23 minute read
OPINION PIECE WOOD IT WORK
WOOD IT WORK
Will mass timber disrupt in SA?
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The mass timber industry is enjoying disruptive growth across the world, as an increasing number of design professionals are choosing renewable wood over concrete or steel. The reasons are mostly ecological, but a key driver of this sustainable value chain is technology.
WORDS David Elliott, Founder, Mass Timber Focus Group
The fragmented construction industry is divided into civil infrastructure and vertical building, and these again into sectors, build types, professions, and trades. Therefore, blanket statements regarding the disruption of the “construction industry” are non-sensical.
The data in the familiar productivity graph below shows the regression of construction productivity since 1950 and holds true in part across the world. However, statistics are based on models with many variables and population samples, so it should be taken with a pinch of salt, as the industry is not homogenous. Productivity improvement has been the subject of various governmental task teams like the excellent UK report, led by Sir John Egan in the 90s, called Rethinking Construction. speed achieved in 1930 on the Empire State Building. They delivered 102 floors in 14 months, with a record of 14 floor cycles in 10 working days. Structural steel unlocked this productivity, and hence the speed of our industrial sites with the help of Bentley™ or Tekla™.
CHOICES UNLOCK INNOVATION
Material choices therefore limit or unlock opportunities for speed and technological advancement across design, fabrication, assembly and installation. The irony is that the designers and contractors on the Empire State were delivering elements manufactured off-site using DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly). Mass timber employs the same but with 3D modelling, which
Real productivity (GDP value-add per employee) by industry in the US.
Notwithstanding these data, those of us who have worked in the trenches on large commercial developments, have seen the huge effort it takes to achieve the fast-track programs and shrinking budgets. This creates a dichotomy.
FRAGMENTED VALUE CHAINS
Construction supply chains are fragmented and complex as they are project centric. These teams design and deliver prototypes, which are handmade under significant time pressure. The industry will therefore not easily produce unicorns like we have seen in hospitality, transport, banking, telecommunications or photography. We need to narrow our focus to sectors and trades, as signature art galleries may contain office space, yet the flowing sculpted staircases in multi-volume atriums obviously cost more than speculative office builds. South Africa’s leading architects sculpt these iconic buildings as they have the budget, 3D design tools, machinery and trade contractors worth their salt. South Africa delivers large buildings in record time, and has world-class designers, yet we cannot match the is suitable for robotic machining, and can shave 25% off the concrete program on mid-rise office builds.
SUSTAINABILITY AND COVID
Climate change and the pandemic may be the catalysts needed for industry-wide innovation, as policy change can incentivise the use of renewable material or off-site construction towards a more sustainable future. Client-led change has proven the most successful way to improve industry productivity, and governments are re-committing to the Paris Agreement, so sustainable policies should surface post-Covid. Sustainability has migrated from green washing to re-structuring, as companies innovate, to reduce their carbon footprint.
McKinsey’s report titled Laying the foundation for zerocarbon cement underlines this reality. Diversification and innovation will become the new norm for suppliers to stay in the game. Mass timber is the only comprehensively tested renewable structural material as it is harvested from sustainable plantations. An example below of enormous timber beams from 1995.
7by6
Collaborative Design Engineers
7by6 is a collaborative structural, façade and civil engineering practice. By striving for design that is elegant in its simplicity, We find ourselves at the crossroad where engineering design meets architecture.
Douglas Adams wrote that the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is 42, but we are always left wondering what the question should be. At 7by6 we focus on asking the right questions. The result is architecturally sensitive, efficient and enjoyable.
We offer full structural and façade engineering services, ensuring that your building design is efficient and economical from concept through to construction. We assist with refurbishments, making existing structures work for new spaces. And we provide design consultations, offering structural and façade engineering advice.
Collaborating with other disciplines is vital to our process in delivering a design. Urbansoup is a multidisciplinary, tech-savvy firm changing the way we design, and the way we think about design. We have a deep understanding of how cities work – how they move and breathe, and how their complex parts fit together.
