New Warehouse for Paramount Garments -A Practical Marvel by RadX Construction

Text by Farai Chaka | Images By Photohous

Throughout Southern Africa, RadX Construction prides itself in delivering quality construction projects for clients across all sectors (including Industrial and Commercial, Hospitality and Residential, Mining and Oil & Gas, Construction Camps and Infrastructure). RadX’s expertise includes civil and building construction, engineering design, project management, quantity surveying, architecture and design-build solutions. The company’s track record speaks for itself and has resulted in some of the world’s largest blue-chip companies placing their trust in the company.

RadX Construction has reaffirmed its place in the construction space with the swift and successful completion of a warehouse project in Msasa. The warehouse is designed to house three shops, with the main anchor being Paramount Garments.

Starting on January 2, 2024 and reaching full practical completion by May 31, 2024, this project is a peak exhibition of RadX's exceptional capabilities. Throughout the project, RadX Construction maintained a close working relationship with the client, Paramount Garments.

Regular site visits and constant communication ensured that any changes or decisions were handled promptly and collaboratively. Decisions were easy, and the client was very hands-on," notes project manager Daniel Machibaya. "We were part of the design stage and any changes were discussed openly.

This team effort made the project seamless and enjoyable. "

The primary objective of this project was to construct a state-of-the-art warehouse for Paramount Garments within a budget of $1.2 million USD.

It features a flat, sloped roof and is situated on a property spanning 4113 square metres with the building footprint covering 1777 square metres and an additional 2177 square metres dedicated to paved areas.

The scope of work was extensive, including excavations, earthworks, formwork, reinforcement, concrete works, brickwork, plastering, carpentry, joinery, ironmongery and painting.

All of this was handled painstakingly from the installation of aluminium doors and roller-shutter doors up to the intricate brick dressing and suspended ceilings. The project faced several challenges, particularly the timing of the start date during the annual construction holiday.

Machibaya remarks, "We started the project on January 2, cutting short our annual construction holiday to ensure that all stub columns were in place by the time the steel structure was ready for erection.

We also had to manually pour about 85m³ of concrete on-site since the main pre-mix concrete suppliers were closed."

The busy location on Mutare Road also posed logistical challenges but RadX seems to have turned this into an advantage.

"We wanted the project to be a practical marvel for passers-by, which would help in marketing our company and what it stands for – BUILDING TRUST," Machibaya adds.

Despite the complexities of the project, RadX Construction successfully managed the budget, making only minor adjustments. Machibaya explains, "There were some minor additions at the deck on shop one and at the rainwater sump, but nothing that significantly altered the scope or budget.

The client was very hands-on, and we maintained constant communication to ensure any changes were seamlessly integrated."

One of the standout features of the warehouse is its face-bricked exterior and interior, giving a different texture and a rustic industrial feel.

Coupled with the structural steel, it ties in nicely to create a modern yet industrial look. RadX Construction has also equipped this warehouse with impressive sustainability features.

The roof hosts a substantial solar farm with about 72 solar panels, seeing to it that the warehouse predominantly runs on solar energy, with the electrical grid serving as a backup only when necessary.

An intricate rainwater harvesting system complements this green energy initiative. Rainwater collected from the 1777-square-metre roof is directed into a sump, which then pumps it into a 228,000-litre water ZimDam reservoir.

Notably, three-quarters of this reservoir’s capacity is dedicated solely to fire safety, a precautionary measure following a previous fire incident in one of Paramount's warehouses in 2023. Additionally, a separate 5,000-litre tank is used for further rainwater harvesting.

RadX Construction's success on this project is also thanks to the strong partnerships they maintain with various suppliers and contractors.

The architectural vision was drawn by Mark Sanderson of Draftworx Design while Brown Engineering handled the roofing.

Pomona Bricks supplied the pavers, Tiger Bricks provided the bricks and long-time collaborator Gillfun Steel supplied the reinforcement steel.

Derick Kambarami of InfraDesign and David Gutu of David Gutu and Associates formed the consulting team.

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