Timber iQ December 2019 - January 2020 // Issue: 47 | Page 33

FEATURES
Some traditional houses in Africa were built from mud, straw, timber and grass.
on the African content is predominantly used for the
construction of lodges and bridges.
As a continent, Africa has unique characteristics that present
opportunities for timber construction to thrive. One of the
characteristics is the population. According to Bah, Faye and
Geh, the African population was estimated to be 1.18 billion
in 2018 and was expected to double by 2050. With population
growth comes urbanisation and that is where opportunities
for timber construction lie, as there will be a demand for
decent accommodation.
Onyegiri and Ugochukwu highlight that when considering
sustainable construction, it is critical to think about
techniques, practices and sources of raw materials. Their
article highlights that the increasing costs of building are a
major challenge, especially in developing countries – which
is attributed to the cost of building materials. A possible
www.timberiq.co.za
solution to such a challenge would be if building materials
for low-cost housing are sourced from raw materials which
are available locally. As such, timber would be an ideal
source of building, especially for a developing continent
such as Africa.
ADVANTAGES OF USING TIMBER FOR
CONSTRUCTION
Timber as a building material has many advantages, some
of which are ideal for Africa as a developing continent.
Affordability and convenience are among the advantages.
Onyegiri and Ugochukwu mention that using timber is more
affordable than importing other materials for construction.
They also add that as a locally sourced material, timber has
the potential to drastically reduce transportation costs
whereby materials need not be transported from urban
areas to rural areas and vice versa. “Timber is transportable.
// DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020
31