Sliding roof is a clear winner
Second Quarter 2005
Shaft power components
The sliding roof over the piazza at Clearwater Mall, Gauteng's newest and grandest shopping and entertainment venue serving Johannesburg's north-western areas, is providing a unique experience for visitors - the opportunity to enjoy an alfresco meal when the weather is fine, without having to rush indoors should it begin to rain.
The piazza provides visitors with a selection of popular restaurants, fast food outlets and coffee houses clustered about a tree-lined walkway, offering a wide range of meal and refreshment options. Diners at restaurants on an upper level overlooking the piazza are also able to enjoy the fresh air that circulates naturally from the open roof without the assistance of airconditioning.
The 45 by 15 metre sliding roof, constructed of structural steel clad with IBR sheeting and weighing 30 tons, is operated by a two-stage motor and gearbox winch system mounted on the roof beam, with cables attached to either side. Movement is controlled automatically by a DL205 PLC system designed, built, installed, programmed and commissioned by CHI Control and Alstom Automation.
The automation system opens the roof at 8 am each day during the warmer months when the weather is fine, and closes it again at 9 pm. Times can be adjusted to suit conditions during the cooler months. Input into the system is from an anemometer registering wind speeds and a rain sensor. When the anemometer records wind speeds reaching 65 km/h or when the rain sensor detects rainfall, either will signal the roof to be closed. If the weather continues to be unfavourable the roof will remain closed until it clears, when the system will send a signal to reopen it. Opening or closing takes a shade over five minutes. The main control centre is able to override the automation system and open or close the roof whenever necessary. In the event of a power failure the winch can be operated manually.
Named after the stream and waterfall in the neighbouring Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Clearwater Mall is situated on a 17,3 ha site and cost R700 million to build. It has some 65 000 m2 of floor space and a Nu-Metro cinema complex, with over 1000 covered parking bays in an enclosed control system manned by security guards.
The airy atmosphere of the piazza combined with the ultramodern fashion, lifestyle, specialty, jewellery, furniture and department stores that line the spacious, marble-tiled passages, creates an ambience for Clearwater Mall that sets a new standard for shopping malls in South Africa.
For more information contact Rob Hare, CHI Control, +27 (0) 11 827 9124, [email protected]
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