Ohlhorst Lightweight Building Solutions was presented the Light Steel Frame honour at the annual SAISC (South African Institute of Steel Construction) steel awards on 13 September 2017.

The award was presented for Summit Place, with special mention of being the first high-rise building in Southern Africa to receive a Light Steel Frame façade system with ETICS external cladding.

Summit Place has been noted as a landmark project for light steel frame achievement in construction. The 11-storey office building incorporates 0.8mm LSF steel frames manufactured with window apertures. 60mm and 90mm thick EPS panels were used to form horizontal lines between windows and on the high upstand walls on the roof patio.

“This project uniquely captures all the benefits of lightweight steel frame building, and hence it was selected to be a joint winner in the LSF Category of Steel Awards 2017,” says John Barnard, Director of SASFA. The curved façade walls were made possible by Lightweight Steel Frame facade wall systems. Insulated external cladding with a mesh embedded plaster was applied as it is suited to curves, produced a durable external finish and insulated the office building to reduce the energy required for heating and cooling over the lifetime of the building. “

How does it demonstrate excellence in LSF building? It is fast to install, and accurate – all of the 700 premade external windows fitted into the light steel frame window openings in the wall panels. The low mass of the Lightweight Steel Frame wall cladding eased logistics and made handling on site a lot easier, requiring only a small team of artisans to do the installation.

“This year we had 56 entries reflecting steel as the material of choice, a signal that we have an industry to be proud of. Steel structures of all types are on display due to the all-round efficiency and sustainability of the material. It’s no wonder steel is being used more and more. This did however make judging very difficult,” says Paolo Trinchero, CEO, SAISC.

Judges for the awards included:

• Louis Breckenridge – Executive Director and representing the Constructional Engineering Association (CEA)
• Franco Mordini – Macsteel Tube and Pipe, representing the Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of SA (ASTPM)
• David van Zyl – Chairman of Kwikspace and representing the Southern African Light Steel Frame Building Association (SASFA)
• Amanuel Gebremeskel – Technical Director of the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC)
• Spencer Erling – Retired SAISC Director and expert Steel Awards Consultant
• Dennis White – Director of and representing the Southern African Metal Cladding and Roofing Association (SAMCRA)

Ohlhorst would like to thank everyone involved with the project as well as Clotan Steel who entered Summit Place into the awards.

• Client/Developer: Neotrend
• Architect: Boogertman & Partners
• Structural Engineer: HAGE Engineers
• Main Contractor: GD Irons
• Structural Steel: HAGE Engineers
• Steelwork Contractor: Ohlhorst Lightweight Building Solutions (Pty) Ltd
• Steelwork Erector: Ohlhorst Lightweight Building Solutions (Pty) Ltd
• Cladding Manufacturer and Supplier: Saint Gobain
• Cladding Contractor: Ohlhorst Lightweight Building Solutions (Pty) Ltd
• LSF Supplier: Clotan Steel (Pty) Ltd
• Nominator: Clotan Steel (Pty) Ltd