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SPECIAL REPORT: SOCCER CITY ukubona Ukubona has partnered with a technologically advanced partner to transfer the technology and knowledge to South Africa Although switchgear is at the core of Ukubona’s business spectrum, the company has cast itself asTRANSCRIPT
SPECIAL REPORT: SOCCER CITY
Ukubona:
Leading the way with switchgear, and high voltage projects
Ukubona, a formidable player in the medium and high voltage sectors, has reached new heights in the industry based on the quality of their work,
performance and cost effective solutions. Ukubona experience, expertise and excellence have enabled it to play a great role in the refurbishment of the South African electrical infrastructure network.
Ukubona started operation in 1989, from small premises in Edenvale, employing only four people, with a key focus on electrical switchgear. The scope of operation was installation, testing, commission and maintenance of the switchgear.
Today Ukubona serves both South African and international markets and has grown to an employee complement totalling 64. Its mission is to be the preferred solutions provider in respect of medium and high voltage electrical equipment to both the public and private sector.
“At the helm is executive chairman, Imtiaz Abdulla who has guided the company through the myriad opportunities that have presented themselves as a result of the infrastructure development on the South African landscape,” says Subash Dowlath, a director at Ukubona.
Ukubona was awarded one of the first electricity infrastructure orders for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link Project. It was tasked to relocate 44kV electrical cabling in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It was also awarded the reticulation of the Midrand Station for the Gautrain project.The company has the ability to re-instate the supply of electricity in emergency situations. It has completed three such emergencies in the past two years. This includes the Kempton Park main electricity supply station where Ukubona had six days from being commissioned to re-instating the supply of electricity. The job required Ukubona to:
Long running contracts at OR Tambo International airport and Ekurhuleni municipality have enabled the company to build strong relationships with these two major
service and maintain the entire medium voltage network at the airport. A maintenance contract for Ekurhuleni municipality’s entire medium voltage cable network has also been running for the past two years.
Ukubona’s footprint has grown significantly with contracts throughout Africa, India, the Middle East, Mauritius and the United States. In India it was
cable project.
The recent surge in the need for various products in the electrical sector, spurred Ukubona to source products worldwide to satisfy its customers’ needs. The highest standards are required in its international partners and their products, to meet the company’s quality standards.
Although switchgear is at the core of Ukubona’s business spectrum, the company has cast itself as
Ukubona has partnered with a technologically advanced partner to transfer the technology and knowledge to South Africa
ukubona
a specialised player in various other areas such as maintenance, specialised projects and supplying high voltage cables and transformers to suit clients’ needs. This enhances Ukubona’s edge in providing a total service for the range of requirements that may arise.
cables and power transformers.
Ukubona’s switchgear division is capable of design, supply, installation and commissioning of medium voltage switchgear. The switchgear range comprises a distribution and transmission type with a fault rating at
experience places Ukubona in a prime position to render a world-class service.
Ukubona’s highly skilled employees have rare jointing
types of cables. Examples are XLPE and oil filled cables. In addition, Ukubona is also a preferred maintenance contractor with regards to design, cable repairs and assistance with diagnostics.
As a result of its involvement in turnkey substation projects, Ukubona has sourced and supplied power transformers from its partners around the world. It has:
Ukubona’s metrical capabilities include the following:
the following products:- Reticulation - Sub stations - Emergency repairs
commissioning and maintaining of MV switchgear.
The management and staff at Ukubona have pledged a commitment from within the company to contribute in a positive and meaningful way to empowerment within society.
Ukubona subscribes to BEE and gender equity, having already received a level 3 BEE score. It is Ukubona’s stated intention to improve its BEE score every year. In
this regard, a transformation committee has been formed to ensure that the goals and objectives of measurable action plans are met.
Skills development is a core component of Ukubona’s
business provides staff with continuous on-the-job
the working week and varies between technical and management courses.
As part of its mission of meeting the objectives set out by the AsgiSA initiative, the company has developed structures, which incorporate black women as shareholders/partners.
Ukubona has recognised the dire need for training and has developed a plan to open a training facility for switchgear and associated equipment. It has earmarked
“This will be a perfect opportunity for black females to be trained overseas as trainers, in order to provide locally based training, under supervision,
ukubona
to all prospective equipment operators. We have internationally respected engineers who will assist with the initial establishment of the centre and ensure a smooth and solid base for the women who plan to own and operate the facility,” says Dowlath.
Ukubona already has numerous female panellists on its wiring team. Its intention is to formalise the team into a company whereby the female panellists would be shareholders and manage their own business. The Ukubona management team will assist the team with business guidance and marketing.
