At Leads 2 Business we’ve got YOU covered, yes, even during the Lockdown. Our friendly staff can still be reached via phone, email or even LiveHelp.
We will still be working remotely and safely from our homes bringing you the latest, up-to-date information where ever you are working.
You can still access our website, view tenders and projects from your laptop, computer or even your mobile, so you won’t miss a thing.
The Daily Advisory email will still be going out every evening, directly to your inbox, so you don’t have to leave your house or even your couch!
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford
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Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life.
Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel.
Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward
In recognition of International Women’s Month in March, this week’s quote is from Maya Angelou.
“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst & surprised by anything in between.” Maya Angelou.
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Angola is a country situated in Southwestern Africa with a vast history of civil war and Illegal poaching. The name Angola comes from the word Ngola, which was an iron object that symbolized kingship among the Mbundu & Lunda people. A holiday in Angola with leave you mesmerised with the beauty of the cities, the tropical forests, Pasture lands and animals. I chose the 8 most beautiful places to visit in Angola.
1. Luanda
Luanda is the modern capital city located in Angola and it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The city is densely overpopulated but it has not lost its charm and the uniqueness of the city can never fade away. So when you are in Angola, never forget to visit Luanda.
2. Dilolo Lake
The Dilolo Lake is the largest lake located in Angola. The lake has certain mystic happenings that occur there. Legend has it some supernatural forces seem to cover the entire lake which prevents fishermen from fishing in the lake.
3. The Tunda Vala Fissure
The Tunda-Vala volcanic fissure, where you can climb to 2600m above sea level. The view of a sheer drop to sea level is quite spectacular. This area is perfect hiking. Don’t miss out on this wonderful destination.
4. Benguela
Benguela is a city in Western Angola, capital of Benguela Province. Benguela is one of Angola’s most populous cities with a population of 555,124 in the city. On the 13th August 2014 the Benguela Railway, in Angola, was reopened throughout, between the port of Lobito and the town of Luau. The devastating Angolan civil war, which lasted for 27 years, from 1976 to 2002, forced the closure of the entire railway line, except for the 34 km (21 mile) stretch between the coastal towns of Lobito and Benguela. This region has the friendliest people. There are various beautiful beaches located here. A must-see for every tourist!
5. The Arch Lagoon
The Arch Lagoon is located in Tombwa and is famous for the various rock formations in the Lagoon. This park has more than 2000 stone arches, in addition to more than a hundred soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. Do not miss the exotic wildlife species in the area. If you are looking for peace and serenity, Don’t miss the Arch Lagoons.
6. The Lobito
Lobito is a relatively new location and is known for the export and the harbour located in the region. There are numerous beaches situated in Lobito. There are many fine-dining restaurants where you can get a taste of the cuisines famous in the region. Lobito has perfect sunrises and sunsets.
7. Dala Waterfalls
What a spectacular sight to see the water coming down crashing on the rocks is a grand feat. A bridge built below the falls is something which is a place to visit. The Waterfalls capture many hearts of the visitors who give a visit to Angola.
8. Iona National Park
This is the largest national park in Angola. The park holds the best species of plants and animals that one can ever see. The Springbok, The Ostrich, are some of the indigenous species that you can find in the park. These are the best places in Angola which should be visited at least once in a lifetime.
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Many parts of the country and all over the world are experiencing climate change. The weather changes are and will continue to have a prominent effect on the construction industry and the employment rates.
There are four concerns around climate change in terms of the greatest impact it will have on the construction industry:
Worker safety
Weather-related delays
Construction materials design and manufacturing
Insurance costs
Journey with me as we explore and investigate The Effects of Climate change on Construction.
Climate change is expected to have an impact on many aspects of building performance. The world’s climate is changing.
We leave little room for error on the construction site, especially if the error is beyond your control. Perhaps one of the most recent concerns is the effect that climate change is having on the construction industry.
According to sources, the global sea level has risen about eight inches in the last 100 years, with the rate in the past two decades nearly doubling, the number of record high temperature increasing, along with increasing numbers of intense rainfall.
With the weather becoming more aggressive and untimely, this can only mean destruction for an industry that relies on weather predictability and clear skies.
