SA Affordable Housing May - June 2020 // ISSUE: 82 | Page 16

FEATURE
ITC-SA
SANS 10400 Part L: Roofs governs
the construction of roofs.
Roofing: Why are so many
buildings not conforming to
the code?
By Eamonn Ryan
Low-cost housing projects are widespread throughout the South African
landscape. The real challenge that comes to light regarding these projects,
however, is actually managing to keep the associated costs to a minimum
while meeting standards.
In a statement, the Institute for Timber Construction South
Africa (ITC-SA), SAQA-registered Professional Body for the
engineered timber construction industry, says: “It has come
to the attention of the ITC-SA that with regards to the
implementation of the National Building Regulations SANS
10400 Part L: Roofs, which covers SANS 10243 (Manufacture
and Erection of Timber Trusses), SANS 10163 (Structural use of
Timber), SANS 1783 sections 1 and 2 (Sawn Softwood Timber)
and SANS 10005 (The Preservative Treatment of Timber), a
large percentage of buildings do not comply with the law.
“A factor contributing to this phenomenon is a measure of
ignorance in the sector around the responsibilities associated
with each function in the building process. There are many
misconceptions held among some professional practitioners
and contractors in the built environment about the scope of
their involvement up to project completion in ensuring the
conditions of the relevant regulations are met.
These are some of the main reasons why trusses fail or
collapse:
• There is the problem of third-party interference after
these structures were erected, which mainly involve
adding additional services like air conditioning systems,
water systems and electrical systems to the structures,
which they were not designed for.
• There is an International Residential Code of 2006 that
states: “Truss members shall not be cut, notched, drilled,
spliced or otherwise altered in any way without the
approval of a registered professional engineer”.
14 MAY - JUNE 2020 SAAffordHousing saaffordablehousingmag SA Affordable Housing www.saaffordablehousing.co.za