We earned our stripes on large publicly funded projects – transport hubs, urban renewal, bridges and large multi-use public environments – bringing a unique design aesthetic, practicality, and cost efficiency to the field of public architecture & placemaking.
Ultimately all of this – our technology, our creativity, our expertise and experience – is used in the service of building architecture that’s durable, economically viable, environmentally friendly and user-responsive.
Our overarching mission is simple – to build better cities.
7by6 Collaborative Design Engineers ask.us@7by6.com www.7by6.com
Urbansoup
Architects & Urban Designers
Urbansoup Architects & Urban Designers info@urbansoup.co.za 011 026 8090 www.urbansoup.co.za
There are many opportunities for technological disruption across the sectors and trades, which includes innovation in façades, HVAC and fire protection. However, mass timber is ready for use in mid-rise commercial, residential, cultural and public buildings. It would require further innovation to be economical enough for low-income housing.
Timber beams span nearly 100m at Oslo-Gardemoen International Airport in Norway. nexus from client to contractor. The graph below shows the benefits of the collaborative design approach with early contractor involvement annotated as ‘BIM Workflow’. BIM adoption should result in a designcentric project and can unlock value as seen in the Empire State Building example.
Collaborative design-build shifts the cost curve to the left by mitigating uncertainty.
Design-build allows the professional team to use DfMA and work with the contractor from concept to factory floor. Design software needs to have a Level of Development (LoD) 400, like Catia, Inventor or Solid Works; packages like REVIT are not developed to output fabrication tickets in microns, which CNC machines require.
My personal learning experience was on the iconic Botswana Innovation Hub in partnership with SHoP Architects, New York. This is one of Africa’s most challenging façade projects in terms of process in scale and geometric complexity on the rainscreens. Tens of thousands of unique parts requiring barcoding for geo-locations as seen in the image above. Off-site construction re-allocates labour to controlled environments where the learning curves are shorter, and quality assurance and control is more manageable, which significantly improves productivity and mitigates some construction safety risks.
Sustainability is a topic on its own, as mass timber significantly reduces the embodied carbon in the construction process. Every m3 of wood stores a ton
SHAKING OFF HISTORY
Our adversarial contracting culture formed over decades on the back of the traditional building procurement system, which separates design and construction, and awards a contract to the lowest bidder. This system gave rise to an adversarial culture, creating a divide between the professional team and contractor, with the latter leveraging the contract to reclaim losses from an aggressive bid. These claims spill over into the value chain when trade contractors become a soft target for improving their cashflow or profitability.
Design-build has grown exponentially in the UK, USA, and Australia on large infrastructure builds and even high-rise buildings. Project teams become partners by default, and although there are drawbacks, it delivers predictably to the client’s satisfaction. Professionals may resent the ceding of their contractual
Oslo Airport trusses as built.
South-West garden atrium of the Botswana Innovation Hub.
of CO2 and can contribute significantly towards a carbon neutral building.
The experience gained on this project is what attracted my attention to the construction of the Daramu House in Sydney pictured below. This was the first mass timber commercial building that I had seen, as they do not exist in South Africa. The timber structure is fully exposed showing beautiful organic glulam posts and beams, with Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) floor plates. This technology is on the rise globally, so when returning to South Africa, we founded the Mass Timber Focus Group to encourage local adoption and decided to use Daramu House as our mascot.
THE NEXT STEP
The Mass Timber Focus Group (MTFG) are confident that we will see significant adoption of mass timber in South Africa over the next decade, with prices becoming competitive as the supply chain matures. My current day job is launching a business selling Swiss steel, and my MTFG colleagues are engineers, an architect, and an academic, and like me, this is their passion project. Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of mass timber in South Africa, as we believe it will make a significant and sustainable contribution to our built environment.
David Elliot Daramu House, Barangaroo Waterfront in Sydney, Australia.
