Browsing by Author "Van der Watt, Gerdus"

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    Considering of alternative construction methods for subsidy houses in the city of Cape Town and Cape Winelands districts
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Van der Watt, Gerdus; Wium, Jan Andries; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Civil Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Various challenges exist in the subsidy housing sector in South Africa, such as a housing backlog, unemployment and poor housing quality. However, several of these challenges can be addressed by choosing an appropriate construction method. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate prefabricated concrete as an alternative to brick and mortar for the construction of subsidy houses in the City of Cape Town and the Cape Winelands District. A technical and non-technical comparison is performed between these two construction methods. To contextualise the research problem, challenges that are faced by the subsidy housing sector in South Africa, are first identified. This is followed by identifying the benefits of living in a house. To perform an accurate comparison between the construction methods, the scope of each method is defined. Lastly, housing standards that govern the construction of subsidy housing are identified. A multimethod qualitative research strategy is used in this study. The methods of data collection include observations, a desktop study and semi-structured interviews. Interviews are performed with three participant groups: architects and urban planners, government officials involved in housing developments and housing activists. The interview data is analysed using content analysis. Due to physical restrictions by the Coronavirus Disease of 2019, beneficiaries of subsidy houses could not form part of the participants. The goal of the observations is to obtain information regarding challenges within low-income communities. Furthermore, the goal of the desktop study is to obtain technical and non- technical criteria for the comparison of the construction methods. Lastly, the goal of the semi- structured interviews is to identify and/or validate the criteria from the literature sources. The technical comparison is performed on the consolidated criteria from the desktop study and the interviews. For the non-technical comparison challenges are identified that can be addressed by the construction method only. The effects of these challenges on their contribution towards a progressive community, is determined. For the technical and non-technical comparison, brick-and-mortar construction was found to be the better option. Therefore, it was concluded that brick-and-mortar construction is the more appropriate construction method for the construction of subsidy houses. This decision was based on its lower cost, resource availability, ease of alteration and extending of the house and for addressing more of the identified challenges.