Barrow builds largest cathedral in SA

BARROW Construction is developing a R200m Universal Church of the Kingdom of God cathedral on the corner of Plein and Bree streets in central Johannesburg. The site was previously occupied by a parkade and is believed to be the largest of its kind in SA.

The church is a recently established ecumenical movement which emerged in Brazil and has since gone global.

The brief for the Johannesburg project is a cathedral to house 7000 people, creating an iconic structure for the congregation under the direction of the regional bishop.

Contract work began last January under the auspices of Barrow Construction and the facility is due for completion in the middle of this year. Contracts manager Shaneel Singh and site agent Diederik Hattingh head up the Barrow team.

The project will utilise 120 tons of structural steel, 13000m² of brickwork and 9000m³ of concrete.

Barrow Construction says the site presents difficulties because of the close proximity of adjacent buildings. The restricted access requires the use of tower cranes with short jibs, which means concrete cannot be poured conventionally at all points of the site.

The design will be that of a reinforced concrete structure eight storeys high, two of which are below ground, including a 2160m² lower basement with class rooms, service area and back up generators; sqm basement 1, comprising class rooms, an auxiliary nave seating 2250 people and a baptismal font. The 2185m² ground floor will have a main entrance and a 2600-seat nave.

A centre of focus will be the 4015m² balcony with access on three levels, including an upper lobby, bookshop, lower lobby and the balcony itself seating 2450 people.

The structure will be characterised by raking beams providing a column-free cathedral auditorium. Six elevators will service the facility.