HN Consulting Engineers celebrates 20 years of excellence in 2022

Driven by its slogan, ‘Engineering for Life’, HN Consulting has grown to become a respected multidisciplinary consulting engineering practitioner in the design, project management and delivery of world-class infrastructure.

The foundation for the firm based in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was established by two highly experienced engineers, namely Mutshutshu Nxumalo and Brian Henwood – specialising in mechanical and civil engineering, respectively – who embraced the vision of South Africa’s 1994 democratic transition to form their own consulting engineering practice, Henwood and Nxumalo Consulting Engineers, in 2002.

The objective from the onset was to pioneer the adoption of the South African government’s mandate to promote diversity and inclusivity in the built environment professions, with a view to providing sustainable value for clients and communities.

In recent years, the firm’s name subsequently transitioned to become HN Consulting Engineers, as the founders, now retired, prepared a comprehensive handover strategy. Today, the HN top leadership team is headed by Ntembeko Zifuku as managing director, as well as Pierre Queripel, Zanele Mashinini and Graeme Baker as executive directors, each of whom bring a wealth of experience to the business.

“From the onset, our goal was to build a highly capable firm in a parallel approach that entailed the mentoring and development of inhouse professionals, succession planning and the allied strategy of attracting new talent to support our ongoing diversification into new engineering sectors,” says Nxumalo.

“The HN directors now in charge of the business reflect the commitment by the founders towards transformational excellence and the firm’s BBBEE Level 1 status reflects this. Quality assurance has also been enhanced by ISO 9001 accreditation, and the firm now has a full in-house design capacity,” adds Nxumalo.

Roads, transportation and structural engineering have always been a core part of HN’s business, supporting parallel growth into priority sectors. Over the past 10 years, for example, HN has established a specialist water and sanitation unit that has spearheaded the design and execution of a series of treatment works projects. Currently, HN is busy with three conventional water treatment plants at various stages of design and construction, working as a subconsultant on a multidisciplinary team.

Building, especially from a structural and electrical engineering perspective, has also been a major growth area, with HN design specialists accredited in terms of the Green Star SA rating system implemented by Green Building Council South Africa. Projects include structural and electrical designs for social infrastructure initiatives such as rural schools, community halls and commercial buildings. Technologies include the application of light steel frame building designs.

L-R: Ntembeko Zifuku, managing director of HN Consulting, together with executive directors Pierre Queripel, Zanele Mashinini and Graeme Baker

Rural roads and poverty alleviation

Historically, HN was a key role player in the African Renaissance Road Upgrading Programme initiated around 2001, primarily focused on rural roads in KZN. In term of this, HN worked with the provincial Department of Transport and other consulting firms to spearhead the Vukuzakhe emerging contractor development initiative. Allied to this, Henwood was instrumental in developing the Zibambele Road Maintenance System as a poverty relief programme.

Similar rural road projects at the time took place in the Free State and Eastern Cape. This experience served as a major catalyst for HN’s growth into the high- and low-volume roads segment.

“HN’s operating philosophy has always been solution orientated, with a key focus on innovation, irrespective of the scale of the project,” says Zifuku. “Alongside our engineering skills, we’ve also recognised the importance of focusing on comprehensive community engagement and facilitation, which has become an integral part of our project preparation and programme management.”

Main Road 577

Past milestone projects include Main Road

577 in Durban. In a joint venture with Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV), HN was appointed by the KZN Department of Transport as the lead consultant to undertake the project management and construction supervision of the Dumisani Makhaye Highway (P577) – a 14 km long urban arterial between KwaMashu and KwaDabeka that has contributed to a dramatic improvement in the local transportation network.

This multifaceted and challenging project ran over a period of some 14 years, following staged budget allocations, and was completed in March 2018 at a construction value of around R1.3 billion. The scope included a viaduct over the Umgeni River, bus rapid transit lanes and stations forming part of eThekwini’s Go!Durban IRPTN (Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network) C3 route, bridge and box culvert construction, stormwater drainage, earthworks, layer works and all aspects of road construction. Traversing the hilly terrain, the P577 intersects with five crossroads with atgrade signalised intersections.

In recognition of their performance, the HN Consulting and RHDHV JV received a Commendation at the 2017 CESA AON Engineering Excellence Awards in the category: Projects with a value greater than R250 million. The project also won a Commendation in the Technical Excellence Category at the 2017 National SAICE Awards.

John Ross Highway

Another landmark project was the upgrading of the John Ross Highway (MR496) between Empangeni and Richards Bay (km 0.0 to km 15.2) in KZN. Here, HN’s scope entailed full consulting engineering and project management services (planning, design and implementation) from inception to close-out. With a construction value of some R1.1 billion, the project duration ran over a period of 10 years and was completed in 2015. Key phases comprised the upgrading of the MR496 from a two-lane road to a fivelane dual carriageway, including three major bridge structures, two road-over-rail grade separations, 15 box culverts and seven signalised intersections.

A completed section of the Main Road 577 winding through the KwaDabeka valley

Shaka’s Rock Interchange

Current ongoing road projects include HN’s involvement in the upgrading of N2 Section 27 between Ballito (km 64) and Tinley Manor Interchange (km 22.8) north of Durban. This long-term project, with a construction value of approximately R1.67 billion, has a duration of some eight years and an anticipated completion date of June 2024.

The project is being led by the JG Afrika and Nyeleti Consulting JV on behalf of Sanral, with HN appointed as one of the targeted enterprise partners.

To date, HN has undertaken the initial visual assessments, as well as the concept and preliminary design of the Shaka’s Rock Interchange (geometrics and drainage), pedestrian facilities, as well as associated crossroad and railway bridge extensions.

Looking to the future

In recent years, HN has placed a major focus on investing in the latest 3D engineering software as the industry transitions to the building information modelling (BIM) platform – now universal in the collective architectural, engineering and construction sectors – all of which is now taking place in the cloud.

“Interrogation of final design and build execution – from new construction, quantity surveying and life-cycle cost optimisation standpoints – is now constantly live online within a secure project team environment. Updating multifaceted design schedules that could take days in the past can now be completed within a matter of minutes or hours, significantly enhancing efficiencies,” says Zifuku.

“The world keeps on evolving, driven by new technologies, and the need for climate change adaptation. Building on our past experiences, we’re constantly looking ahead to ensure we remain relevant and part of the future of South African construction. We’re here to make a difference,” Zifuku concludes.

Go! Durban IRPTN, Wyebank BRT Station