Game Shopping Centre – Maputo, Mozambique
Project background
KV3 Engineers were appointed by Racegame Mocambique Limitada in 2003 as civil, structural and electrical engineers for the phased development of a 40 000m2 site situated adjacent to the old race track along Av Marginal to Costa del Sol.
The development consisted of:
- Phase 1 – 6 000m2 Game shopping centre, parking and access roads
- Proposed Phase 2 – 12 000m2 mixed-use shopping centre plus extended parking areas
- An Engen service station
- Bulk services – traffic/road configurations, water, sanitation, electricity and stormwater drainage with controlled discharge into the sea to safeguard the relatively sensitive environment
- Beach defence mechanisms to protect the adjacent beach road
The cost of the Phase 1 development, including the service station, totalled
R33 million. Handover of the structure took place in December 2004.
The method of construction initially considered the merits of a 'tilt-up' system of precast concrete wall panels but finally adopted a more conventional reinforced beam/concrete column system with concrete block infill panels on relatively shallow strip footings. This system was adopted due to the unreliable available resources of suitable crainage in Maputo at the time of construction.
The roof structure of steel lattice trusses and girders was designed to secure the external walling system with a clear span of 55m.
A soil strata of finely grained beach sand and a relatively high water table consolidation of sub-grade materials under building foundations and trafficable areas proved challenging. This problem was overcome by controlled densification of the deeper sub-soils to ensure minimal settlement.
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