3 Oct 2019

Tallest Buildings in South Africa

by | posted in: Did You Know, General | 0

Tall, Taller, Tallest… The 5 tallest buildings in South Africa.

South Africa is one of the most structurally and economically developed nations on the African continent.

Let’s have a look at the top 5 tallest buildings in South Africa.

Interesting Facts:

1. The Leonardo is a 55 Floor mixed-use property development reaching 234m.

Its completion in 2019 has made it South Africa’s tallest building, taking over from the Carlton Centre which was the tallest building since 1973. The development will include street-level shops as well as an above-ground podium, where a swimming pool, restaurant and several other facilities will be located. The tower portion of the development will be built above this 4 level podium. An alternative name for the development was 75 on Maude. However, it will only hold that title for a short duration, as Kenya has plans to build the tallest building in Africa within the next three years.

2. The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper and shopping centre located in downtown Johannesburg and reaches 223m and 50 floors.

The Carlton Centre was designed by the US architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Anglo American Properties began construction in the late 1960s by demolishing the old Carlton Hotel and the closing roads to form a city superblock. Excavations for the Carlton began in January 1967 and took two years to complete. Although occupation of the Centre began in 1971, construction was not finally completed until 1974. The building officially opened in 1973 at a total cost of over R88 million

3. The Ponte City Apartments is a skyscraper in Berea, Johannesburg.

It was built in 1975 and is 173m and 55m, making it the tallest residential skyscraper in Africa. The 55-story building is cylindrical, with an open centre allowing additional light into the apartments. The centre space is known as “the core” and rises above an uneven rock floor. When built, Ponte City was seen as an extremely desirable address due to its views over all of Johannesburg and its surroundings. The neon sign on top of the building is the largest sign in the southern hemisphere and advertised for the Coca-Cola Company prior to 2000. It currently advertises the South African mobile phone company Vodacom.

 

4. The Marble Towers is a skyscraper in the CBD of Johannesburg.

Built-in 1973 and is 152m and 32 storeys tall. The structure is made out of a mixture of concrete and marble and has an eight-storey parking garage attached. The building was originally known as the Sanlam Centre. It is located on the corner of Jeppe and Von Wielligh Streets.

 

5. The South African Reserve Bank Building is a 38 storey skyscraper in Pretoria.

It was built in 1988 and is 38 storeys tall. The structure is made of concrete and glass and was the first flush glazed glass tower block in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sources:
Wikipedia
BusinessTech
Commons.
Flickr

 

 

 

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About Candice Van Aswegen

I started working for Leads 2 Business in May 2012 as an Account Co ordinator and more recently the Deputy Head of Department for the Telesales team. I schedule appointments for the Account Executives with potential clients.

22 Nov 2018

What is Contractors All Risk insurance?

by | posted in: General | 0

What is Contractors All Risk insurance?

From the conception, construction sites face a variety of hazards that could cost the contractor and all those involved both time and money if they do not have the best resources in place.

➔ What is Contractors All Risk Insurance?
Contractors’ all risks (CAR) Insurance (also referred to as contract works insurance) is a non-standard insurance policy that covers all risk normally associated with a construction project.
CAR insurance coverage is common for construction projects such as buildings, water tanks, sewage treatment plans, flyovers and airports.
With Contractors All Risks insurance, the insurance company will pay for the partially completed extension to be re-built, so you don’t have to. Without this level of protection, having to pay for the materials and labour costs in rebuilding the extension could cost a small fortune and may even render your company bankrupt.

➔ What does Contractors All Risk Insurance cover?
All Risk Insurance covers all types of building and civil engineering construction including, residential housing or estates, commercial development (such as office blocks, warehouses and shopping centres, hotels, institutional developments etc.) and civil infrastructure (such as roads, dams, storm water and pipelines), protecting the insured against the dangers that may threaten these works whilst under construction. It covers the work you are currently doing on a building site and can be designed to pay for the cost of repairing or restoring anything that is damaged or destroyed, including the cost of the labour, materials and tools.