One of the major advantages of Ukubona’s partnership with leading international switchgear company Gelpag/
the-art switchgear production, which has been jointly
engineers, to South Africa for local manufacturing for
team members to then transfer their acquired skills and knowledge to the rest of the team at Ukubona.
In the past this type of switchgear has been imported. “We believe that this technology can and should be manufactured locally. It is for this reason that Ukubona has partnered with a technologically advanced partner to transfer the technology and knowledge to South Africa.”
Ukubona is in the process of establishing an employee share ownership plan, which will be a shareholder of
have spent more than three years in employment will be eligible. A central component of the plan, which is in its final stages of completion, is to include black females
Ukubona has taken the initiative to ensure a better quality of life for all of its long serving employees, by purchasing a block of seven flats to house employees with over ten years of service. The
This article was commissioned by Ukubona. For more information please call 011 608 4736 or fax 011 608 4741. Alternatively, email [email protected]
or visit www.ukubonaelectrical.co.za
Facts and figures
financial years
BEE Profile
Subash DowlathDowlath is an admitted lawyer by profession who joined Ukubona 18 months ago on a
industries, but chose to harness his skills and networks for the development of Ukubona.
means that he is poised for penetration into the municipal and parastatal market, for the benefit of Ukubona. Dowlath has a BA LLB LLM and Diploma ADR, which assist him in integrating his role as Ukubona’s director of business development and legal oversight.
Imtiaz Abdulla
on various other Boards in various sectors
knowledge on government, and strategic
arts expert that encourages focus and discipline in terms of the Ukubona work ethic, to ensure that Ukubona employees, produce at their optimum at all times. Under his leadership, Ukubona has already experienced many successes and is poised for much more.
Trevor Besten
experience from the Entertainment and
and Legal. Trevor is hands on and ensures that Ukubona does not lose momentum.
ukubona
SOCCER CITY > AFRICA’S MELTING POT
By Bev Hermanson
soccer city is possibly one of the most symbolic stadiums to be constructed for the 2010 fifa World cup. There have been a number of notable design elements that had to be researched and sourced, making this a groundbreaking project for south africa.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Every four years, the FIFA Soccer World Cup is followed
by billions across the globe, igniting the passion and
camaraderie of many nations. In 20��10��, as we all well
know, this event is due to be hosted in South Africa, a
first time occasion for the continent of Africa. The
throngs of supporters that will be lucky enough to join
the festivities in the flesh will be testing our infrastruc-
tures, our hospitality, our security, our communications
systems and above all, the facilities at the stadiums
that have been prepared in readiness for the event.
Johannesburg boasts two stadiums that will be used
for the 20��10�� FIFA World Cup™ – Ellis Park and Soccer
City. But it is the latter that will claim the bulk of the
glory, as the opening games and the final match will
be played there.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The design secured the deal
Risk in the architectural profession is a stark reality.
However, that is what Boogertman, Urban Edge +
Partners, the architects, did when pitching to do the
design and architecture for Soccer City.
“In 20��0��0��, we put together a proposal to do a head office
for the SA Football Association. The location suggested
was a sports field in the Wits University/Empire Road
area. At the time, SAFA was preparing to bid for the
hosting of the Soccer World Cup. We already had various
concepts for stadiums that had been put together,
including a possible rugby stadium in Midrand, proposed
for the Golden Lions, so we were naturally interested
in seeing what we could do for them,” says Bob van
Bebber, Project Director: Boogertman Urban Edge +
Partners.
“To help them prepare for the bid, we started looking
at some design options and consulted with the technical
team that was responsible for the staging of the Rugby
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
World Cup back in 19���9���5. In the beginning, all the designs
included structures to support roofing, but we even-
tually cut the roof back, with a saving of R360��-million,
and that was the design choice that went into the bid
books for 20��0��6 and 20��10��.”
When South Africa won the 20��10�� bid, the pressure was
intensified enormously. All aspects of the planning
for the World Cup were examined microscopically.
During the 20��0��6 Africa Cup staged in Egypt, opinions
were being bandied about that the design for the lead
stadium wasn’t iconic enough for a continent such as
Africa. SAFA rose to the challenge and asked Boogertman
Urban Edge + Partners to come up with some more
ideas.
The various symbols considered included reflections
of the mine dumps so characteristic of Johannesburg,
the kgotla defined by the tree, bowls, landscape and
the protea, which is South Africa’s national flower.
However, it was the calabash, symbolising the melting
pot of African cultures, that was finally chosen.
