Structural Designs in Th

By Thabang Malaza

5/12/2023

Malaza, T, Mr [25949853@[Link]]
Stellenbosch university
Abstract

Introduction

The Western Cape is seen as South Africa’s most advanced province for many reasons. One
reason is the provinces have structural design history. Some of South Africa’s most iconic
structures exist in this province. From tall skyscrapers, stadiums, ports etc., Western cape
has no shortage of large complex structures. However, for these structures to be possible
many design forms and construction methods had to be refined for hundreds of years of the
province’s existence.
That is why in this report we will focus on two structures that show this refining of structural
design that has allowed this province to thrive, innovate and continue to be as advanced as
it is. The two structures that will be investigated are Cape Town stadium found near the
coastline beaches of cape town and a pedestrian aesthetic bridge called the swing bridge
that can be found at V & A waterfront at the center of Cape Town’s cultural and
entertainment hub near the shoreline.
This report will show and illustrate the design features of each of the two chosen structures.
It will also go into greater detail about the significance, impact and planning behind the
construction and development of these two starters. After this is done, a comparison will be
made of the two structures in terms of their function, level of innovation, cost, key design
elements and other specific criteria used in this comparative analysis. Finally, a conclusion
will be reached to review the important points and information raised in the report.

Body of content

Methodology

To effectively illustrate the design form and features of these structures we must first
investigate key details and important pieces of information about these two structures. The
key details we will investigate will be; the history of both the structures design type and in
terms of its effect on the city, the significance of the structure in the area it exists, the
choice of materials and building techniques used in its construction and lastly any special
extra design features.
Understanding the history of two structures design type and effect on the city is particularly
important in that this will help to show us the decision making and context in which the
project planners, managers, and chief engineers to have concluded that these structural
design forms where the best for that situation and project.
When it comes to why the significance of the structure to the area it exists in is a particularly
important key detail, there is one reason. This reason is that we need to understand why
this specific structure needed to be built and why the city council would allow such a
structure to be erected in the first place.
In the case of why we are using the choice in which materials or building techniques were
used in the construction of the structure, is because this shows how the engineers were
able to make developing and constructing of these structures possible due to their choice in
structural design form of the structures.
Consequently, with the criteria that has been explained above of the details we shall get to
investigate the two structures, it is important that it is said how most of the information for
these details will be acquired from. It should be said that most if not all the information will
come from internet sources, websites and municipality reports and files that can be
accessed by the public.
Indeed, there is the option to call, ask or visit the site the companies and contractors who
worked on the development of the structure, however as I have found when collecting this
information, it has proved difficult as most of the companies and contractors state that they
cannot supply such details to me due to confidentiality. Their websites were not helpful
either as they only promote the services they supply and do not go into detail about their
past and earlier projects. It is for these exact reasons why It was decided that most of the
information will come from online sources.
However, even though the criteria we will use are quite well thought out, during the
acquiring of information a few challenges appeared. One of these challenges was that
specifically for the swing bridge at waterfront, finding any blueprints or design schematics
proved to be not possible so extracting information may prove difficult for that structure.
The other challenge faced is that most of the information about the stadium is from either
tourism sites or Wikipedia, which puts a doubt on the validity of the information gotten.
Finally, with how the criteria that was chosen has been explained in the earlier paragraph
the acquiring of the information should be possible and will thus help to illustrate the
complexity and fascinating details about the two chosen structures structural design form.

Results of investigation
As stated in the methodology a criterion was used to effectively obtain information that
would help to illustrate the structural design form of Greenpoint stadium and the bascule
bridge at waterfront. The results that have been found by using this criterion will be
presented in the following paragraphs for both Greenpoint stadium and the bascule bridge
and will be detailed accordingly.

Cape Town Stadium:

History of design type and effect on the city:

Cape Town stadium also known as cape town stadium shown in figure 1 was constructed
1987 and was later revamped into a 68000-capacitor stadium during the 2 years leading up
to the 2010 world cup. This multipurpose stadium is one of South Africa’s largest and is the
current home of two local sports team being cape town city fc and the DHL stormers rugby
team. The reason the stadium got the revamp it did was because Western cape officials
were not willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money top build a new stadium so they
decided to renovate am existing one to a more modern look.
This type of stadium is called an elliptical stadium and is very common in the world of
football stadiums. This stadium types have been around for 40 years and its complex
geometry is what makes it so popular amongst architects. However, what sets this stadium
apart from other elliptical stadiums is the curved roof. The reason why designer went with
such a roof was because during the lead up to the world cup south Africa wanted to heavily
emphasize the great diversity the country had with its multiple ethnic cultures. They
designed the stadium to look like one of the hats used by woman of the Venda tribe during
important ceremonies or marriage. This is not the only stadium that has a theme inspired to
it as the same was done for FNB stadium in Soweto which is in the shape of a bowl in which
Zulu people drink sorghum bear.
The significance of the structure to the area it resides:

The Cape Town Stadium, located in Cape Town, South Africa, is a significant landmark in the
city due to its role in helping to host a major global event like the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The
construction of the stadium, which was completed in 2009, revitalized the surrounding
Greenpoint neighbourhood/residential area and drove the development of the Cape Town
Stadium precinct. The stadium is now a popular tourist destination and an important venue
for sports and cultural events, contributing to the city's economy and cultural identity.
The Cape Town Stadium has had a profound impact on the city of Cape Town by providing a
platform for international exposure and investment. The stadium's successful hosting of the
2010 FIFA World Cup was a significant moment in the city's history, drawing in millions of
visitors and generating substantial economic benefits for the region (Roux & Ormond, 2013).
Additionally, the stadium has played an important role in promoting Cape Town as a global
destination for sports and cultural events, further enhancing its reputation and cultural
significance (Pike & Page, 2014). The Cape Town Stadium is still one Cape Town's most
iconic symbols of vibrancy and resilience, embodying the city's diverse cultural heritage and
its continued mission towards progress and innovation.

Materials or building techniques were used in the construction of the structure:

As said in the above paragraph on the stadium's history, it said that it had an elliptical shape, a
popular stadium shape design type around the world. Even though this feature of the stadium is the
most prevalent it is not the stadium’s most impressive design feature. When it comes to the outer
shell of the stadium it is actually composed of a woven fiberglass coated with Teflon ([Link]-
[Link], n.d.). This makes the stadium unique as it is only one of two that uses this material as a
base for its outer shell.

The stadium also has a roof that is retractable which was designed to allow air and light in easily
which helped to cut down on air condition costs when the structure was being planned due to the
glass panels used which help to also prevent intense winds and unfavorable weather conditions from
interrupting sporting events ([Link], n.d.). During most of the stadium’s
construction many green and environmentally methods were used in its construction such as the
reusing of old projects into new structures, proper on sight waste management to limit any pollution
as well as the use of substitute materials with a better environmental footprint then the standard
building materials used commonly on construction sites ([Link], n.d.).

V & A Waterfront Swing Bridge:

History of design type and effect on the city:

V & A waterfront is the entertainment and leisure hub for Cape Town as it has some of Cape
Towns’ best malls, shopping centers and restaurants. In this area exists a 40-meter-long
bridge that has quite an interesting design and functionality. The Swing bridge found in this
area is one of the few tourist attractions as (Issuu, n.d.) states that, 2.4 million people
(about the population of Kansas) cross over it every year when they come to the waterfront.
This bridge is a precursor to the original swing bridge that was in the area.
Due to the increase in tourism at V & A this meant the old 2-meter-wide swing bridge which
was there from 1997 to 2016 would be replaced by its larger counterpart a 4-meter-wide
swing bridge in 2016. Swing bridges have an extensive history as a structural design going
back as far as the early years of the industrial revolution. When the project was being
undertaken, the clients wanted the bridge to be bigger, just as reliable, and quick as the old
one and less environmentally affected the local ecological ecosystem of the area (Issuu,
n.d.). The reason they wanted a new bridge was because the old one could not keep up with
the demand of a large population of tourists.

The significance of the structure to the area it resides:

The swing Bridge is a particularly important monument to the waterfront as it forms part of
the history of the continued maritime success of the area (Rossouw and Westcott, 2014). It
still plays a valuable role in both tourism and as well as the management Maritime traffic
that occurs in the area as well as being one of the methods tourists and daily residents of
the city use to navigate and access most of the waterfront and harbour.
Finally, this bridge is a symbol for Cape Town’s continued goal and vision towards more
innovation and progress as this bridge undergoing its upgrade in 2016 showed that the
community of the city deeply appreciate its cultural significance enough to revamp it.