Climate change impacts worksite safety with unpredictable rain. Flooding can lead to deteriorating wood and slippery surfaces increasing injuries and high temperatures can cause heatstroke, heat exhaustion and could sadly lead to death. No matter what precautions are taken to protect workers in these harsh conditions, the biggest threat is unpredictability.
Climate change also has an effect on building materials and current structures. Changes in temperatures cause building materials like brick and wood to decay and crack faster.
Construction companies increasingly find themselves facing escalated insurance costs due to project delays, which are related to extreme weather and labour risks. This means construction companies need to increase the costs of the project to accommodate rising insurance costs or stop with certain construction projects due to an inability to afford insurance.
Buildings can be affected drastically by climate change, where in the future there may be the risk of collapse, health breakouts and loss of value as a result of heavy rainfall. Building lifetime is reduced, stronger storms are the greatest challenge and this is a continuous safety risk.
Research has shown that with implications for the future, climate change will have different impacts on different buildings depending on the type, scale, use, construction and location. It is clear that even without the current uncertainties in climate change, science and the potential impacts of climate change on buildings, establishing suitable mechanisms to deal with these issues is also problematic.
In conclusion, the upside of Climate Change, the one thing you can be sure of is that no matter what changes there may be, we at Leads 2 Business will be there to keep you updated.
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My start here at Leads 2 Business in April 2019 marks a journey so far vibrant and exciting. I function as a content researcher within a dynamic team in the Projects Department, on the other side I am a mother of two beautiful children who bring out the best part of me.
While most listings of countries’ wealth are determined according to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of each country, there are two other ways of determining a country’s wealth, namely: GDP (PPP (Purchasing Power Parity)) and GDP per capita.
Definitions:
GDP: the value of all final services and goods produced in a country’s economy over a period of time, usually a year.
GDP (PPP): includes the fact that the same amount of money can buy a different amount of goods in each country (i. e. a basket of goods comparison approach).
GDP per Capita: the GDP divided by the population size. This provides an average GDP for individuals within the country but could be quite misleading.
The data is as follows (These stats are from the 11 October 2019 data report from the IMF, and are based on GDP current prices, U. S. dollars):
As you can see, the lists do differ according to the measurement employed. For instance, the GDP per capita is not a very accurate representation of the average income of individuals within the economy as Equatorial Guinea is listed third and yet they have a very high rate of poverty. Out of these measurements, the GDP (PPP) might be the best measurement to use, as this provides a measure of the standard of living within an economy.
To confuse matters even more, there is also a listing according to “Most Developed Country”. This listing is determined by the Human Development Index (HDI), released by the United Nations Development Programme annually. The HDI is determined by three factors: Healthcare, Education and Life Expectancy.
Accordingly, the top 10 Most Developed Countries are:
Whichever your preference might be, there are only two countries listed on all of these graphs, and they are Algeria and South Africa.
This could be due to the Algerian-South African High Binational Commission for Cooperation (HCBNC) which was formed in 2000, resulting in Algeria being South Africa’s largest trading partner in the region, with steadily increasing bilateral trade.
Establishing the richest countries in Africa, considering all the various factors that need to be taken into account, is more difficult than anticipated, and it might be a better representation of the true state of an economy to look at how many graphs each country is on.
Looking to the future, do you think that these countries will stay the same or might another country emerge to topple all those that came before it?
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I joined the L2Q Team in 2006, as a L2Q Support Assistant and have been the HOD since 2010. I supervise L2Q Bills, Daily Tender Bills, Control Lists and Directory.
We celebrate another important milestone, the publishing of our 25 000th Project!
“A celebrated benchmark by our research team in relentless pursuit of delivering building and construction opportunities to our subscribers!” – Victor Terblanche, CEO and Founder of Leads 2 Business
Project Publishing Milestones:
5 000
23 October 2007
10 000
03 April 2012
15 000
21 November 2014
20 000
11 May 2017
25 000
04 March 2020
So, what was the 25 000th project?
Below is a screenshot of the Project which falls under Gauteng as it appears for our L2B subscribers. For more information on this project, please check out our Featured Project post on the L2B Blog.
