Khutsong Housing Project
The Khutsong Housing Project is one of the biggest projects that Pro-Plan Consulting Engineers has been involved with, and in fact it is still ongoing. Eighteen thousand homes have been constructed by the completion of the project and it is being completed in stages as funding becomes available.
During the first phase 5 500 houses were completed with all the necessary complimentary infrastructure; such as water, sewerage, roads, storm water, electricity supply, access and schools. The second stage of 2000 houses is now out to tender whilst the infrastructure is being prepared.
The footprint of the area the houses are being constructed in, falls within a Geologically unstable area, consisting of Dolomites that require specialized foundations for the floor slabs to minimize damage in the event of a sinkhole forming. The rafts all had to be Stiffened or Cellular Rafts with reinforced steel and articulated masonry, depending on the risk classification of the particular erf the house was being constructed on.
Measures to amelioate any water ingress or rising damp had to be taken during the construction of the floor slab.
At the start of the Project, three show houses were constructed. Type A, B and C. Although the floor size of each home was the same, the internal configuration was different for each. Recipients of the houses inspected these houses and chose which configuration they preferred, and then that type was constructed on the stand allocated to them. Eventually the Type C house proved to be the most popular and consensus was reached that only Type C houses will be constructed.
From bare veld a few years ago the area has now been changed into a viable living community serviced with road and pedestrian bridges linking Khutsong North and South, street and high-mast lighting, houses with gardens, schools, a nearby shopping mall, and all the elements that go into and add to a busy, growing suburb.
