpoort, near
Wepener was built near Wepener in the Free State. The
Wolwedans Dam near Mossel Bay was the second one
to be built using this novel construction method.

On top of Table Mountain, the Woodhead Dam, which
was built as the first in a series, has the distinction to
have been awarded the American Society of Civil Engi-
neers’ International Landmark status in 2008.

Wolwedans Dam: 34°00’31.79” S, 22°13’21.91” E

The first concrete dam in South Africa was completed
near Calitzdorp in 1918.

20. Wine cellars in the Western Cape have
undergone a revolution and high technological civil
engineering components ensure that South Africa’s
modern wine-making methods make it among the top
wine producing countries in the world despite a highly
competitive environment. Directions to and information
about wine cellars is readily available.
21. Shopping centres, casinos and other
public amenities in around the Western Cape
include many world-class facilities like the Century
City complex which has been developed to operate
as a small city, including residential complexes. Civil
engineering features extensively in the form of such
structures as parking, artificial lakes and services for
these complexes.

Casinos in South Africa are marvels of make belief
structures – a combination of components designed
and constructed by the built environment professions.
Civil engineering mostly hides behind the fancy façades - GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World
and under the hectares of floors.

Some of the casinos one can find are: 33°54’55.36” S, 18°32’39.64” E

- Garden route Casino
- Mykonos Casino

34°11’44.83” S, 22°05’29.17” E
33°04’86.91” S, 18°04’41.86” E

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