WOOD FOR THOUGHT
Timber – a distinct home advantage
With a growing population and a housing backlog currently of 2.1 million houses in South Africa , timber can play a large role in the solution .
According to Think Wood , a US-based communications campaign that provides commercial , as well as family home design and build resources to architects , developers , and contractors , the demand for affordable housing in the US is outpacing supply nationwide . Affordable housing is a complex issue ( as is apparent in South Africa ), but some recent US projects demonstrate how materials like light-frame , prefabrication , and mass timber wood construction — along with fresh approaches to design — can offer flexibility and play a role in curbing costs . Should South Africa not be taking a page out of their book ( or at least gouging a piece out of their block ?).
South Africa has more than enough SA Pine to meet current housing needs , and some of our forest areas are underplanted , so if and when demand grows , planting can be increased . Using wood to replace conventional construction materials like concrete , steel and masonry , not only reduces the amount of CO 2 emitted , at the rate of
0.9 tonnes of CO 2 per cube of material used , but also locks away
CO 2 for the lifespan of the product , and then if disposed of – makes its stored energy available . Not only that , but timber homes are included in the South African National Building Regulations standards , in SANS 10082 , Timber Buildings . When built to these standards they also automatically achieve the standard required for registration with the National Home Builder Registration Council ( NHBRC ). They are also easily designed to meet the requirements of the new Energy Efficiency regulations SANS 10400 Part XA .
and an important part of green design and a consideration of the complete life cycle of a structure . It includes provisions for the re-use of building components at the end of a structure ' s life . And our featured local project ( page 8 ) on The Ridge ’ s CLT façade focuses on the use of CLT and the strong engineering and design rationale behind its use .
What South Africa sorely needs is a change in perception when it comes to building with timber . Leading architects , engineers and specifiers ( especially those with considerable experience in CLT and LVL construction projects ) should help promote the advantages of using more timber in construction , and help drive change – not only in the areas of building performance , design and implementation , but also in building a sustainable future with timber .
I hope you find this issue interesting and insightful . If you have any comments or insights to share , please email me at : tarren @ interactmedia . co . za .
And there ’ s plenty of local support . The recently re-named representative body of South Africa ’ s timber industry , the South African Institute of Timber Builders ( SAITB ), aims to not only represent businesses in the timber construction industry , but will be actively engaging with and encouraging professionals such as architects and engineers as well as all suppliers to the sector to join and be part of enhancing the growing use of timber in construction in South Africa . Read more about SAITB in our ‘ Local News ’ on page 5 .
Our feature , ‘ Sustainable architecture , designing for deconstruction , and mass timber ’ on page 23 looks at Design for Deconstruction – the reuse of existing structural components to create new facilities ,
Tarren
Tarren Bolton - Editor
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2 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2021 // www . timberiq . co . za