24/04/2026
When "nearly impossible" becomes built reality — IIE Rosebank College, Braamfontein Campus
Proud to share one of the most technically demanding projects PBE Consulting Structural & Civil Engineers has delivered in recent years.
When we were appointed as structural engineers for the transformation of the Rosebank College Braamfontein campus, even the client acknowledged upfront that what they were asking for seat on the edge of what was feasible. The brief:
↳ Design a new steel atrium roof and supporting structure over an existing multi-storey building
↳ Integrate new build elements — including a full steel entrance portal, atrium stair and suspended slabs — into an existing, decades-old structural grid
↳ Execute all of this with the building fully operational, housing live tenants and thousands of students who never saw a single day of closure
Every connection, every bearing point, every new column had to land exactly where the existing structure could receive it. There was no margin for "close enough."
Why point-cloud scanning was non-negotiable
Working off as-built drawings alone was never going to be accurate enough for the tolerances we needed. We commissioned a specialist sub-contractor to undertake a full 3D laser scan of the existing building, delivering a point cloud that became the backbone of our design model. Every new steel member — from the atrium columns to the entrance framing — was coordinated against actual measured geometry, not theoretical drawings.
This allowed us to:
-Verify existing slab thicknesses before specifying chemical anchor embedment depths
-Confirm concrete column positions before designing new base plates and transfer details
-Pre-empt clashes between new steel and existing services, beams and coffer slabs
-Issue shop drawings that fit first time on site — critical when working around live tenants
What the photos don't show is the detailing effort behind every clean line:
-New 305x165x46 UB transfer beams connected to existing coffer slabs via Hilti HIT-HY 200 chemical anchors and Sika Durograt, verified for load transfer under the new roof loads
-100x100x5 SHS stair columns base-plated onto existing RC slabs where we had no certainty of reinforcement layout until scanning
-A new steel atrium roof spanning the full lightwell, tied back into a structural frame that was never originally designed to receive these loads
Staged construction sequencing so that not one lecture, tenant operation or student day was disrupted
A true team effort
Huge credit to Hofman Architectsfor the vision, Rosebank College,Braamfontein Campus for trusting the team to deliver on what many called impossible, the steel fabricators and main contractor for executing the shop detailing to the millimetre, and the scanning specialists whose point cloud made all of this achievable.
Projects like this are a reminder that modern structural engineering isn't just about calculations — it's about reconciling design intent with existing reality, and doing it while the world carries on around you.
The result speaks for itself. A Braamfontein campus reborn, without ever closing its doors.