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Proud Project Managers for the upgrade of
Soccer City, Nasrec
PhumafConsulting Engineers
“Containers, or pots, represent sustenance for the
body and mind. In Africa, water and food are in great
demand and they need to be carried and handled in
containers. After a meal, sharing a beer pot that is
passed from one to another while sitting around a
fire, is a great communal activity,” van Bebber ex-
plains. “We played around with a wide variety of shapes,
but Danny Jordaan was looking for something that
was obviously African and the calabash is clearly dis-
tinctive.”
“We took a risk on staying involved. There was talk
that they would just buy the design from us and put
the execution out to tender. But we hung in and even-
tually it paid off. In the end, the design secured the
deal for us.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The new Soccer City stadium is a revamp of the old FNB
stadium that was first built in 19���87. It is located some
distance south of Johannesburg’s CBD, within easy reach
of Soweto, which is home to a vast number of soccer
enthusiasts. Close by, the Expo Centre regularly attracts
huge crowds to events such as the well known Rand Easter
Show, motor shows and other large expos. This entire
precinct has been revamped and now boasts well lit
pedestrian walkways, landscaped verges, CCTV security,
public amenities and new roads leading to the Nasrec
Transportation Hub and a pedestrian mall.
The old stadium comprised two levels of corporate
viewing suites, elevated seating on the western side and
embankment seating surrounding the playing field. As
often happens in a revamp, the existing concrete struc-
ture had not been constructed with the intention of
carrying extra weight in the future and therefore the
roof structure has been designed to be independent of
the seating bowl structure. Using an ingenious piling
solution, the roof structure is positioned on 12 off-
shutter concrete shafts that, along with 120�� inclined
perimeter façade columns, carry the load to the foun-
dations, which have ‘some of the most extreme piles
ever installed in South Africa’ to cope with the load.
The calabash sits on a raised podium, on top of which
is located a ‘pit of fire’. The pot, therefore, sits in a
Upgrade of the existing stadium at Nasrec
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depression, which is the ‘pit’, as if it were being naturally
fired. The pit demarcates the security and turnstile line
separating the outer areas and the secure inner areas.
The structural profile of the existing suite levels and
upper-tier seating of the existing western grandstand
extend all the way round to encircle the pitch. The exist-
ing lower embankment has been rebuilt to consider-
ably improve the view lines of the most popular seats,
while the upper third of the existing embankment has
been raised to form a secondary tier, turning the sta-
dium into a 3-tiered, rather than a 2-tiered, facility.
The upper embankment and the rebuilt lower embank-
ment are accessible from the lower concourse, which is
fed from the podium level. The two suite levels and the
upper tier are accessed via 3-dimensional ramp struc-
tures that are contained within the façade of the pot.
All VIP areas and the stadium management offices
are located behind the main western grandstand. The
suite levels have separate lift and stair lobbies at
each corner for dedicated secure VIP access. New
change rooms, media work areas, auditorium and VIP
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
parking are located within a new basement under the
podium on the western side of the stadium.
The defining moment
The circular plan format of the pot, which encircles
the rectangular seating bowl and field, was selected
to ensure that all façade detailing could be consistent
in plan and section, thus ensuring an easier detailing,
manufacture, and installation process. This further-
more ensured that the 120�� concrete façade columns
would be consistent in shape and form.
The stadium’s façade is made up of fibre reinforced concrete panels, in eight colours and two textures that resemble the shades and textures of the cala-bash. The curved surface is punctured by open or glazed panels that show up when the inside areas are illuminated. There are ten vertical slots, aligned geo-graphically with the nine other 20��10�� stadiums around the country and the Berlin stadium in Germany. These represent the road to the final.
The final selection of came about after An extensive search was conducted to find just the right material
for the façade. The product had to ultimately reflect the
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
essence of the calabash. Having discarded ideas of
composite aluminium, steel, and various roof-sheeting
options, the architects were coincidently introduced to
an extruded fibre reinforced concrete panel called Fibre
C, from Rieder Elements in Austria. The product is sup-
plied in panels with varying surface finishes, honed and
sandblasted, in combination with a variety of earthy col-
ours, to create the unique variegated façade cladding.
The panels, which are light-weight and only 13mm in
thickness, are supplied in 120��0�� x 180��0��mm typical panel
sizes and are fixed to a galvanised steel sub frame. The
panels have excellent thermal properties and have
been subjected to rigorous testing, including hail impact,
water penetration and discolouration tests.
