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Bolted structural connections unlock potential for construction
(Right and below, right): A warehouse south of Johannesburg under construction with Peikko bolted connections.
BOLTED STRUCTURAL CONNECTIONS
UNLOCK POTENTIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION
(Above): Peikko bolted connections were used to construct this warehouse in Germiston. Faster, more efficient construction is what drives Peikko, the world’s foremost supplier of concrete connections and composite beams for both precast and cast-in-situ construction. In 2018 Peikko extended its reach into Africa, establishing Peikko South Africa as the company’s 34th global outlet. This had an immediate and positive impact on SA’s construction sector. Peikko’s maiden project was the construction of SA’s largest precast concrete structure to date: a seven-storey parkade at the Fourways Shopping Mall in Johannesburg. Built with precast columns using Peikko bolted connections, the entire installation was completely propless and its repetitive modular technique yielded faster construction, improved engineering, earlier occupation, better safety and minimal- to-no interrup-
tion for shoppers during construction.
Other Johannesburg-based projects using Peikko bolted solutions soon followed: a second parkade at Fourways Mall; an extension to the façade of Cedar Square in Fourways; the construction of Columbine Square, a shopping mall and parkade in Mondeor, and an aquatic centre at King Edward’s School, Houghton, which has been nominated for the 2022 Fulton Awards.
The company is currently supplying bolted connections (namely anchor bolts and column shoes) for the construction of a five-storey tower at a food plant in Durban and it has been commissioned to design and supply Peikko products for a penthouse to be erected on top of an existing multi-storey class II building in Cape Town.
“Last year we supplied Peikko products and systems for a project in Kenya and we’re currently dealing with enquiries for projects in Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ethiopia and other African countries,” says Peikko SA MD Daniel Petrov.
Peikko was founded in Finland in 1965. Privately owned, it enjoys a strong global presence with ISO-accredited manufacturing plants in 11 countries. It employs over 1 900 people globally and its turnover for the 2019/20 financial year was €231 million (about R4,4 billion).
“We’re partnering with developers, precast producers, construction companies, consulting engineers and other professionals in SA, familiarising them with the use of our products and systems,” adds Petrov.
He says standardisation and repetition are two of the key elements Peikko brings to the market.
“Repetition embraces every aspect of the Peikko building process, including the detailing, manufacturing and installation. It yields material-, cost- and time-savings, as well as early returns on investment.
“Peikko’s assembly systems allow columns, beams and hollow-core slabs to be erected without propping. This is a total game-changer for SA and our mechanical connections yield additional advantages over the traditional monolithic connections used in precast concrete
(Right, from top): Peikko South Africa managing director, Daniel Petrov (left) and project engineer, Winston Visser, on site at a Johannesburg warehouse construction project; Peikko column shoes.
construction, such as improved working space and on-site safety.
Faster and more efficient
“Our bolted-column connections really do make column installation dramatically quicker, with spin-off benefits for the whole construction site. That’s why they’ve been consistently successful for 30 years. As soon as the nuts are tightened, the columns are self-supporting. This eliminates bracing, reduces crane time and provides more on-site space.
“We once witnessed a contractor safely install a column in just six minutes. And one of our recent projects involved lowering 12m precast columns through the roof of a production plant without disrupting the production process. This wouldn’t have been possible with conventional connecting systems.
System components A complete system
“Another aspect Peikko users appreciate is that bolted-column connections provide them with a complete system. For contractors, this means that everything works smoothly and reliably, while for designers, it facilitates designs with stronger, stiffer concrete, slimmer precast columns and tighter tolerances. And thanks to our anchor bolts and installation templates, contractors can rest assured that their columns will line up as accurately as planned,” says Petrov
Design software
Peikko offers powerful design software online, which includes 3D components for modelling programs, installation programs, installation instructions and technical manuals.
“Engineers can specify what they need using our software, which we then check to ensure they’ve specified correctly,” advises Petrov.
Thirtieth anniversary
Over the past 30 years, Peikko’s bolted systems have set the benchmark for column connections. The company’s R&D department was the first to pose the question: “What if we used bolts for column connections?” That is how it all started. Today, Peikko’s bolted-column connections are a global construction industry institution.
For a detailed presentation on Peikko bolted-column connections, visit: www.peikko.com/peikkoway
Bolted connections for columns, walls and beams
Peikko bolted-column connections are more than just individual components. They form complete systems which create strong, reliable connections between columns, walls and beams – in short, they comprise a better way of doing things. And because they resist loads during assembly, temporary bracing is not a requirement.
BOLDA® HPKM ® BECO® SUMO®
BOLDA® Column Shoe
BOLDA® is our new and most advanced column shoe. It's stronger and more compact, and developed for today's harder concrete, smaller cross sections and higher loads. We tested it to extremes and BOLDA® has proven its performance.
