Timber Construction Feasibility in South Africa

This line of work sits alongside the PhD and asks a practical question: can structural timber actually work in South Africa? The research examines building standards compliance (strength, fire, moisture resistance), comparative feasibility across different contexts, the economic case for mass timber buildings, and how industry professionals perceive timber’s quality relative to conventional materials.

So far, this has produced a journal article in Wood Material Science & Engineering on structural timber feasibility, a paper at WCTE 2025 in Brisbane comparing feasibility perspectives, a conference paper at ASOCSA 2024 on perceived quality and barriers, and a paper presented in Vilnius on the economic feasibility of mass timber buildings.