SMEC South Africa celebrates two wins at SAISC’s Steel Awards

SMEC South Africa’s Structures Team received top honours at the prestigious African Institute of Steel Construction’s (SAISC) Steel Awards 2020 for the design and build of the V&A Waterfront swing bridge, located in South Africa’s oldest ​working harbour.

SMEC South Africa’s Structures Team received top honours at the prestigious African Institute of Steel Construction’s (SAISC) Steel Awards 2020 for the design and build of the V&A Waterfront swing bridge, located in South Africa’s oldest working harbour.

Bridge swinging

The Project Team was awarded first place in the Bridges Category and was selected as the Overall Winner for the Steel Awards – a coveted win for the team, considering the awards adjudication panel received over 45 entries across nine categories.

Swing bridge in use

The Structures team was engaged by V&A Waterfront Holdings (Pty) Ltd as the lead design firm and structural engineers, working in conjunction with COA Architects and Eadon Consulting, for the replacement of a 22-year-old swing footbridge.

View of completed swing bridge

The smaller swing bridge, built in 1997, was a beautiful and materially efficient structure that impressively opened and closed up to 60 times a day. However, with the further expansion of the Waterfront, the number of people crossing the cut was increasing yearly. The previous 2m wide walkway, which once seemed appropriate, was by 2016 carrying 2.4 million people per year. To keep pace with the demand, a new, wider bridge was commissioned.

The team provided innovative design solutions to a number of technical challenges. Read more in our media release.

Render of swing bridge