The South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is working in collaboration with academic institutions such as the Stellenbosch University, Nelson Mandela University and UNISA on the promotion of timber use in the construction industry.

CLT construction is used across the globe but has not been keenly accepted in South Africa yet. Image credit: ArchDaily

CLT construction is used across the globe but has not been keenly accepted in South Africa yet. Image credit: ArchDaily

Stellenbosch University has done a lot of work on the potential of South African timber products to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings.

According to the DTI, there is a compelling opportunity for Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) to be taken up as a new construction technology in South Africa that can shape the future of our timber construction industry. Responding to this, Nelson Mandela University’s Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology (EBEIT), with participation from other faculties such as Science and Arts, has embarked on an ambitious CLT initiative in partnership with the Italian architecture, engineering and construction company ‘Innovhousing’, and a growing number of university and industry partners.

The objective of the CLT unit at the university is to advance the adoption of CLT in South Africa and the CLT Technology Engagement Unit as a multidisciplinary entity at Nelson Mandela. The aim of CLT Unit is to promote sustainable building through this low carbon construction technology that can further achieve a nearly zero energy balance through its energy efficiency design. It requires minimal energy for heating or cooling, thereby containing its ecological footprint throughout its lifetime. Part of the CLT Unit’s mandate is to focus on innovative technologies for CLT builds, including solar power, battery storage systems, heating and cooling systems.

Source: Department of Trade, Industry and Competition – Promotion of wood construction; strategic recommendations August 2020