Materials or building techniques were used in the construction of the structure:

The V & A Waterfront Swing bridge is an interesting and complex looking structure with its
unorthodox building style and design being what makes it such an eye-catching tourist
attraction. However, do not let the unorthodox design make you believe that it is purely
aesthetical as some of the weird design choices that were made to help make this structure
very efficient and reliable in the transiting and handling of transport of pedestrians and
maritime vessels through the harbour and waterfront area.
As said before, this is a type of bridge called a swing bridge which connects one platform for
the pedestrians to another while allowing maritime vessels to enter and leave the port
found in the inner harbour. Thus, the bridge is approximately 34 meters in length and has a
width as said by (Henry Fagan Consulting Engineers & Project Managers, n.d.), it is also 4
meters in length in terms of width. In figure 3 and 4 we can see that their cables connected
to a singular upstand beam, according to (Issuu, n.d.), this design configuration of the
upstand beam and cable is not conventional with other swing bridges helps for the bridge to
transfer the load on the bridge to the cables which transfer it to the piled substructure.
Another unique design feature you may not notice is that the bridged had to be designed in
such a way as to combat winds up to 60 km/h from destroying it as well as taken a head on
collision with a ship if communication had gone wrong between the harbor and the ship
control unit (Issuu, n.d.). Strong reinforcement beams and shock dampening joints were
added to the base of the swing bridge to make this possible.
Unfortunately, data on what materials were used in the bridge's construction and its
composition could not be found due to confidentiality by the municipality and city council
being upheld.
Comparison analysis

In this section a comparison will be made between V & A waterfront swing bridge and
Greenpoint stadium to see and contrast how both projects compare to each other in set of
criteria that will be listed below.
The criteria that will be used to compare:

 Function
 Level of innovation
 Key design elements and form
 Cost
 Complexity
 Risks Associated with their construction and use
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Environmental impact
 Year of construction
 Reason of construction

A comparison table between Cape Town Stadium and V & A Waterfront Swing Bridge

Criteria Cape Town Stadium V & A Waterfront Swing Bridge

Function To host sports events or This bridge type serves two purposes
entertainment performances while being that firstly it acts as a path that
housing a people capacity of 68000 can be used to help pedestrians get
(during sport matches) and over water ways that sperate sections
upwards of 75000 during live of V & A waterfront and secondly it acts
events (musical, religious or etc). a s form of traffic control for maritime
vessels using the harbour and water
ways in the waterfront.
Level of invention Cape Town stadium is still regarded Due to it’s Upstand beam and Cable
as one of Africa’s most support system it is still a very
technologically advanced stadiums innovative design in terms of swing
even 13 years removed from the bridges as many swing bridges really
world cup. It is innovative in both more on a central cylindrical column
in the materials (woven fibre glass) support to distribute the load.
that were used to make it as well However, it still follows most of the
as the complex roof design that is design process and principles of normal
only seen in 2 other stadiums in swing bridges.
the world.
Key design  Retractable roof that can  Upstand beam with cable
elements and
 form mitigate the effects of bad attachments to distribute load.
weather in the interior of  Revolving motor and gear found
the stadium. at the beginning of the bridge as
 A shell that comprises opposed to being in the middle
mostly of woven fibre glass of the bridge like normal swing
coated with Teflon. bridges.
 Elliptical shape with a
geometrically complex
curve roof.
Cost R4.4 billion (Villiers, n.d.) R20 million (Invest Cape Town, n.d.)
Complexity With the curve roof design and Due to the inclusion of a upstand beam
woven fibre glass outer shell of the and the motor house being at the
stadium this would have been a beginning of the bridge it can be sad
very complex project to undertake that this project had a high level of
and is why it took the engineers difficulty in making as which means
and construction teams a total 33 there was a high level f complexity
months which is long for a stadium needed to design such a bridge.
project. Usually, a stadium project
will take on average 18 to 24
months to complete, especially for
a stadium of its size.
Risks Associated  Fibre glass is a notoriously  Cape town isa notorious
with their difficult and dangerous hotspot on occasion of being
construction material to work and can subject to earthquakes and
have some bad heath intense storms so at any given
effects when not handled point the bridge could have
correctly to constructionists collapsed setting back the
 Due to the stadium being a construction f it and potentially
moderately tall structure risking the lives of workers if
workers would be in conditions where bad.
constant risk of falling to  Due to the heavy traffic that the
their deaths. water way of the bridge
experiences from maritime
vessels a situation in which
wrong communication occurs
between construction team and
a boat
Advantages  Contributes to boosting  Helps Tourist and pedestrians
tourism when events are navigate between water ways in
hosted as well as being a V & A waterfront.
tourist sight as well.  It is a very fast swing bridge
 Its design includes many taking about 60 seconds on
energy efficient and average to move around, (Issuu,
environmental features n.d.).
helping it be sustainable
and efficient.
Disadvantages  Due to the stadium being  Frequent maintenance is
 under-utilized it actually needed for the swing bridge
costs the municipality R50 because due to its complex
million rand a year in mechanical systems and design
maintenance costs and the it’s prone to break downs and
profit it generates is not over use if maritime traffic is
enough to cut down on this too much.
cost.  Can pose a danger if windy
 Very much isolated from conditions are too strong to any
busy financial hubs or pedestrians walking on it. It
entertainment hubs which does not provide protection
limits the stadium from from such harsh winds.
drawing more crowds and
tourist then it currently can.
Environmental Since this stadium was just a The bridge has little to know
Impact revamping of an existing structure environmental impact as it does release
the environmental impact would any toxic fumes or pollutes the
be low as compared to that of a surrounding area in any way. No
stadium that is to be built in an evidence can be found that it affects
area with some ecological any of the local ecology and marine
presence. Another reason why its animals in the area either.
environmental impact is low is
because of the way the stadium
was being constructed was that
green methods of building and
waste management were used to
lower the environmental impact.
Year construction 2009 2016
finished
Reason for To act as one of stadiums that Due to the increase in the tourist and
construction would host the 2010 world cup residents of the city population the old
during that time and would later swing bridge could not keep up with
be used as the Western Capes demand so the new bridge was made
main provincial stadium. to accomplish this.

