EDITOR ’ S COLUMN
Time to get clever
We hear so many horror stories of buildings collapsing due to poor workmanship and contractors cutting corners . Price is often cited as the reason and it seems accepted practise when money is tight , to use inferior substituted products that haven ’ t necessarily been tested and certified by the SABS and other regulating bodies .
It appears the affordable housing sector suffers as much , if not more so , from this problem . Money is tight and contractors are doing what they can on already tight profit margins … But it doesn ’ t make it right . ( Yes , I ’ m getting preachy , I know , but it ’ s true .)
The reality is that prices aren ’ t going to come down – let ’ s not fool ourselves . So instead , we ’ ll have to find clever ways of doing things – without compromising the quality or the integrity of the structures .
‘ Desperation breeds innovation ’ the famous quote goes . Maybe it ’ s time to stop making excuses and rather see how products can be innovated to be more cost effective , yet still be reliable and sustainable .
To see how you can save money when working with bricks , our main feature looks at building in a cost effective way , without compromising quality ( page 18 ).
Also check out our feature on affordable modular housing on page 14 .
This edition also looks at some impressive local projects in the affordable housing sector : Watervalspruit ( page 24 ) and Bridge City ( page 26 ) are some good examples .
Let ’ s set the trend for a sustainable , but affordable future .
Ilana Koegelenberg Managing editor | ilana @ interactmedia . co . za
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