➔ What are the types of risk in Construction Projects?
1. Property damage – damage to property can include improper construction of structures, damage that happens during a renovation and damage to temporary work erected on-site.
For example, You’ve almost completed a house extension when there’s a fire on site and the extension is partially destroyed. Your contract works insurance covers the cost of repairing the work however the client would be responsible for damage to the existing structure.
Or, you’re building a new commercial property when heavy winds and storms rip off the roof. Your contract works insurance covers the cost of replacing the roof.

2. Third-party injury or damage claims – Third parties, including subcontractors, may also become injured while working at the construction site.

➔ Who is liable to get the Insurance?
The responsibility for getting Contractor’s All Risks insurance falls on the Contractor. CAR coverage may be extended to cover the interests of manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors.
Taking all of the above into consideration, it is important that contractors acquire the necessary cover for their particular projects in order to ensure that they do not experience any unnecessary loss following an incident.

 

To view more articles, please visit the Leads 2 Business Blog.
If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit Leads 2 Business.
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Sources:

Investopedia
Consort
Business Dictionary
Design Buildings
Civilsure

About Candice Van Aswegen

I started working for Leads 2 Business in May 2012 as an Account Co ordinator and more recently the Deputy Head of Department for the Telesales team. I schedule appointments for the Account Executives with potential clients.

18 Jun 2018

How to build customer relationships in your business

by | posted in: Did You Know | 2

How to build customer relationships in your business

Building Customer Relationships is one of the most important things for your business… How do customer relationships drive your business?

Powerful relationships don’t just happen from a onetime meeting or networking event. You need a plan of action to make those connections grow and work for you and your company.

Let’s take a look at a few fundamental steps in order to achieve this.

1. BUILD YOUR NETWORK
➔ Turn contacts into clients.
➔ Add value to the relationship.
➔ Exceed clients’ expectations by under promising and over delivering.
➔ Form personal relationships.

 

2. COMMUNICATION IS KEY
➔ Relationships have a short shelf life. No matter how great your first impression on someone is, no one will remember everyone they meet.
➔ Make contact immediately by setting a follow email or message and stay in touch. No one can forget someone they hear from often, eventually they will remember you and when they need your services, you will be the first one they think of.

 

3. MARKETING
➔ Your brand and marketing make a promise about customer experience and your service/product, so it is crucial to deliver on that.
➔ Build your relationship. Offer interesting and exciting services/products and information.
➔ Entice clients, leave them wanting more.

 

4. REWARD LOYAL CLIENTS
➔ By giving back to loyal clients you encourage them to continuously work with you.
➔ Stay in touch, follow up on services and offer specials.
➔ If you do not keep in touch, your competitors will.
➔ Serving is the new selling.

 

5. REFFERALS/ WORD OF MOUTH
➔ With happy clients come referrals, Word-of-mouth advertising is important for every business, as each happy customer can steer dozens of new ones your way.
➔ The greatest compliment in business is a referral. We should be thoughtful, have the right motives and be connecting people for the right reasons.

6. REMEMBER, RELATIONSHIPS ARE BUILT OVER TIME
➔ It takes a dedicated amount of time and energy to build good, strong, lasting business relationships today. They don’t happen and develop without dedicated and consistent work.
➔ The most important thing is to be conscious of the service/product you are delivering and to deliver it consistently.
➔ Trust is the one ingredient that builds strong, long lasting business relationships. If you put in the time and work, you will be rewarded.

 

Sources:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77686
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/282364
https://www.wikihow.com/Develop-a-Relationship-With-a-Customer
https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/marketing-sales-export/marketing/pages/importance-building-customer-relationships.aspx
https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/customer-relationships-boost-retention
https://www.business.com/articles/6-key-tactics-for-building-strong-customer-relationships

 

If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit our website.
To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit our Wiki site.
To view more articles, please visit our blog.

