Timber iQ December 2019 - January 2020 // Issue: 47 | Page 31

LOCAL PROJECT
The pergola beams and columns were made with a
Zimbabwean teak wood on the outside and a softer wood on
the inside so that when glued together, the glue would hold
more fibre of the softwood against the hardwood. He highlights
that if the entire structure was constructed only from the
hardwood teak, the adhesion in the timber would be
compromised – resulting in a potential failure of the pergola
structure. Amoretti explains that hardwood requires a softwood
inside for all the wood to stay together when being glued. The
mouldings at the ends of the beams were made separately and
then glued onto the beams.
The 12 columns for the pergolas had to be reverse
engineered and manufactured from inside to the outside, the
columns were 4 500m in height and tapered from 350mm
bottom to 250mm top with 12 points. There were a total of
200 beams in the construction which were made up of three
parts laminated together. Once completed the ends that were
left open had to be cleaned, levelled and squared by hand,
and then the moulds were levelled and glued separately.
There were 84 beams of 5 400mm of 250 X 250mm with
moulded ends. The 252 separate end moulds were made and
fitted by hand.
The courtyard during construction.
There were 16 support pieces fitted to the tops of the
columns with moulded ends with the 32 separate end moulds
made and fitted by hand. There were 56 support pieces for
the outer ring beam with moulded ends with the 168 separate
moulds made and fitted by hand. Special cutters had to be
manufactured for all the separate moulds manufactured.
UNIQUE ASPECTS AND CHALLENGES
The mosque was designed within the guidelines of traditional
Islamic architecture, something which made the project stand
out. Among the factors that made this project unique was the
specialised arabesque ceilings as well as the mashrabiya. In a
research paper tilted Islamic Architectural Heritage:
Mashrabiya, Ayman Fathy Ashour defines mashrabiya as “a
type of oriel window enclosed in carved wooden latticework”.
The paper further explains that this type of feature is rooted in
traditional Islamic architecture.
Another unique aspect of the project was the mimbar. More
commonly known as a pulpit, the mimbar is the elevated seat of
honour in the mosque from which the Imam (local priest) leads
worship. Important public pronouncements are also made from
the mimbar. The doors of the mosque were made by Egyptian
craftsman Mostafa Hassan based in Cairo. All the unique
features and other aspects of the mosque were made from
wood. Indonesian Merbau was used for the internal glass doors
and semi-circular arched windows. The service doors to the
minaret were made from meranti. The rest of the mosque’s
doors, mashrabiya and mihrab were made in Egypt from a
combination of hardwood walnut and beech.
The team faced many challenges during this project. Among
them was the time frame in which they had to complete the
project. Historical issues with previous stakeholders, resulted
in the project coming to a halt temporarily. As a result, the
Amoretti team had to work round the clock to make up time
and meet the deadline. “It was a lot of hard work. We
worked some days from 4.30am to 10:30pm at night,”
Amoretti explains.
www.timberiq.co.za
A collection of the completely manufactured support beams.
Another notable challenge was that the project was made up of
work that had never been done before. On top of everything
else, the team had inherited the project when it was already at
an advanced stage construction-wise, which in turn created
other problems where there were some inconsistencies found
with the measurements within the courtyard. The team were,
however, meticulous in their work because not a single piece
from the custom-made pergola was returned or out of place
due to poor quality.
In the end, the Amoretti team managed to complete what
initially seemed like a monumental task. A combination of hard
work, dedication and collaboration between the Amoretti team
and other stakeholders of the project made it possible for the
successful completion of the project. Other stakeholders
included Muhammad Mayet Architects and Urban Designers as
well as Egyptian architect Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil – who is well
known for his designs of Islamic architecture including mosques
in Saudi Arabia. “We are thankful that a simple system was
devised that all stakeholders are happy with,” Amoretti
concludes.
// DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020
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