Housing in Southern Africa October 2015

LESSONS LEARNED

T he show houses constructed in the village range in age from six to ten years, providing a unique opportunity for observing and documenting the response of these systems to the environment within which they are placed. The houses have not undergone any significant maintenance or repair work in order to note the durability of the various materials, structural defects and impact of workmanship. The site is predominantly character- ised by active/heaving soils, classified as H3, which presented an opportu- nity to document performance under non-ideal conditions. Some of the findings include: • The importance of appropriately detailed joints or connections - some of the panel systems were not adequately constructed and weatherproof, particularly at joints. Attention needs to be paid to the selection of appropriate products andmaterials that work effectively together. • Construction skills and supervision - it was pretty clear at one show house that the contractor/builder perhaps did not have an intimate understanding of how the building system really worked. Structural defects appeared shortly after con- structionwas completed. Although many IBTs may not require skilled labour for erection, it is undeniable that an understanding of good construction practice, experience with the system and problem solv- ing ability must exist within the project team. • Maintenance, materials and du- rability - apart from the need for regular home maintenance, it has become apparent that specifying good quality, appropriate products has a real impact on the quality and durability of the housing product. For example, within approximately two years of completion, a fairly simple IBT house with painted fibre cement board external walls was peeling. This can be attrib- uted to the quality of the paint, the strength of adhesion of the paint to the board, or the applicationmeth- od and environmental elements. • Another system applied an inno- vative recycled plastic-type roof covering, a material that was fairly unknown. This particular prod- uct is not suitable for the South

The Eric Molobi Housing Innovation Hub provides a platform for potentially powerful research into the real-time physical performance of the various types of innovative building technologies.

all IBTs to be easily integrated with traditional, easily sourced materials, namely brick and mortar. Almost everyone, including the beneficiary of a subsidy house, is capable of sourcing a local builder to perform some basic addition/altera- tion work. However, when faced with a sophisticated sandwich panel in a light steel frame home, sourcing a builder may not be that simple. A beneficiary of an IBT home con- structed as part of the Eric Molobi Innovation Project learned this the hard way. The home owner wanted an additional plug point installed. After employing the services of three or four local handymen, he realised that the wall was of such in- credible strength that the electricals could only be wall mounted. This of course did not meet with the home owner’s aesthetical preference. For this reason, it is important to develop support for the IBT sector, which will cultivate sub-industries and en- able/equip local business to install, erect and build using these systems, thereby ensuring their sustainability. The NHBRC Centre for Research and Housing Innovation works closely with and have formed strategic part- nerships with other state entities such as Agrément, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the South African Bureau of Standards and others, to collaborate and evalu- ate IBT systems. ■

African environment. Through observation, it was concluded that the fairly high sun exposure received in Soshanguve, resulted in the roof material becomingmore brittle and subsequently weaker over the years. A recent hail storm completely destroyed the roof, as though shattering glass. The decision to not maintain the IBT show houses has served to empha- sise the fact that housing structures do require maintenance, and that regular maintenance will impact the lifespan and quality of the house. It has been interesting to note, how- ever, that there are some systems that have been standing for ten years without maintenance (apart from regular cleaning) and the external appearance of the home is quite ac- ceptable. The recommendation therefore is that IBT homes should be provided with amaintenance guideline for the end-user/homeowner. This will pro- vide some indication of the particular components that may require re- placement and minor maintenance, as it relates to specific systems. This guide can be improved over time as more about the various systems are is discovered, but it is a necessary starting point. Additions and alterations - many innovative building technology prod- ucts only have a single-source sup- plier, usually in the form of a spe- cific Agrément certificate holder who bears the ultimate responsibility for the performance and quality of the final product. Oftenhome owners are posedwith the dilemma of additions and altera- tions and they either do not know the original builder or are unable to contact them. This necessitates the need for

11 Eric Molobi Housing Innovation Hub