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Timber as a roofing building material is increasingly on the rise in South Africa.
and roofing technologies have been
adopted in the market compared to 10
years ago – a positive reality that will help
to reshape the roofing sector.
“The South African construction
industry is still set on its old brick and
mortar ways, but more timber frame
housing is being built thanks to better
workmanship, costs, timber preservatives
and design technologies. – So yes, timber
is revolutionising the roofing and
construction sector as a whole,”
says Botha.
He notes that the timber roofing
industry is quite competitive which lends
itself to being sufficient where one can
expect very competitive prices. “Roof
truss designers must think out of the box
when designing roofs to ensure their
roofing quotes are more competitive.
They should also make use of alternative
technologies for this reason,”
believes Botha.
Botha notes that while hurdles remain,
the timber roof industry is seeing several
enlightening trends take shape. He notes
that larger 900mm c/c truss spacings on
concrete tile roofs is a major trend in
certain locations in the country by
www.saroofing.co.za
making use of 38 x 38 battens. This is a
huge cost saver on any roof, which is
increasingly being used on low- and
medium-cost housing projects, he
highlights.
“With the first Cross Laminated Timber
(CLT) structures already built in the
Western Cape, we foresee that CLT
projects will be a standardised trend in
architectural designs for large building
projects in the future as it has already
proved itself as a steel and concrete
replacement in high-rise buildings in the
EU, US and Canada. Testing of a stronger
Biligom CLT is in the process,”
notes Botha.
Botha believes that due to South
Africa’s crumbling economy, we will start
to see smarter, greener and more cost-
effective roof designs. “More eco-friendly
projects – both private and governmental
– are planned for the future, therefore
sustainable roofing products will need to
be used as architects receive green
credits if specified. It’s tough out there for
truss plants if buildings are not being
constructed and therefore the smarter,
educated and open-minded truss plant
owners will reap the rewards.”
The South African
“ construction
industry
is still set on its old
brick and mortar
ways, but more timber
frame housing is being
built thanks to better
workmanship, costs,
timber preservatives and
design technologies. ”
– JD Botha of Biligom International.
TOP TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR
• Self-healing concrete
• Air-cleaning materials
• Transparent wood
• Graphene
• Additive manufacturing
• 3D printing
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
CLADDING // CONCRETE // INSULATION // STEEL // THATCH // TIMBER // TRANSLUCENT // WATERPROOFING // COMPONENTS
JAN - FEB 2019
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