Rothoblaas pioneers a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Rothoblaas, a multi-national company with its roots in the Alpine region of Italy, is one of the world’s leading companies in providing high-technology solutions for all those involved in the wood construction sector.
Given the company’s extensive knowledge and passion for timber as a versatile and natural material as well as its commitment to sustainability, it made sense that the structure and components of Rothoblaas’ new automatic warehouse in Cortaccia are made from timber.
Although the automation mechanisms inside the warehouse are made of motors, tracks, electronics and steel – all materials that generate a great amount of CO2 in their production, as well as concrete foundations – this impact is offset by the important ecological advantages of a structure and shelving made from wood.
“While this required more design effort, in the end the costs were the same as if we had used other materials commonly used in these projects, like steel and concrete,” said CEO Robert Blaas. “This is the first automatic warehouse in Italy made entirely out of timber and confirms Rothoblaas’ role as a forerunner and reference point. This effort shows once again that we are not afraid to put ourselves in the front line to support green building and make it grow.”
A RAPIDLY GROWING SECTOR
Blaas says that in 30 years the timber market has gone from being a niche sector to a fast-growing sector that continues to challenge what seemed previously impossible. “From these humble beginnings, this method is now being used in the construction of entire residential areas built in timber and increasingly taller and more complex buildings that are at the same time safe, comfortable, healthy and have a strong architectural flair,” he said.
Rothoblaas has grown in response to the development of the market, matched by a considerable increase in their range, which now offers multiple solutions for the many application needs of construction professionals.
warehouses and those planned for the near future. “We have made it automated to be able to handle larger quantities to support the company’s growth. We need to be ready to handle many special products in large quantities, to offer them at competitive prices and within the right time frames: all this because we guarantee solutions for designing and building in wood that are easily accessible and adapted to the needs of all markets,” he said.
The company has grown to 22 subsidiaries worldwide (including South Africa) and the new warehouse will store 26 000 pallets, compared to 11 500 in the existing warehouse. The project also includes spaces for laboratories, a research centre, an auditorium and relaxation areas to enable all employees to live out Rothoblaas’ values to the full, both at work and in their free time.
Sustainability has been part of the company’s agenda since 2012, when it built a 200Kw/P photovoltaic system, a heat pump and a steam heating and cooling system using the heat from the solar system. The company aims to self-produce 100% of their electricity needs through renewable sources by 2025, well ahead of the deadline set by the European Union.
“We have a reputation of being pioneers, based on our ability to anticipate industry needs and to be easily accessible wherever our customers are in the world, enabling them to optimise their time and resources. We have no intention of losing this tradition,” concluded Blaas.
A GREEN AGENDA
Logistics and warehouse manager, Alexander Vaja said that the new warehouse serves Rothoblaas as an efficient storehouse for timely replenishment to existing
ULTIMATE CLIMATE COMFORT
Eco-Insulation cellulose fibre thermal insulation is manufactured at an ISO9001:2015 specialised plant in Kempton Park, and is familiar sight at developments – from highend security estates to low-cost gap housing.
For Eco-Insulation client, Garden Cities NPC (RF), a Cape-based housing developer with a 100-year pedigree, the goal is zero-waste-to-landfill. According to group manager Renier Smith, “We are hoping to create the required awareness with our residents, contractors, suppliers and consultants alike; the latter resulting in a cumulative approach to achieve this goal.”
Eco-Insulation, has been the source of SANS10400XA-compliant insulation to the Pinelands Development Company (PDC), the construction and development arm of Garden Cities for over eight years says Richard Ellis, who heads the Cape Town distributorship for Eco-Insulation. PDC has over this period received 1 000 tons of EcoInsulation above the ceilings of 2 600 GCH homes.
“Cellulose fibre insulation solution aligns with our core approach to reduce, reuse and recycle,” confirms Smith. Eco-Insulation is made from 85% recycled newsprint waste and has a low carbon footprint.