Conclusion
This report has been able to show the complexity and interesting structural design forms the
Western Cape has to offer. In the report, two structures were outlined as the two primary
candidates that helped emphasize this point further. The two structures were Cape town
stadium and the V & A waterfront swing bridge which for years continue to draw tourists
and locals to see their complex design and the ingenuity that went into them.
In the outlined method, a criterion was put forward to aid in the finding and investigating of
information about the two structures. These criteria points, being 3 in total, were the
history of the structures and their design form, the significance they have for their local area
and finally the building techniques and materials that went into their development. This
criterion proved vital helping us analyse the resulting data that was collected and was
thoroughly explained in the results of investigation section.
Furthermore, the results of the investigation section of the report showed some interesting
details about the two structures. Information such as both structures in the history criteria
being either replacement or revamp projects shows how efficient and cost thinking the
western cape governing body is. Another detail in the significance criteria is that both
structures play a role in promoting and boosting more tourism in the area helping the city to
get a revenue stream from this. However, the building materials and building techniques
criteria is where you get to see the ingenuity behind these structures. The material used in
the construction of the cape town stadium is still considered 14 years after its construction
some of the most advanced design technology for a stadium. The Swing bridge on the other
hand has a more unique approach when it comes to its design with the upstand beam and
cables it uses to distribute load which is different from any other swing bridge in the world.
The comparison table helped to contrast the two structures in terms of several points such
as function, cost, reason for construction etc. This helped to show engineer and designers
approach and use methods differently to design these complex structures. These points also
helped to show us some of the challenges that these structures faced as we can see in the
disadvantages part things like underutilization can really make a structure look unnecessary
when it is developed with cape town stadium losing the cape town municipality money. IN
the case of the bridge, it is a prime example of how engineers and town planners must make
tradeoffs in their design to meet requirements and constraints as seen with the bridge
potentially being a risk hazard to people in the presence of intense winds and the bridge not
offering any protection in case of this.
Finally, this report has incapsulated the scope of the western cape province's long and
innovative history about certain structures and structural design forms. This report should
give you an appreciation for the provinces continued strive towards better infer structure as
it still is still South Africa’s most innovative and well-built provinces, and the swing bridge
and cape town stadium are testaments to this.

Appendix

Figure 1:
Cape Town stadium (photo: IOL)

Figure 2:

Cape Town stadium (photo: DHL)

Figure 3:
 V&A Waterfront Swing Bridge (photo: Mike Aldous)

Figure 4:

2019 V&A Waterfront Swing Bridge (photo: Marcel Pott)

Reference List
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[Link]. (n.d.). Green Point Stadium in Green Point, Cape Town. [online] Available at:
[Link]
%20Stadium%20was%20constructed [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Wikipedia. (2021). Cape Town Stadium. [online] Available at:

[Link]

Issuu. (n.d.). SMEC South Africa – V&A Waterfront Swing Bridge. [online] Available at:
[Link] [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Rossouw, J., & Westcott, S. (2014). Heritage and regeneration: V & A Waterfront, Cape Town. Built
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Invest Cape Town. (n.d.). Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato officially opens the new R20 million
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[Link]
opens-the-new-r20-million-swing-bridge-at-v-and-a-waterfront/ [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Villiers, J. de (n.d.). Cape Town’s R4.4 billion stadium still costs the city R55 million a year to
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