About Candice Van Aswegen

I started working for Leads 2 Business in May 2012 as an Account Co ordinator and more recently the Deputy Head of Department for the Telesales team. I schedule appointments for the Account Executives with potential clients.

2 Nov 2017

L2B Blog: What is SAFMA?

by | posted in: Frequently Asked Questions, General | 1

When I hear the term facilities management I think of companies like Servest, Bidvest, Broll etc. It is a question often asked by building owners and occupiers as well as professionals in the property industry.

So… What exactly does facilities management entail? Here are a few definitions from various websites:

 

What is Facility Management?

  • All services required for the management of buildings and real estate to maintain and increase their value.
  • The means of providing maintenance support, project management and user management during the building life cycle.
  • The integration of multi-disciplinary activities within the built environment and the management of their impact upon people and the workplace.

 

Simply put, it is the management of buildings and services.

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) defines FM as a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology.

FM can be split into two areas of hard and soft services. What is the difference between the two?

Hard Services – are ones which relate to the physical fabric of the building and cannot be removed. They ensure the safety and welfare of employees and generally are required by law. These include:

  1. Building fabric maintenance                                                                 5. Air conditioning maintenance
  2. Decoration and refurbishment                                                              6. Lift and escalator maintenance
  3. M & E plant maintenance                                                                     7. Fire safety system maintenance
  4. Plumbing and drainage                                                                        8. Minor project management

 

Soft Services – are ones which make the workplace more pleasant or secure to work in. They are not compulsory and can be added and removed as necessary.

Carrying out a Facilities Needs Assessment will help you to identify which services are actually needed by the company and which are unnecessary. These include:

  1. Cleaning                                                                                                5. Recycling
  2. Security                                                                                                 6. Pest control
  3. Handyman services                                                                              7. Grounds maintenance
  4. Waste disposal                                                                                      8. Internal plants

 

How important is Facility Management?

Facilities management has gained importance over the last few years as businesses have identified that well-managed buildings and utilities help companies function effectively and efficiently. Facilities management team consists of professionals involved in the day-to-day analysis, maintenance and repair of the company utilities. The facilities management team should also actively be involved in strategic planning activities that help in cutting costs and increasing employee productivity.

According to a Deloitte report on the “Strategic Role of Facilities Management”; almost 75% of facilities professionals agreed that facilities management has a significant strategic impact. However; only around 20% of a facility manager’s time is spent in strategy and planning activities while a whopping 53% is spent on the regular day-to-day operations.

 

About SAFMA (South African Facilities Management Association) – www.safma.co.za

“The South African Facilities Management Association (SAFMA) is a self-sustaining body recognised locally and internationally for its meaningful role in the South African Facilities Management Community. SAFMA defines Facilities Management as an enabler of sustainable enterprise performance through the whole life management of productive workplaces and effective business support services.

 

SAFMA offers its members many benefits, including sharing expertise with other facilities management professionals in South Africa and internationally, access to an advisory service, networking events, establishing contacts overseas, keeping up-to-date on local and international facilities management trends.

 

The primary objectives of SAFMA are to facilitate, promote and support skills development for Facilities Managers through working with the Quality Assurance Councils and with Endorsed Training Providers – thereby enhancing skills supply. SAFMA aims to promote and encourage networking between Facilities Management Professionals to ensure an exchange of information and best practice. Click here to read more”.

 

The end goal for any business is to cut costs, improve staff productivity and increase ROI. An effective facilities management process is vital to an organisation as it covers almost all the business aspects and their role in strategic planning helps a company achieve their business objectives.

 

Sources:

How Important is Facilities Management? | Empower CS

South African Facilities Management Association (SAFMA)

Facility management – Wikipedia

https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/soft-hard-facilities-management-difference/

About Candice Van Aswegen

I started working for Leads 2 Business in May 2012 as an Account Co ordinator and more recently the Deputy Head of Department for the Telesales team. I schedule appointments for the Account Executives with potential clients.