– Construction as a service
Construction through a child’s eyes
For several years, the REDI Shopping Centre construction site has been an object of interest for local children. The ever-changing construction site has gotten children thinking about questions such as “How do buildings stay up?” and “What do workmen do on construction sites?” They’ve wondered: “That REDI is really, really big. How did the workmen know where they should go?”
Over 3,000 guests have visited the construction site to find the answers to these and other construction-related questions, including a group of preschoolers from the Kalasatama daycare centre.
The workmen – in their helmets and yellow and orange clothing – know exactly where the building has to be built. The children know that the colour of the workmen’s clothing is an important aspect of safety, as the bright colours make them stand out well. They also understand that construction has been carefully thought out in advance, as measurements are taken to ensure that the buildings are both the correct size and are erected in the places marked on the drawings.
When chatting with the workmen, the kids found out that concrete is cast on-site and that wooden moulds are made for casting the concrete. “Just like at the beach,” one kid notes. You need more hands at the beach, but otherwise it’s the same process. Big machines do a lot of the work on a construction site. Concrete is transported to the site in a large vehicle: a concrete truck with a revolving drum that mixes the concrete.
Living nextdoor to a large construction site
Living nextdoor to a large construction site has no doubt sparked off construction-related discussions and questions at home. The children have been thinking about construction. Small hands have expertly drawn the cranes and other large machinery that they’ve been watching either from home or on their way to and from daycare over the last few years.
In an area under construction, open dialogue between the site and stakeholders in the surrounding neighbourhood has been important. Changes to access routes and the impacts of various work stages have all been openly communicated to those in the neighbourhood. Numerous groups have visited the site, which also has helped to create opportunities for discussion. The site would like to thank all of its neighbours for their cooperation!