“Finding the correct material for the façade proved
challenging,” says van Bebber. “It took us about three
months to find the right solution. We sent an e-mail
to Wolfgang Rieder, CEO of Rieder Elements in Austria.
Within a week, he was in our offices. He sat with us
and developed a brief and a week later came back
with a proposal. The defining moment for me was getting
that e-mail from Europe late at night and realising
that we could produce the façade cladding at only
10��% more than the original figure budgeted. Essen-
tially, the façade is just about 10��0��% recyclable. The
panels are made on a conveyor belt and cut like cookies.
They are then laid out to dry before being finished
and packed for shipping.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Eight large pedestrian ramps, designed for the efficient
ingress and egress of spectators to the upper levels
of the stadium, have been provided. These ramps,
which also provide vehicular access to all levels, fol-
low the shape of the façade bowl and consequently
change position in plan from one level to the next. In
addition to the sloped façade columns, the other col-
umns supporting the ramps are inclined thereby re-
quiring intricate design analysis and construction
techniques.
Ensuring sound quality
The upper roof, which is cantilevered from an enormous
triangular spatial ring truss, is covered by a PTFE mem-
brane in a colour similar to that of mine-dump sand.
The bottom of the trusses are covered by a perforated
mesh membrane, giving the appearance of a smooth
under-slung ceiling. It is here that most of the sound
speakers are situated to add atmosphere to the venue.
“There are 128 loudspeakers installed, in total. They
are a collection of different models with different dis-
persion angles, all colour co-ordinated to blend with
the roof,” explains Mark Malherbe, Technical Director
of Prosound. “The bulk of the work was up in the roof,
which meant that our technicians had to have all of their
tools on lanyards, so if they dropped, they wouldn’t
actually fall through the mesh membrane. We also
had to construct walkways, as the speakers boxes
are very heavy and the mesh membrane was not able
to support the weight.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
As sound travels relatively slowly, the Prosound tech-
nicians had to digitally align the various sound sources
so that they coincide. The amplifiers were installed at
the catwalk level so that they are easy to access.
These are linked back to a central processor that
sends the signals to them. Infill speakers were addi-
tionally installed to compensate for areas in acoustic
shadows, such as some of the suites.
Over and above the commentary and public address
systems, Prosound further made sure that there was
an evacuation facility that allows manual override of
the sound system if necessary. “The public address
system is multi-zoned, so that specific areas can be
evacuated if the situation arises, without causing
general panic throughout the stadium,” Malherbe
says. “The sound equipment has been designed to
take in the perimeter of the stadium, the passages
and toilet areas as well. From a design point of view,
the cable routes are very important. How the cabling
gets from one point to the next can be a huge issue,
particularly when there has been an existing struc-
ture that’s being renovated, like Soccer City.”
Another huge issue is the noise that is likely to be
generated by the crowds. “The Confederations Cup
was an eye opener for us. We looked at the statistical
analysis of the level of noise coming from the crowds.
The Vuvuzela makes it insane.” However, with just
short of 30�� years experience in the big events and
Rock ‘n Roll industry, the professionals at Prosound
are undaunted.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Conclusion
Due to a critical skills shortage in the construction
industry, the Soccer City project embarked on an ex-
tensive training initiative to provide the necessary
skills required by the project and to contribute to the
development of the local community. A self-sustain-
ing training centre was established by the Soccer City
project near the site, in conjunction with a black eco-
nomic empowerment (BEE) training provider.
As part of their Corporate Social Investment programmes,
GLTA/Interbeton have agreed to construct two class-
rooms at the Bella Primary School in Soweto, opposite
the Hector Pieterson Museum. To this end, Boogert-
man Urban Edge + Partners and PDNA have provided,
at no cost, the architectural and engineering services
respectively to facilitate this.
By the time the first teams run on to the filed, 80�� 0��0��0��
cubic metres of concrete will have been poured, 9���0��0��0��
tons of reinforcing steel will have been placed and
80��0��0�� tons of structural steel will have been erected.
This, in combination with the moving of approximately
120�� 0��0��0�� cubic metres of soil, the distinctive, yet func-
tional architecture and dedicated efforts in the design
offices and on site, will result in the 9���0�� 0��0��0�� seater
Soccer City being transformed into one of the most
striking, impressive and well-equipped stadiums in
the world.
“Although we had a joint venture partner in Populous
from London, we are proud of the fact that a South
African firm did the main architecture for Soccer City.
There are only 17 architectural practices in the world
that can claim to have done a World Cup stadium – one
of them is ours,” van Bebber concludes. <
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
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