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