OBITUARY
PAOLO TRINCHERO , SAISC CEO
The Board and team at the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction ( SAISC ), together with local and international members and colleagues , mourn the loss of the SAISC ’ s CEO , Paolo Trinchero , who passed away on Sunday the 21st of August , at the age of 53 , after a brave battle with cancer . Paolo was the CEO for the past 9 years . Paolo was involved in the steel industry for some 30 years , having graduated with a BSc in Civil Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand (‘ Wits ’) in 1990 . Paolo was passionate about anything related to steel : from its many practical applications in projects to the annual celebration of its many uses in the annual Steel Awards . He was equally passionate about communicating steel ’ s myriad uses and applications throughout industry and in daily life – and the importance and relevance of the SAISC as a representative industry body . Paolo was also a tireless , selfless and dedicated champion of the steel sector at public and private sector levels : doing everything he could for the good of the sector , in the face of the last few very challenging years which it has faced . Paolo was in addition an enthusiastic driver of the steel sector ’ s participation in the development of pan-African infrastructure : from mining projects to commercial high-rise buildings and other steel structures . Paolo leaves behind his beloved wife Lora and their three children , Giulio , Angelo and Sabrina .
THE WORLD ’ S TALLEST BUILDING CONSTRUCTED WITH HEMPCRETE IN CAPE TOWN
A global first , 84 Harrington Street is officially the world ’ s tallest building constructed using hempcrete blocks and hemp building materials .
A partnership between two Cape Town-based companies , Hemporium , and Afrimat Hemp , 84 Harrington Street is setting the benchmark for how to build a safe , carbon-neutral , multi-story building using hemp blocks and hemp systems .
“ I bought 84 Harrington in 2016 , with the idea being that it would become the flagship Hemporium store , a steak restaurant , and house the ‘ Hemp Hotel ’, a place where people can experience living in a hemp-constructed space . From a sustainability and eco-construction perspective , we wanted to take hemp construction in South Africa to the next level , while also contributing to the inspiring hemp construction projects being undertaken globally .
We also believed that once licenses for the commercialisation of hemp in South Africa were issued , having innovative examples of what can be achieved with hemp would assist with leading the way for the fledgling hemp industry in South Africa ,” Duncan Parker , Founding Partner and CEO , Hemporium .
The South African government has initiated a drive to create employment within the industrial hemp sector , therefore the timing to develop hempcrete-based construction materials is ideal .
Previously , hemp houses built in South Africa used hempcrete . For a project of 84 Harrington ’ s scale , this was not feasible , and inspiration was taken from hemp blocks developed in Europe . The creation of hemp blocks is a viable way to commercialise hemp in the construction industry .
Benefits of using hemp in a multi-story building
• Hemp is 100 % natural , CO₂ absorbing , energy saving , and durable ;
• The superior acoustic performance ensures privacy between units ;
• Vapour-permeability : the ability of hempcrete to easily absorb and release moisture assists with regulating the buildings ’ internal humidity , thus maintaining a healthy indoor air quality ;
• The lower density of the hemp blocks reduces the load of the walls on the foundations & therefore the cost of concrete ;
• Using hemp blocks reduces the CO₂ footprint of a building as well as its operational CO₂ footprint . Hemporium ’ s long-term goal is to continue to promote legislative change so that cultivation of industrial hemp in South Africa becomes a mainstream reality . The hemp industry could provide solutions to many of the challenges that South Africa faces by way of sustainable housing , nutrition and job creation . Hemporium is working on this project in collaboration with Wolf Architects and Afrimat Hemp .
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