Remote site turnkey services pro- vider and camp site construction group Africamp Services has completed a mine site accommodation project in Guinea, where it is aggressively establishing itself to take advantage of the growing requirement for mine site accommodation in the West African region.

Group operations executive Gavin Bagley tells Mining Weekly that the company will complete another project in South Africa’s Northern Cape province by the end of this month.

He notes that Africamp is also active in Mozambique in the oil and gas sectors and has delivered projects across Africa, often advancing in the more difficult operational environments.

Bagley points out that while Africa’s abundance of minerals offers significant project opportunities for the mining industry, these projects need to pioneer remote site accommodation and modular expansion camps to provide comfortable living environments for local labourers and expatriates in challenging environments.

Africamp predominantly focuses on providing turnkey solutions for the mining and oil and gas industries, as well as to government and defence forces, he notes.

Bagley tells Mining Weekly that the Guinea-based project, which was commissioned in 2013 by one of the world’s largest gold mining companies, involved the construction of permanent management units and permanent family homes.

The accommodation units are placed on concrete plinths and constructed using flat pack units, with a steel-based Chromadek exterior coating and light steel frame roofing. He adds that a furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) solution was also provided for the units.

Northern Cape Activity
Africamp is currently in the final stages of constructing two camp sites at a manganese mine, near Kuruman, in the Northern Cape, which will be completed by April. Plans to construct a third camp, which will be completed by July of this year, are also under way.

The projects in the Northern Cape involve several turnkey solutions including construction, FF&E, catering and facilities management, notes Bagley.

“Of the first two camps, one is a management camp, with accommodation for 50 people, while the other is a labour camp for 200 labourers,” he says.

The camps feature units with single living quarters that include en-suite ablution facilities, a communal kitchen and dining facilities, a large laundry, a recreation room and a clinic. Bagley says that Africamp is proud to have built one of the first camps in South Africa to offer one-person-one-bedroom-one-bathroom facilities to all staff, including management and the workforce.

Bagley notes that the third camp – which was designed with families in mind – will comprise about 140 rooms, with en-suite ablution facilities and small kitchenettes. The single living quarters, with en-suite bathrooms, will range from 19 m2 to 22 m2 each, in compliance with Mining Charter requirements.

Building Material
To construct the units for the Northern Cape-based camps, Africamp is using lightweight steel frame trusses and inverted box rib sheeting for roof panels. The units are being built on a steel chassis, with a 110 mm insul- ated panel structure, which has an Agremént certificate.

Agremént South Africa is a government institution that facilitates the introduction, application and use technology.

In addition, the prefabricated panel solution used for the camps comprises a high R-value, which measures a product’s thermal qualities, Bagley explains, adding that the panels manage the temperature inside the unit. “When it is hot outside, the unit is cool, and when it is cold outside, the unit is warm, in layman’s terms.

“The solution was specifically designed on an acceptable R-value model, after a detailed study of the weather conditions in the region had been considered,” he notes.

The fibre boards that form part of the wall panelling were filled with an adjusted 110 mm polyurethane inner that constitutes a new compound mix to ensure that it is able to withstand the same conditions as the previous polyurethane mix and complies with the new South African standards requirements. These standards are based on a more environment-friendly solution, he says.

While these temporary camps are constructed according to the client’s needs to suit expansion plans, Bagley expects the camps to remain on site for more than five years, although this specific solution has a life span of more than 20 years.

However, as the camps are only temporary, Bagley notes that once the expansions at the mine are complete, the buildings can be relocated for placement in the surrounding community as part of the mine’s upliftment strategy, should this be a requirement.

Trends
While South Africa’s Mining Charter has legislated its demands on mining companies to improve mineworkers’ living conditions by next month, Bagley notes that there has been an increase in demand from the mining industry to supply camp accommodation and other forms of modular units.

Goals for the Year
In addition to the company’s ongoing focus to meet clients’ needs for remote site accommodation, Bagley says Africamp plans to develop its own modular technology; the company has spent extensive time over the last 12 months designing the technology. The basis of this technology will be supported by Africamp’s recently established rental division, which also offers camp leasing solutions to its blue chip clientele, in partnership with a renowned US-based leasing partner.

Bagley adds that, if these camps are positioned correctly, they can add flair to Africamp’s service provision. “As smaller operations often have limited ability to create space, rooms in these camps can be leased competitively to service providers in the mining and oil and gas industries in remote locations, where accommodation and office space is often scarce."

He further highlights that Africamp’s focus on comfort is “part and parcel” of the company’s service, adding that it invests significantly in researching what the most relaxing environment would be for its clients’ employees or visitors, taking into account aesthetics and egress, among other factors.

“Remote camp site accommodation is a home away from home; therefore, our aim is to create the most relaxing atmosphere for those people who stay there,” he concludes.