While the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been welcomed as ushering in a new digital age in many traditional industries, senior management is grappling with how best to implement it in their businesses, and what digital tools are best to use.

Architectural trends, increasing emphasis on energy efficiency and the continual development of new building materials all result in residential roof structures becoming increasingly complex. In a bid for greater clarity and understanding of building regulations as they apply to timber roof trusses, the Institute for Timber Construction South Africa (ITC-SA), in partnership with local roof truss fabricator, Coastal Trusses (Pty) Ltd, will be hosting a CPD-accredited workshop on Building Regulations and Standards of Timber Roof Trusses at Lomond Wine Estate near Gansbaai in Overstrand on 7 November 2019.

South Africa’s infrastructure network faces the same problem as that of several other countries – a harsh sulphate and chloride-rich environment, as well as aging structures which are being over-used whilst servicing a rapidly growing population. Mapei South Africa manufactures a rapid-setting, thixotropic and fibre-reinforced cementitious mortar called Planitop Smooth & Repair R4 ZA which can be applied by trowel in a single layer from 3 mm to 40 mm thickness for structural repairs on internal and external, horizontal and vertical concrete surfaces. Planitop Smooth & Repair R4 ZA can therefore be used to prolong and sustain the lifecycle of structures within South Africa.

Infrastructure improvements (roads, railway lines and buildings) often requires making new cuttings and the steepening of embankments in loose grounds and rocks. Ideally slopes should be at a low angle of inclination to avoid compromising the stability of the area.

Cape-based cast-stone producer, Revelstone, believes that a bright future beckons the South African cast-stone manufacturing industry.