More about L2B:
Leads 2 Business is a niche, construction-industry service provider, offering a sustained source of researched tenders and project leads, a support service that will increase your productivity and free up valuable time so you can focus on the important aspects of taking your business forward in 2020.
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Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life.
Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel.
Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward
When one hears about recycling, the Do’s and Don’ts, that you should recycle and the damage it is causing to our planet, it sometimes falls onto ears that do not care or that are tired of hearing the same thing over and over again “Save our Planet, recycle” Blah Blah Blah.
But what if I told you that recycling has become very fascinating? Don’t believe me? Let us see if I can change your view just a little bit.
As we all know, we should recycle the following: Cans, Paper, Glass and Plastic, however today I will be focusing on one specific material that is recyclable and indeed becoming a very important recycling material in South Africa: Plastic. Yes, plastic!
South Africa has some of the highest recycling rates and recycles more plastic than most countries and has a well-supported and dynamic recycling industry which is steadily improving year by year.
We all know that plastic waste is one of the world’s biggest problems, however, advanced technology and healthy clever brains have found a perfect solution to some of South Africa’s biggest problem areas, Plastic Pollution and Damaged Roads. Combine those two problems and Voila!, some smart people have decided to fix our roads with plastic. Say What!? Um, well okay??
Shisalanga Construction has successfully completed a plastic road in Cliffdale, KZN. The company used a binding agent with unique properties to blend the recycled plastic compounds into the asphalt formula for the road. A recycling plant turns recycled plastic into pellets, which are then heated until dissolved to be mixed with additives. 6% of the asphalt’s bitumen binder is then replaced, the result: for every ton of asphalt roughly 118 to 128 bottles are being used. The repaved road in Cliffdale which is more than 400 meters long, used asphalt made with the equivalent of nearly 40 000 recycled 2-litre milk bottles. Wow! Now that is pretty awesome to me.
Another plastic road was completed in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape. Roughly 1.5 tons of recycled plastic was used to pave just 1km of road. The 1.5-ton plastic is comparable to 1.8 million plastic bags being used. By the end of the project, roughly 3 million plastic bags would have been used.
The results of this new plastic road make the road stronger and more durable, so that water, which is one of the main causes for creating our lovely potholes, will not be able to penetrate it so easy compared to the more traditional asphalt mixes. These plastic roads will also be more heat resistant.
With this new innovation of using recycled plastic for roads in our beautiful country gives us new hope to tackle our country with its waste problem as well as improve the quality of our roads. Can’t wait to see what else our clever South Africans come up with next.
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I started working at Leads 2 Business in October 2014 in the Leads 2 Quotes Department. I managed all the Daily Tender Bill Requests and followed up on BoQ's for our Daily Tender Subscribers. In 2017, I was promoted to L2Q Assistant and now work with Bill of Quantities for Contractors. 🙂
“Take nothing but pictures; Kill nothing but time; Leave nothing but footprints.” John Kay
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Today I am going to be discussing the 5 new Mega City Developments around Johannesburg that you need to know about.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to it.
Gauteng is a Sesotho word meaning “place of Gold” and although it is the smallest province of South Africa it has now become a city of modern skyscrapers. Let’s take a look at some of the huge developments taking place there.
The first one we are going to take a look at is Dan Tloome Mega City (PPA 23766)
The project value of this development is R17 billion. The property is situated to the west of Randfontein CBD in Rand West Local Municipality. This mixed-use development will comprise of 22 110 residential units: 5 419 houses and 16 612 high-density units.
The development will consist of social and veteran housing, walk-up apartments, disabled housing with all necessary amenities: shopping and neighbourhood centres, student accommodation, community centres, schools, industrial park and much more. A large sports village with a 40 000 seater stadium is also said to form part of the project.
The next megacity we are going to discussing is the Sandton Gate (PPA 20384):
Sandton Gate is located in the heart of Johannesburg and is 5 minutes away from the Sandton CBD. This mixed-used development will incorporate commercial, residential and retail space all connecting to one another. Pedestrian walkways will connect each building to the next allowing precinct users to zigzag through the development to embrace and access all the amenities effortlessly.
