Page 37 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
GAUTENG PROVINCE

vited to propose alternatives and for that time, a novel 5. The Union Buildings in Pretoria along the
way of construction was chosen namely a continuous southern slopes of Meintjeskop dominate the skyline
concrete tower using climbing shuttering that could be of the city and has become one of the most famous
adjusted as construction proceeded to accommodate buildings in South Africa. The Anglo Boer War ended in
the changing shape of the tower. Some ground break- 1902 with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging and
ing decisions had to be taken as wind loading data was in 1910 the two former British colonies, Natal and the
not readily available in 1961. Cape and the remnants of the two Boer Republics, the
South African Republic (the ZAR) and the “Free State”
was joined to form the Union of South Africa. As part
26°11′33″S 28°00′24″E of the compromise, Pretoria was designated to be the
administrative capital, Bloemfontein, the legal capital
and Cape Town, the legislative capital. The Union
• The Telkom Joburg Tower, previously the Hillbrow Buildings in Pretoria witnessed many political activities
Post Office Tower. This concrete tower has the same over its hundred years of existence, including the march
diameter from bottom to top and its total height is of the women to claim their rights in 1956, and the
270 m. inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president in 1994.
In terms of civil engineering aspects one cannot fail
to wonder about the excavations and the foundations,
26°11′13″S 28°2′57″E the beautiful retaining walls of stone and the structural
work that has withstood the test of time.

• The Muckleneuk Tower, the most recent tower
of the three in Gauteng was built on top of the 25°44’24.75” S, 28°12’43.17” E
Muckleneuk ridge to the south of the Pretoria city
centre. It is the highest tower in South Africa and
features on a 360° drawing of the highest towers in 6. Leeubrug is a small historic bridge over the
the world’s countries above the observation windows famous Apies River on Elias Motswaledi Street (formerly
in the Eiffel Tower. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup Church Street) in Pretoria with a long history and many
South Africa, the semi government communications stories around it. It is one of the oldest civil engineering
company, Telkom, constructed a large pink soccer structures in Pretoria and four bronze lion sculptures,
ball that was attached to the structure. cast in Glasgow, grace the four corners. The design
engineer was Sytze Wierda, a member of the Dutch
25°45′58″S 28°12′20″E Koninklijke Instituut van Ingenieurs. Cement had to be

◊ Union Buildings

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