SAISC SASFA
SASFA 2016 : Year in review
The mission of the Southern African Light Steel Frame Association ( SASFA ) is to develop and grow the Southern African and export markets for light steel frame building ( LSFB )
By John Barnard , Director SASFA www . sasfa . co . za
LSFB has developed into a viable alternative building method for a range of low to medium rise buildings during the past ten years . The steel consumption of this industry has grown to some 20 000 to 25 000t / yr of high strength galvanized steel sheet , as well as significant volumes of cladding and lining materials , fasteners and insulation . LSFB is increasingly being used in multi-storey office and commercial buildings , where it is replacing heavy masonry curtain walls .
The following is a brief summary of SASFA ’ s activities and achievements during the past year .
Publicity
• Growing the awareness of light steel frame building as an environmentally friendly and sustainable building method is one of SASFA ’ s primary objectives . The target audiences range from the professions – engineers , architects and QS ’ s – to builders , the building material supply chain , building authorities and financial institutions right down to prospective clients . The major promotional activities were :
- Media articles : some 30 media articles were placed in 13 prominent publications to expand awareness of LSFB .
- Steel Awards : 15 LSFB entries were received – almost a third of the total number of Award entries ! Two projects were selected as joint winners of the Saint-Gobain sponsored light steel frame building category by the judges – Façade Walls Mall of Africa and the Clinic , Mbabane Hospital , Swaziland .
• A quarterly informal newsletter is sent to members to keep all informed about developments in industry .
• SASFA website : continues to draw more than 1000 visitors per month , and serves as an important source of information for all .
• Liaison with professional groups : a presentation on LSFB was made to a NHBRC seminar in Nelspruit , and to several architect practices .
• Industry feedback meetings ( 3 ) were held in the major centres . It serves as an excellent forum for networking .
• Presentation on LSFB was made on request to Smartbuild , an international conference on innovative building technologies .
Training
As part of the strategy to protect and enhance the quality of LSF buildings , SASFA offers a number of training courses ,
36 Steel Construction Vol . 40 No . 6 2016