“The PDC relationship began with the onset of SANS10400-XA when our client required a turnkey insulation service that came with a warranty of compliance and 100% coverage in the roof space.
Often contractors/installers neglect to ensure coverage with no heat-leaking air gaps in the corners or under trusses caused by a product that can’t reach those places. These installations are not efficient and continue to leak heat out of or into the house below, winter or summer,” says Ellis.
Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) considerations prevail. Installers like to work with the product since it is safe on the hands, eyes and throat and VOC-free. The product is certified at SABS, is fire-rated under SANS428 and is firm in the roof.
ECO-INSULATION info@eco-insulation.co.za www.eco-insulation.co.za
FABULOUS TO FIT
The warm beauty of wooden windows and doors
Traditional installation and glazing methods don’t always do justice to even the highestquality products because on-site skills and standards vary. The best-made product may end up being less than perfectly glazed and fitted.
That’s why Swartland introduced its Ready-2-Fit windows and doors, which are sealed and glazed in the factory during manufacture. The product is then thoroughly wrapped in protective two-stage packaging before being transported.
When it arrives on-site it’s ready to be installed, which saves the builder time and money, and improves the overall quality of their workmanship at no extra cost. Swartland’s offering is unique in the wooden windows and doors market:
• Pre-sealed: During manufacture, all Swartland’s Ready-2-Fit windows and doors are pre-sealed with Maxicare, a high-quality, water-based sealant that ensures optimum protection against the elements. Maxicare boasts many benefits: it is an environmentally friendly sealant, with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions, it is ultraviolet- and waterresistant, non-flammable, lead-free, and has an element of anti-fungal protection against dry-rot and other threats. It will also offer years of protection from the damaging effects of extreme temperatures, humidity, cold, rain and sunlight.
While Maxicare was developed in Germany, it copes well in Africa to cater for darker colours such as Teak and Imbuia, it contains heat-reflective pigments that lower the surface temperature of the wood to reduce natural contraction and expansion. • Colour choice: Swartland offers the following colour options: Teak, Imbuia, Light Oak and White, Bali Deep, Dusted Moss, Sombrero and Ivory Parchment. They’re in a natural palette that will enhance your home’s modern or traditional design. • Variety: Ready-2-Fit windows and doors are available in Swartland’s Cape Culture and Winsters ranges on request. • Low maintenance: What really makes water-based sealant a real winner is how it makes wooden windows and doors a cinch to maintain. There’s no need for laborious sanding and re-sealing. Just wash and wipe them down to restore their original beauty. • Glazing is standard: All windows and doors in the Ready-2-Fit range come pre-glazed with standard 4mm or 6.38mm safety glass, in compliance with national building regulations. Other types of glazing, including double-glazing – which improves insulation and reduces noise, as well as Low-E glass (low-emissivity, to reduce infrared and ultraviolet light) – are available on request. • Pre-hung doors: Swartland pre-hangs doors in their frames in the factory, with all essential hardware fitted. The building trade welcomed the move, as well as the introduction of adjustable frames to compensate for swelling and shrinking.
White
Dusted Moss Bali Deep
Imbuia
Ivory Parchment Light Oak
Teak Sombrero
• Fixtures and features: Ready-2-Fit doors and windows offer several features to ensure security and energy efficiency, including: • Espagnolette lock, a multiple locking mechanism that enhances security and ensures a snug, draft-free fit. (Available in the Cape Culture Supreme range.) • Brass thumb-release handle • Double-glazing: A variety of thicknesses of glass is available to meet a range of needs • Composite gaskets, which form an airlock between the frame and casement, to improve insulation • Wood sections are available in varying thicknesses to ensure windows have optimal thermal and security properties • Four-bar friction hinges to handle the weight of the extra glass and thicker frame. • Compliance: Swartland continuously tests its products to ensure they comply with the National Building Regulations and the Consumer Protection Act. To ensure compliance with SANS613 Mechanical Performance Criteria, the Ready-2-Fit range is tested for deflection, structural strength, water-resistance, airtightness, operating forces, and energy efficiency. Exceptional quality and finish, minimal maintenance, backed by after-sales service.
www.swartland.co.za
THE HOME OFFICE
And right there, we sense the contradiction in the name: home and office. It is almost an absurdity, an oxymoron, like military intelligence.
