Placing of reinforcement in column

Week 1: (29November – 3 December 2010) This day, saw me venturing into one of the leading
Construction companies in South Africa- GrinakerLta. The company having assisted in projects such
as the renovation of Soccer City; Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the Nelson Mandela Bridge, to
name a few, this promised to be a fruitful journey.

I went for medical tests as I needed a medical certificate declaring me fit for work, before I could go
on site. Once that was done, an induction followed, where the safety officer went through safety
measures on site, naming things to be on the lookout for. Because the N3 9(the road they were
working on), is close to a township, we were warned to be alert for hijackers or robbers. The other
part of the road is still in use; therefore we needed to be on the lookout for traffic, to avoid
accidents as some the space we worked in was confined. We were further informed on PPE and its
importance on site. Once that was done, I got handed over my certificate and could go on site.

I got the chance to work with three qualified Quantity Surveyors; one junior (Mr. Malaatjie) and two
seniors (Mr. Thorn and Mr. Tshele). Mr Malaatjie started off with a brief overview of what quantity
surveyor’s do. He described them as Cost Estimators/‘budget rollers’. He described the process: as
the junior, he goes down to site to take up measurements, which he then uses together with the
BOQ to calculate a rough estimate of much the project will cost ( or at least costs for the next
month). Together with the seniors, they make provision for extra’s and under. They then evaluate
what they’ve gathered, so as to compile a report on the cost estimates. This all seemed length some,
but I understood that it had to be done. It then gets submitted and at the end of the month,
progress is checked, as he again goes on site to check for work that has actually been done. A
comparison is made between their estimates and the current costs, from here onwards, payment
certificates are produced. I learnt that, this is an ongoing process until the end of the project.

First site visit Being on site, I noticed how big a role safety played and the employees played their
parts and ensured that they had covered their bases. It was apparent that another 20kms of the N3,
Package C, was another project Grinaker had undertaken. Package F, spans 18kms, with workers
working on the actual road (milling), safety rails, gabions, guard rails, channels, pavement, building
walls to prevent cars from toppling into homes, construction of the medians as well as tollgates. The
first site visit turned out to be quite the adventure, as the Mr. Malaatjie patiently walked me
through it, discussing the activities
It needs extra care or else can lead to loss not only in terms of financial loss but also in
terms of loss in the quality. Following are the don’t that should be followed –

This week, I started helping out in the site office. I helped filing documents, including their
estimations and payment certificates. The estimates are filed according to sections corresponding
with the Bills of Quantities. These include: Prefabricated curbs, mass earthworks, Fencing, Gabions,
Road signs, Road accommodation etc. the compiling of payment certificates requires much detail as
the figures of the junior QS need to match the senior’s; the hours, rate and material, otherwise the
company stands to be at a loss. The week went on with basic runnings and chats. I was astonished to
hear about their long hours.

The talks we had opened my eyes to things, to things such as site establishment. It came to my
attention that costs aren’t only related to the ‘structure’ at hand, that they may be indirectly linked.
We discussed Preliminaries and General (P& G’S), and they explained what it entailed and how they
account for it for costing. I understood that it was a percentage of the total tender amount.

I had struggled to understand the tender process, and deemed it appropriate to ask about it. Mr.
Tshele explained how it begins with the owner, hiring consultants (Architect, Engineers, and
Professional Quantity Surveyor). They then produce a tender document, which Contractor’s can bid
on. Whoever gets awarded gets to take on the project. At this stage, they get handed over the Bills
of Quantities and Contractor’s document.

I also learnt that this road got closed in the evenings, for workers to carry on with work. GLMB was
responsible for making sure that it was open by 6am. A penalty was attached to this, so the foreman
had to work efficiently, else the company would be losing money.

Other than updating the file system, I spent the rest of this week on site, learning about
Barriers/Medians, Gabions, Stone Pitching, Blinding and Milling.

We were headed for work holidays, and on the 15th of December, GLMB celebrated 2000 injury free
hours. This was done by a braai and awards given out to the health and safety heads. The rest of the
staff members got tog bags. I realized that this served as an incentive for the workers to work
effectively, and under safe conditions.
1. Works performed during training session • During my training period I have learned about
basement works of Tower A construction. • First of all we make foundation and footings for
Tower in this project we used poured concrete foundation and continuous spread footings.
2. 9. • After completing the foundation works we make basement 2 on the construction site. • Firstly
we make columns for basement2 on site which are 16*16 feet apart. • After that we make walls of
basement2 which are 18 inches thick.
3. 10. Pictures
4. 11. Basement1
5. 12. Basement2
6. 13. Difficulties face in this project and the solution • Because of the rainy season many times
work is affected due to rain. • Many times there is labour shortages occur. • Some column got
cracked due to wrong proportion of water added by labour.
7. 14. Solution for difficulties in project • We can use weathercasts for working season on which
days we find forecasts of rain on those days we off the site in place on Saturday and Sunday. •
Accurate forecast of labour demand is to be necessary. • Engineer should check every time the
right proportions added by lobour.
8. 15. Learning outcome • In this summer training I am learned about various ground details about
civil engineering. • Some of the main objectives of learned things as follows. 1. How to read
drawings. 2. Foundation and footings design. 3. Basement construction details. 4. Ground
experience.
CONCRETE POURING
SLUMP TEST

