EVENTS
Roger Kuratle addresses delegates at the start of the conference.
six months to finish. The last accomplishment was the newly
established partnership between the Kuratle Group and
Universal Plywood. “Universal Plywood together with Brad
Anderson and Boet Lubbe represent a family business just
like ours which lives a good company culture and operates
with a high level of professionalism. I am certain that our
companies will stimulate each other and that we can grow
together in a sustainable way to the benefit of the South
African wood market and industry,” he said.
Next on the podium was the consul general of
Switzerland for Cape Town, Andreas Markus Maager. In a
brief address, he officially welcomed delegates to the event.
Returning to the conference for a second time in a row,
Maager said the achievements of the wood conference over
the past nine years had been outstanding and everyone was
looking forward to the 10th conference. He had high hopes
for the 2020 conference, expecting more than 1 000
delegates and expressed a wish for Cape Town’s mayor to
attend the next conference.
ALTERNATIVE BUILDING, TIMBER
BUNGALOWS AND MODULAR STRUCTURES
Once all the formalities were done, speakers in the first
session were called to give presentations on their
respective topics. Managing director for Timbercraft Lucas
Denvin was the first speaker to address delegates. He spoke
about alternative building methods with timber, saying that
bricks and mortar cannot be the only solution in South
Africa. “Alternative building has been around for many
centuries,” Denvin said.
He also explained that timber has been identified as the
major role player against the fight against climate change.
“Change is needed especially under the circumstances of
climate change and water scarcity.” His presentation
touched on key points which included mass production,
timber high rise buildings and challenges facing young
architects. Denvin was optimistic about the industry, adding
that it is alive and well.
Christian Hess, owner at Holzbau Hess was next and
during his presentation on the design and construction of
www.timberiq.co.za
timber bungalows and restaurant in the Namibian desert, he
discussed all the challenges that the harsh environment
holds from the foundation work to the unforgiving winds
that shift the sand around.
The last speaker in the first session was Max Renggli,
CEO of Renggli Smart Building in Switzerland. His
presentation focused on the future of building with modular
structures that are all prefabricated in a factory and
delivered to site, complete.
Renggli also mentioned the advantages of modular
buildings. “The big advantage of modular systems is the
continuity of innovation. With modular systems it is
possible to streamline the entire process from planning to
procuring from manufacturing to assembling.” He
highlighted that small simple models or customised client
specific design, would benefit from simplified construction
which included pre-assembled rooms, bathrooms, kitchens
and cupboards.
After Renggli’s presentation, delegates went for a
25-minute interval, which also served as a networking
opportunity where delegates interacted with each other
and with the session’s speakers about their presentations.
PERIPHERAL TIMBER, LOG HOMES
AND FIRE SAFETY
After the interval, it was time for presentations in second
session with Andrew Brose up first. The design director from
MASS Design delivered his presentation on applications of
underused timber such as the base, crotches and branches
that are usually considered waste. His experience with
projects that have severe materials constraints pave the
way to explore how wood materials and construction
waste have the potential to support the entire
construction process.
Brose’s presentation discussed ways to improve and
innovate the cost, expected building outcomes and
durability of a projects. Through algorithms applied to
samples, various application of use as well as structural
strength are determined converting prior waste onto
useable construction elements. Overall Brose believes that
unutilised timber has positive overarching results.
Neil Hayes was next with an interesting topic called
‘Stick, poles, timber, elephant dung and dust’. He took
delegates through his safari architectural journey discussing
construction in relation to the San people who used wood
and mud to construct their villages.
He also explained the role of elephant dung in trees,
focusing specifically on the baobab tree.
“Baobab trees are mainly regenerated through the
injection of a seed called the cream of tartar,” he said. He
added that the seed is propagated in the elephant’s gut.
“With the extinction of elephant, we are going to end up
with the extinction of baobab trees.”
Hayes showed a lot of optimism during his presentation
saying that anything is possible with wood. He believes
timber was part of human development and DNA because it
is part of human structures historically.
Finish architect Lena Weckström gave delegates an
insight into the Finish history of log homes. She made a
distinction about log homes currently explaining how they
// APRIL / MAY 2019 13