Terry Hutson
PORTNET LAST week launched a competition inviting architects to to design a so-called 'millennium tower' that will dominate the end of the Bluff peninsula.
An environment impact assessment was held earlier this year for a building to replace the existing control tower.
Portnet wants a larger building to house its equipment and personnel, including a new Vessel Tracking System (VTS) that is being introduced to the ports of Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth and Durban at a cost of R34 million.
This system improves navigation especially in high density areas and narrow or confined approaches such as the port entrance.
The idea is that the building, which will be prominent along the Durban skyline, should be an attraction in itself and there are hopes that innovative ideas will result in the construction of a symbol for the port and city.
In comparison with the uninspiring navy building nearby, used by the strike craft squadron as a training centre, which is considered by many as a blot on the Bluff, the new port control building competition could provide a much improved impression of utilitarian buildings.
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