The pedestrian-friendly walkways offer tenants in apartments and office the space to relax. Sandton Gate overlooks the lush green banks of Braamfontein Spruit. This project is being developed by Abland and Tiber.
So far, we have had a look at the Dan Tloome MegaCity and Sandton Precinct.
Now let us move onto our third Mega-City: The Montrose Mega City (PPA 21484)
Montrose Mega City Development is located in the West Rand Region of Gauteng within Randfontein. The development will consist of 5 602 and 8 190 mixed-use residential units on Phase 1 and Phase 2. Montrose Mega City Development has both public and private involvement which will consist of schools, private and public hospitals, a government complex, theme parks, commercial agricultural, retail, commercial office parks and other public amenities.
The duration of the entire development construction period is about 7 years. There are among 750 and 800 people working on-site every day.
The development has the support and upliftment of the community and is expected to have a population of between 56 000 and 70 000 in the Township.
Now we are going to take a look at the next Megacity which is Irene Link (PPA 20875):
Irene Link is one of the new developments being constructed in Gauteng. This development is located on Alexander Road just off Botha Road interchange from the N1. This development will consist of the following tenants – Crazy Plastics, Dischem, Pick n Pay Clothing, Checkers and Crazy Pets, beauty tenants, health and lifestyle. This building will also comprise of several restaurants for socialising.
This development is currently being constructed by Abland Group. The Irene Link Precinct will consist of residential, retail, medical centres, education facilities, hotels and commercial offices. This project is expected to open around March – April 2021.
Now the next development we are going to be chatting about is the Rainbow Junction (PPA 12838):
The Rainbow Junction is estimated to cost between R10 billion and R12 billion over a 10 – 15-year development phase. This development comprises of prime office, retails, commercial, hotel and conferencing facilities, social and recreational amenities and space for educational facilities. Due to this development being so huge, it is expected to create around 45 000 jobs over its development phase. This strongly transit-orientated development is said to be the world-class, integrated and sustainable mixed-use megaproject. The multi-billion rand Rainbow Junction mixed-use property megaproject will be located in the north of Pretoria CBD.
The Rainbow Junction mall is said to have over 250 retail stores, a state of the art cinema, an ice rink, restaurants and much more. The Rainbow Mall is estimated to cost around R2.5 billion.
“Rainbow takes retail beyond boundaries into an entirely new yet already bustling northern node in the City of Tshwane”.
After taking a look at these exclusive developments, one can see that once complete, they are definitely going to hit Gauteng by a storm. These developments are just a few of the numerous major projects coming up in Johannesburg. Keep a look for these exciting projects on the rise.
Interested in knowing more about these Mega-Cities and more? Subscribe today.
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A very very interesting topic that I am happy to write about. I first heard of 3D printing about 4 years ago when plastic moulds and items were being made, only to find out after doing research, that the concept of 3D printing has been around longer than I have! The concept of 3D printing first came about in 1974.
As per Wikipedia, “1974: David E. H. Jones laid out the concept of 3D printing in his regular column Ariadne in the journal New Scientist. 1981: Early additive manufacturing equipment and materials were developed in the 1980s. In 1981, Hideo Kodama of Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute invented two additive methods for fabricating three-dimensional plastic models with photo-hardening thermoset polymer, where the UV exposure area is controlled by a mask pattern or a scanning fibre transmitter. On July 2, 1984, American entrepreneur Bill Masters filed a patent for his Computer Automated Manufacturing Process and System (US 4665492). This filing record shows UPTO as the first 3D printing patent in history; it was the first of three patents belonging to Masters that laid the foundation for the 3D printing systems used today.”
There are many materials you can use when it comes to 3D construction such as plastic or concrete etc but what I am focusing on is 3D concrete construction
1) What is 3D Concrete Construction?
This is a revolutionary tool used in the production method where you can actually print/create solid objects from a digital source in the form of a picture that you have drawn up and uploaded to your 3D printer.
3D concrete printing is used to create or fabricate new shapes of construction components. This was not previously possible using ordinary machinery which now means that you can literally print your dream home.