WORDS Mark Russell, Isoboard
Iam sure most of us never intended that they would be one and the same. The commute between the two was a part of our lives, a time for planning on the trip to the office, and anticipation of family and comforts of home on the return trip. One destination for earning, one for refuge.
And then…
I wonder at how we have coped and adjusted, transitioning to the more self-sufficient role, the available technology such a boon to enabling remote collaboration, remaining in contact, while simultaneously avoiding physical interaction as much as possible. Behaving unhealthily, to remain healthy.
Many homes were not designed to accommodate the needs of people having to work, study and create, as well as rest, replenish and recreate. And most of us need to separate the two, well, the men anyway, one thing at a time, and all that.
There are those who can work effectively at the dining room table, while the organised chaos of family life flows around them. Not me. I need a place to put on my work persona, and be in command, master of all I survey. (I must now keep the cat out; I can’t deal with the competition.)
Many of our customers have had to establish office space at home, by converting a garage, a spare room, a garden shed or a 20-foot container. (Never sure why people have spare 20-foot containers at home – but they do convert to great offices.)
In my case, it was a single garage built on years ago as an afterthought, which would finally come into its own, rather than store the neglected accumulated detritus of my life. (Though, while tidying up, I did find a coffee percolator – one of those gifts that never had a place until the home office. Thank you Whatshizname, such prescience! The aroma alone restores my equilibrium.)
The thing about garages, and I daresay sheds and spare 20-foot containers, is they were never designed to accommodate humans during office hours. Roofs in our summers can reach 70°C, and this heat will flow into the roof void. Humans have physiological needs, and one of these is moderate temperatures. Thermal comfort for us is generally between 20 and 27°C, the temperature range where most of us feel neither too hot nor too cold, and can manage our comfort by dressing appropriately, or opening windows sufficiently to allow a gentle crossflow breeze yet keep the cat out.
The garage at home had mono-pitch steel sheeted roof, with a tatty ceiling, and no insulation. Removing
the ceiling exposed beautiful timber beams that required little effort to make into a feature of the new ceiling. We used three types of insulation: aluminium foil directly under the roof sheets to contain condensation and dust, a thermal blanket to act as acoustic insulation and IsoBoard “Isopine” between beams to do the thermal insulation heavy lifting, and aesthetically complement the timber beams.
Of course, the foil and blanket contribute thermally as well. Having been through the past summer and winter, I can tell you this is a happy solution, ticking all the boxes.
IsoBoard can offer aesthetic variety, being plain bevelled edge boards, 100mm and 200mm centregrooved Isopine surface profiles, and they are paintable with water-based paints and wood stains. My home office is easily the most thermally comfortable in the house, and, naturally, has the firm endorsement of the cat...
THE ULTIMATE GREEN CLEANING SOLUTION
If you are looking to invest in cleaning products for your home or business that put sustainability top of mind look no further than Green Worx Cleaning Solutions, Africa’s greenest cleaning, and most cost-effective products.
The company is South Africa’s foremost ecoaccredited bio-technology company (the only ISO4001-accredited bio-tech company in Africa), boasting a string of awards including, most recently, the 2021 MEA Best Sustainable Cleaning and Sanitations Solutions Provider and the Best Sustainable Cleaning Product Manufacturer in 2020. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Green Worx’s R&D team developed a bio-enzyme sanitiser that eradicates the virus within 30 seconds with 99.8% effectiveness.
