10 Company WatCh Company WatCh 11

COMPANYWATCHpRoFILE oF a LEaDInG SoUth aFRICan Company In thE BUILt EnVIRonmEnt

E ver wished you knew an engineer who grasped the wonder of birthing a building that truly works? Who, like

you, believes that purpose and whole, are as important to a development as the finer details? With the capacity to tackle the most complex structures, and the passion to optimise all aspects of their design and execution? If so, you are not alone.

Listed funds, private developers, archi-tects and corporates across Sub-Saharan Africa are turning to Sutherland in droves for this very reason. Perhaps that is why the company’s distinctive black and gold

SutherlandEngineers who really ‘get’ buildings

logo is appearing more and more often on construction sites across the region’s cities.

24 Years of SuccessManagement likes to think of the pheno-menon as a twenty year overnight success. Starting out as a structural consultancy in 1991, the firm has grown over the past 24 years into a fully multidisciplinary, and increasingly international group with a staff of over a hundred. Headquartered in the Nautica Building in Granger Bay, Sutherland now has thriving offices in Tygervalley, Johannesburg, Durban and Nairobi.

Despite all this growth, the company is determined to preserve its ethos of hands-on, personal service from the ranks of junior engineers to the most senior directors.

So what, in a practical sense, do they offer that others don’t? A commercially-minded approach, for one thing. From many years of working with leading property developers, Sutherland directors have learned how to help make developments profitable. Being proactive throughout the feasibility, planning, procurement and construction stages, they help to ensure a well thought-through, cost-efficient and effectively-managed project.

Then there is the complete package of engineering services - Civil, Structural, Mechanical (HVAC, Fire, Wet Services, Vertical transportation), Electrical, Electronic and Façades – coordinated internally by experienced professionals, including in-house architects.

The firm’s roots are in Structural and Civil design - appropriate given the foundation and backbone upon which a building is formed. Experience covers almost the entire range of building types, often on steep sites and challenging geotechnical conditions, as well as deep basements with extensive lateral support and piling, aided by Prokon, Tekla and Revit software.

On the Civil Engineering front, Sutherland handles bulk services and earthworksrelating to buildings, as well as the immediately surrounding roads and infrastructural services - optimising

quantities and costs with the latest Civils 3D modelling packages.

Mechanical and ElectricalEleven years ago, Mechanical Engineering was added - the design of systems and pathways that allow a building to function. Sutherland views HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) as more than just an acronym: rather, as the very heart and lungs of a building. As an active member of the South African Green Building Council, the team employs state-of-the-art energy modelling and Revit MEP software to ensure

efficiency and comfort. The division’s rational fire and equipment design capabilities are legendary, and its wet services team is arguably the most experienced of its kind in Southern Africa. Their goal is to ensure an optimal interaction between a structure and the utilities it requires.

In 2011, the group started an Electrical Engineering division - encompassing MV/LV electrical installations, generator and UPS power backups systems, lightning protection, security and access control as well as building management systems for commercial, retail, residential and data

centres – thereby connecting a building to the source of its life and energy.

Façade DivisionSutherland is thrilled, as of June 2015, to announce the formation of its own Façade Division.

Working closely together with the mechanical and electrical divisions’ sub-services, include selecting glazing perfor-mance targets for daylight, glare, thermal transmission and radiant heat exchange; allowing for the effect of façade composition on overall thermal transmission values;

www.sutherlandengineers.com

CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE (CTICC) EAST RIARA APARTMENTS, NAIROBI

PARK CENTRAL, ROSEBANK KINGS TOWER, LAGOS FNB REGIONAL HEAD OFFICE, UMHLANGA

12 Company WatCh

managing modulation to balance opacity and transparency, and advising on façade types/curtain walls/window wall systems, procurement options, zoning and geometry.

Project DeliveryAnother strength that few other consulting engineers can claim is the breadth and depth of Sutherland’s successful project delivery track record in Southern Africa.

Project types include mixed-use, retail, commercial office, residential, hotel and industrial developments of virtually all sizes and descriptions. Recent examples in South Africa include SAPOA award-winning projects such as:

• 90 Grayston Drive, Sandton (2015)• V&A Waterfront Silo Developments (2014)• UCT’s Engineering Building, Cape Town (2014)• The CTICC Expansion, Cape Town• Park Central Apartments, Rosebank• FNB Corporate Head Office, Umhlanga• Unilever Distribution Centre, Durban• DHL Distribution Centre, Isando• WorleyParsons, Melrose Arch• Cradlestone Mall, Krugersdorp

The group is involved in projects in nine countries across sub-Sahara, mainly involving strong local partnerships. These include the Hub Shopping Centre in Nairobi (Kenya), luxury residences in Harare (Zimbabwe), tall office buildings in Lagos (Nigeria), Safaricom Head Office in Nairobi and planned city precincts in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Accra (Ghana).

CultureJust as important to achieving successful outcomes for clients’ projects, is Sutherland’s culture. The firm prides itself on staff who are ‘fun’ to work with, team players, and, albeit serious about engineering, who have an optimistic, can-do attitude with humility and a sense of humour. Training is a passion - the company consistently produces ECSA-registered professional engineers and technicians (40% of the firm’s technical staff).

Sutherland even started its own Achiever Award-winning drafting academy for disadvantaged learners, and has long been involved at board level with the Go for Gold education initiative.

The story of Sutherland’s growth from a small structural engineering partnership into a multidisciplinary powerhouse is based on the premise of its people’s passion for all things engineering - and their determination to find technically sound, economical and sustainable solutions for their clients.

DHL DISTRIBUTION CENTRE AT PLUMBAGO BUSINESS PARK, JOHANNESBURG

WORLEYPARSONS, MELROSE ARCH CRADLESTONE MALL, MOGALE CITY

ZEITZ MUSEUM OFCONTEMPORARY ART AFRICA

V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

STRUCTURAL, CIVIL, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND FAÇADE ENGINEERS

CAPE TOWN | JOHANNESBURG | DURBAN | TYGER VALLEY | NAIROBI

www.sutherlandengineers.com

optimal engineering