SACAP Professionals gain from JHB online permit system

The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Development Planning is in the final stages of piloting and tweaking its electronic Construction Permit Management System (CPMS) and urges architects to register as soon as possible. Designed specifically for building permit purposes, the CPMS will streamline the current Site Development and Building Plan permit system. Professionals…

NHBRC pilots online building services

The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) is piloting an online services platform for builder registration and renewal applications. The pilot project went live in KwaZulu-Natal in December 2021. Gauteng and Mpumalanga will follow early this year before it rolls out nationally. “This is part of the broader NHBRC digital services strategic initiative…

Construction Alliance celebrates its first birthday

Construction Alliance South Africa (CASA), an umbrella body of 36 organisations across the construction value chain, used the occasion of its first anniversary on 21 January 2021 to launch its website and confirm its commitment to rebuilding the sector. Its membership is broad and includes built environment professionals, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and industry…

Technical paper: assessing carbon impacts of timber

Assessing the carbon-related impacts of timber is complex. Timber Development UK and its Sustainability Group commissioned Jane Anderson to write a Technical Paper on the topic. Anderson is a world-renowned expert on Embodied Carbon, Life Cycle Assessments and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for the construction industry. She is the UK expert on CEN/TC350/WG3,…

Timber trusses are greener than light gauge steel

“In comparison to the aviation industry, which contributes roughly 2-3% of global emissions, embodied carbon, specifically steel and concrete production, contributes about 8-10% of global emissions.” Zaid Alwan, Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture and the Built Environment at Northumbria University. In South Africa, like the rest of the world, the high environmental impact…