2) How does it work?
Basically what would happen is you would need to design your house. If you are familiar with CAD, you can design the house yourself or if not, then hire an engineer to assist you. You would upload the file to your printer and create a 3D model or blueprint. The printer will read the files and then get to work.
Instead of hiring a builder to construct each stage of the house from ground level upwards, the printer itself will start printing layers and layers concrete until the structure is complete. It takes your drawings and copies it into a 3D model, making it a reality.
You can also choose if you would like the printer to create or build the whole building in one go from the ground up or print multiple sections that fit together like lego pieces.
A normal printer like one at home or in the office would take ink, but a 3D printer has containers of raw materials such as concrete.
Honestly, when I first heard of 3D printing, they were building a small 3D printed bicycle bridge and having people test it.
Then, they had gone onto building small one-bedroom, one level houses.
Now watch this amazing video of the worlds biggest 3D printed building. This building is 2 levels and 640sqm.
3) How does this affect companies within the building and construction industry?
Well, 3D printers are rapidly being used in the construction industry and they are the future but in my opinion, they really are helping the construction industry for the better.
Remember that the 3D printer lays the framework. You can also build facades, roof panels, stairs with this but you would still need to employ infrastructure workers, plumbers and electricians etc to finish the construction work
4) Advantages
Faster construction – it is said that one house can be built in 24hours. Time is money and who doesn’t like saving money?
Reduces worker fatigue
Increased safety
Fewer work injuries
Design absolutely any building you like
Labour cost savings
Greener – Eco-Friendly by using leftover materials from construction or mining sites
Weather conditions do not affect production
Higher accuracy
Fire resistance
Concrete printing has a lot of advantages over concrete casting. One advantage is that it does not require any formwork. Formwork can easily take up to 50% of costs in concrete construction because it is very labour intensive. Usually, you would have to build a structure and then take it down again. With 3D concrete construction, you would only have one movement. This would print layers without any formwork which saves a lot of time, money and materials.
In 3D concrete printing, they are now aiming for all components of the house to be separate and be easily detachable so that they can be repaired or replaced.
Architects Engineers and Contractors can now take a completely different design approach. They will no longer have to think in terms of straight beams, columns, solid slabs. They can freely experiment with different acoustics and curved shapes. Creativity is the main thing, more flexibility, new ideas and opportunity
5) Disadvantages
The machine itself is costly
The machines vary in size but most are quite large and can cost a heck of a lot to transport to the site
Digital errors can occur
Still costs to hire an engineer/architect to do the drawings.
6) How much time and labour force does it take to set up the 3D printing machine?
Again this depends on the size and type of printer. Let’s talk about the Gantry model, this printer consists of 4 steel columns and three steel beams that enable the printhead to move within the boundaries of the structure. This would typically take up to 4 hours to assemble.However, there are also other types of printers with robotic arms on tracks which could just roll off the truck onto the site and start the printing process immediately. With regards to speed, some machines can build up to 250mm per second with a layer height of 50mm. I read online that a small house of 650 square feet, like a bachelor pad, takes less than 24 hours to build and could cost you around R60 000. R 60 000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
This technology is growing is faster and faster. The shift from prototyping to actual commercial application and implementation in the building industry is happening right now.
Did you know that in October 2019 it was said that Dubai aims to be the leading reprinting hub worldwide?
3D printing technology aids the construction industry but I don’t think it replaces it by any means. There is still a need for various professionals, consultants, contractors, vendors and suppliers. Here at Leads 2 Business, there are still many many project proposals, town planning and construction projects happening daily. Especially the new Mega-Cities and precincts using the “live-work-play concept”. These Projects are proposed for Gauteng and are available on our website.
Questions I would like to ask you – the readers:
1) Do you use a 3D printer at work?
2) How do you feel about 3D technology in the construction industry?
3) Does 3D concrete construction directly affect you?
4) When did you first hear about 3D construction?
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I started my journey at Leads 2 Business in the Directory Department in 2012. I was then promoted to the Private Projects Department in 2014 and was recently promoted to Projects HOD this year.
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