DAY 11
 DAY 3

SLUMP TEST
CONCRETE POURING
 DAY 2

CLADDING DRILLHOLE INSPECTION

CONCRETE POURING OF FOOTINGS (NORTH TOWER)
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The project that we visited is located at Jalan Klang Lama, Mukim Petaling, and it is combination
of residential and commercial which will be linked to another building across the road. Encorp
Construct Sdn. Bhd secured a contract on 26th December 2013 and expected to be completed
by November 2015 and cost of this project is approximately 100RM million. The size of the land
is around 1 acres and a single 25 storey block plus two levels of basement, parking for
commercial purposes. The ground, first and second floor of building is the business area, 3rd to
6th floor is parking for residential purposes, and 7th to 24th is the residential part of the building.
Companies cooperating in this project are:  AIKBEE TIMBERS (employer)  LT LEONG
SEKUTU (architect)  PERUNDING MAJUJAYA (civil & structural engineer)  KEW &
ASSOCIATES (mechanical & electrical engineer)  PCM COST PERUNDING (quantity surveyor)
 ENCORP CONSTRUCT (main contractor)

DAY 1

READING PLANS
SITE INSPECTION (NORTH TOWER)
5 OBJECTIVES  Experiencing and learning more about construction site environment that will
face after becoming a Quantity Surveyor and entering construction industry.  Understanding
about importance of safety and notes that should be taken before entering to a construction site

for the accidents that may happen there, such as wearing helmet.  Learning about basic
process of construction by observing a real example of working space, plus observing and
comparing topics that taught by lecturers at university.  More understanding about construction
technology of buildings and different methods of constructing, plus explore and identify different
types of building materials.  Giving chance to students for learning about different types of
machinery and their uses by observing, such as concrete mixer, crane and bar cutting machine.
 Helping students for better understanding of construction drawings and details for taking-off. 
Asking questions from supervisors and people working at construction site to gain more
information and learn from their experiences.

1. This picture shows site schedules board such as rebar weekly using on site, casting schedule, and
material delivery on site. Reinforced concrete beams intersects.
2. 9. 9 Mobile access tower use for gaining access to buildings for maintenance and repair.

1. Crane to lift and lower materials and also to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting
heavy things and transporting them to other places.
2. 15. 15 Steel stairs of scaffolding for elevating workers up and down. Bending machine that is used
to bend reinforcement bars.
3. 16. 16 This picture shows preparation of timber formworks and the concrete cover.
4. 17. 17 CONCLUSION At the end of the site visit and experiencing real working space and the
environment of construction, I realized that working at construction site is much more different
and also more difficult, because of the weather conditions and the risks exist. This site visit gave
me a chance to experience and learn what cannot be gained during lectures or tutorials. One of
the first things that I have learnt is understanding the importance of safety which is a basic of
construction, because of all dangers exist on site. Furthermore I have learnt many things by
identifying different types of construction materials and their uses, and also learning a lot about
construction process and methods that are used in Malaysia, plus ma by talking and asking
questions from the construction team who were guiding us at the site. Finally, this site visit
helped for better understanding what I am going to face in future as a Quantity Surveyor, and also
giving me better understanding about construction to help me in my studying, especially for
taking-offs in measurement. In overall, it was a great experience for me.
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INSPECTION OF COLUMN DIMENSION (NORTH

TOWER)
DAY 14
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SORTING & FILING DOCUMENTS

UNIT MONITORING ( PLUMBING WORKS)
DAY 10
PLUMBING INSPECtION
UNIT INSPECTION (BALCONY & LANDSCAPE AREA)
DAY 21
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CONCRETE TESTING
MONITORING PLUMBING WORKS
DAY 7
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WATERPROOFING TEST
ACCOMPLISHMENT UNIT INSPECTION
DAY 9
DAY 6
UNIT INSPECTION
MONITORING PROGRESS

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BASEMENT OBSERVATION (SEWER WASTE AREA)
FOUNDATION WORKS OBSERVATION ( NORTH
TOWER)
DAY 8
 DAY 20

MONITORING & INSPECTION OF MOCK-UP UNITS

MECHANICAL WORKS INSPECTION
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COLUMN CONCRETE POURING

DAY 16

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SITE UNIT OBSERVATION

DAY 7

OFFICE WORKS ( FILING DOCUMENTS)

SOUTH TOWER INSPECTION