WOOD FOR THOUGHT
Endless possibilities for
timber construction
I
f the presentations at this year's Wood Conference are
anything to go by, innovation in timber construction is
set to reach new heights.
Gone are the days when timber was used for roof trusses
for a building; today we find structures purely built using
timber from top to bottom. Taking it a step further, the
evolution of timber construction makes it possible for high
rise buildings to also be constructed from timber.
Timber as a building material has many advantages that
outweigh conventional building materials – timber is
environmentally friendly and any waste left over from
construction can be reused. There was an impressive
presentation about the applications for underutilised
timber in building construction at the conference that
highlighted that timber remnants after the end of a project
are very useful.
Other interesting presentations touched upon
prefabricated timber houses and modular structures,
which can go a long way to help solving South Africa’s
housing backlog.
Similarly, a timber home also has benefits compared to
buildings constructed with other materials; one is that
timber structures are well-insulated – nice and cool when it
is hot and cosy when outside temperatures dip.
Timber is also breaking boundaries in design and
architecture. We are seeing timber buildings that are
designed in such a way that they are practical, yet they look
exquisite. A presentation at the conference referred to a log
house in Finland that not only looks beautiful, but has a
long life span as well.
An exciting announcement was made at the conference
regarding a partnership between our cover sponsor
Universal Plywoods and the Kuratle Group. In this issue,
Universal Plywoods take us on a journey with Lunawood
where we discover its benefits and various applications,
among others.
Timber has a lot of potential as a building material. We
cannot deny that – along with its many benefits – it is also
aesthetically pleasing. If anything the Wood Conference
2019 was an eye-opener to the many opportunities and
huge potential for the timber construction industry.
Dineo Phoshoko
Staff writer