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A national retailer commissioned Paragon Steel Structures to fabricate the internal structure for a large cold storage facility within their existing warehouse in KZN. The “Chocolate Box”, will be a huge cold room in the DC where the chocolate stock will be kept.
This was a challenging project. We were working within an existing fully operational structure with racking and shelving as well as fire prevention pipelines already in place. We also had to ensure the existing girders were not compromised during the installation of this new element.
We began by marking out grid lines from the existing column faces to establish our new steel grid lines. Once squared and with all bay centres verified, we drilled 22mm anchor holes into the existing concrete floor. After clearing out the concrete dust, we applied Hilti HY200 glue, a highly trusted and valued product in construction which is often, as in this case, specified by the engineers.
We marked a level line on each existing column using a Dumpy level. Datum levels were measured to locate the first hole, as specified in the drawings. Holes were drilled into the columns with a Magbase and a M18 core cutter.
When the steel arrived, it was offloaded in a temporary laydown area before being carefully brought inside using a 25-ton crane that had to navigate the tight entrance of the existing structure.
The columns, which were around 20 meters long, were spliced together using splicing plates. Each column was assembled in three sections with splicing plates to hold them together.
On the ground, we joined the pipe braces and vertical bracing, lifting them as a single unit. Once the columns were installed and bolted securely, we moved on to fitting the beams.
The beam installation proved challenging due to the minimal clearance for the 25-ton cranes. However, with careful manoeuvring, we managed to place the beams and then fitted more pipe braces.
Despite the challenges, our team once again proved they were up to the task and delivered the expected results to our client.
Get in touch with our team of experienced structural steel experts to find out how we can ensure your next steel structure project is a success.
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