While the cost of using green cleaning products compared to chemically-loaded alternatives used to be an inhibiting factor in conversion, recent market cost analyses has proven that Green Worx can actually save contract cleaning companies, institutions, hotels and households between 30-50% on their acquisition cost when compared to conventional products, and a reduction in total cleaning product inventory of up to 51%.
HEALTHIER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, HEALTHIER FOR YOU
Today’s consumers are far more environmentally conscious and careful with the choices they make, and the demand for green products has experienced rapid growth. Studies show that toxins present in traditional cleaning products can also be harmful to one’s health, so people are committed to making choices to protect themselves and their family against negative effects.
Bear in mind, however, that the law regulating the use of the words “green”, “eco-friendly”, “chemical-free”, “renewable” etc isn’t in place and companies are able to use vague wording in their marketing, which isn’t necessarily substantiated by the product’s contents. “Green” can mean a number of things; that it doesn’t have harmful effects on the environment, that it is produced using less water, or that it is manufactured with recyclable material. Environmental claims made about products must however be accurate and substantiated and if they fail on this account they can be subject to action by the South African Competition and Consumer Council.
Green Worx has achieved Global GreenTag certification, one of the world’s most robust, trusted and widely recognised ecolabels. John J Coetzee, CEO at Green Worx, said, “This certification is the culmination of many years of hard work. We don’t believe in ‘greenwashing’ – which not all South African manufacturers can claim. Our products, and all the ingredients used to create them, have a great impact on dirt, and no impact on the environment. That’s our commitment to creating a world that is cleaner, greener and smarter.”
FRESH, CLEAN AND POWERFUL
Eco-friendly products offer a thorough, deep clean without the harmful odours and residue that are often left behind after harsh, commercial chemicals are used. They are often created with citrus and other aromatic ingredients that leave the entire room smelling fresh and clean. In a work environment, a pleasant fragrance has been shown to produce a calmer working environment and boost productivity levels.
The benefits associated with using greener, environmentally friendly cleaners go far beyond the elimination of toxic fumes. In some cases, they may actually be able to preserve the surfaces of custommade/high-end equipment, making them look their best and perform better for longer periods of time.
Green Worx offers an extensive range of products for home and industrial use, featuring bio enzymes and probiotics, all offering superior cleaning and sanitising solutions at an affordable price.
The 7by6 | Urbansoup Mass Timber Collaboration
At 7by6 and Urbansoup, we recognise that our world needs change, and quickly. We are excited to be part of the drive towards using more sustainable materials and designs in architecture, and structural engineering. We want to change perceptions around the use of structural timber, spread the knowledge base of this wonderful, sustainable material and see it re-emerge as an integral part of buildings. To this end, we see our futures entwined in the use of mass timber.
Current building techniques are antiquated. Innovation and efficiency are not synonymous with construction and the industry is stagnant. But it is ready for change. With a growing need for tighter programmes, lower Ps&Gs, and earlier occupations, offsite construction and design for manufacturer and assembly will become increasingly more important. Couple this with a dire, global need to address embodied carbon in buildings, and mass timber emerges as the natural answer. Our nirvana is therefore a world where mass timber is preferred to the traditional materials of concrete and steel in architectural structures.
But to get there we need to be sensitive to the present. We don’t need a radical approach, abandoning what we know or how we operate just yet. If we start now, all we need is to slightly adjust our course. Incrementally tweak our designs and realign our thinking. Before we know it change becomes organic, to the point where we don’t even realise that we’ve been a part of it all along.
Hence our immediate desire to see hybrid building designs like the one we’ve proposed here for the University of Pretoria’s FABI building. A symbiotic blend of what we’ve come to know and trust with what we recognise is needed for positive, meaningful change. A change for the future, that respects where we’ve come from. True, sustainable growth.
Be part of the change, ask us how.
7by6 Collaborative Design Engineers ask.us@7by6.com www.7by6.com Urbansoup Architects & Urban Designers info@urbansoup.co.za 011 026 8090 www.urbansoup.co.za
