TALKING TIMBER
ALL PHOTOS BY XLAM
An example of an off-site construction of a cross laminated timber (CLT) cabin.
A South African case for
mass timber
By Jamie Smily, owner of XLAM South Africa (Presented at the Wood Conference 2020)
The construction industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift, which promises to
revolutionise the way we design, engineer and build.
When we consider timber construction in South Africa,
the general public think of a ‘wendy house’.
Perceptions are truly the biggest hindrance in the
timber construction space. Is timber biosafe? Will it survive an
insect attack? Surely it can burn down?
We need to be rethinking the way we use timber because it is no
longer a material that is just suitable for small structures, or parts of a
structure. It has already become material used in the entire structure
and body of many buildings.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Timber in South Africa has been seen as an inferior material, but in
fact it is a great material. We have an incredible forestry sector in
South Africa, and we have very good institutions who are watching
what is being built and how it’s being built.
There is the South African Wood Preservers Association (SAWPA)
who are looking at timber treatments. There is the South African
Technical Auditing Services (SATAS) who are auditing companies to
make sure that for example Glulam beams or structural timbers that
you are buying are in fact what they are meant to be.
There is a whole range of South African National Standards (SANS)
and some timber products used as alternative building technologies
also fall under, and require, the Agremént certification. Timber is
already part of our building regulations – it falls under SANS-10400
codes for structural timber and timber framed construction.
There is further, development of a standard for the manufacture and
use of cross laminated timber (CLT) which is in its final stages of
approval. This South African standard is quite an achievement for the
industry as there are many other countries who still do not have their
own manufacturing standards.
The other point often referred to has to do with sustainability – ‘how
can timber be sustainable if you are cutting down the forests?’ In this
case it is important to use timber endorsed by groups such as the
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and so on who check that timber
materials are coming from sustainable resources.
www.timberiq.co.za // OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020 25