What would a South African summer be without a braai at the pool , in the shade of a lapa ? These timber-and-thatch constructions are a fundamental feature of the South African landscape and so , we take a look at what it takes to make them .
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Lapas are a fixture of the South African landscape . Image : Pixabay
The art of lapas
What would a South African summer be without a braai at the pool , in the shade of a lapa ? These timber-and-thatch constructions are a fundamental feature of the South African landscape and so , we take a look at what it takes to make them .
By Kelly-Ann Prinsloo
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw , water reed , sedge , rushes , heather , or palm fronds , layering the vegetation to shed water away from the inner roof . Since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry , and is densely packed – trapping air – thatching also functions as a quite significant insulation material . It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates .
Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries , usually with low-cost , local vegetation . By contrast in some developed countries it is now the choice of some affluent people who desire a rustic look for their home , would like a more ecologically friendly roof or who have purchased an originally thatched abode .
Thatching methods have traditionally been passed down from generation to generation , and numerous descriptions of the materials and methods used in Europe over the past three centuries survive in archives and early publications . In some equatorial countries , thatch is the prevalent local material for roofs , and often walls . There are diverse building techniques from the ancient Hawaiian hale shelter made from the local ti leaves , lauhala or pili grass .
Palm leaves are also often used . For example , in Na Bure , Fiji , thatchers combine fan palm leave roofs with layered reed walls . Feathered palm leaf roofs are used in Dominica . Alang-alang thatched roofs are used in Hawaii and Bali . Sugar cane leaf roofs are used in Kikuyu tribal homes in Kenya .
38 APRIL / MAY 2017 //