Tropical Africa boasts vast forests that cover 3.6 million square kilometers of land in West, East, and Central Africa. These forests provide valuable timber resources that significantly impact sectors, such as the furniture, fuel, and paper industries. However, interestingly, timber is seemingly absent in the contemporary architecture of the countries in this region. While architectural taste plays a role, the main reasons for this absence can be attributed to the wood industries' inability to meet the requirements of availability, affordability, aesthetic appeal, durability, and climatic and structural performance of timber. The wood industry in tropical Africa is mainly composed of informal and small-scale operations, focused primarily on sawing logs rather than refining wood for architectural or structural purposes. Despite this, the large number of informal enterprises in the region presents an opportunity to reshape the wood industry and utilize the local forestry resources to construct timber buildings.
Informal industries, although not formally registered enterprises or recognized by the government, play a crucial role in the economies of developing countries. In this tropical region, small-scale wood industries are a significant part of this role. For instance, in Nigeria, informal sawmills collectively represent over 70% of the wood industry, considering factors such as wood consumption, employment generation, and business volume. In Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, domestic informal timber production surpasses formal timber production by 30%. Similar situations occur in Uganda, Gabon, Kenya, and Ghana. These industries possess characteristics such as resilience, flexibility, and communal rural relationships, allowing them to thrive and contribute to the local economy by utilizing timber resources.
While small-scale wood industries have the potential to empower domestic markets, the questionable legality of informal markets can hinder their full potential. This prevents them from accessing financial and technical support, which limits their level of innovation, not only in smaller industries like furniture but also in architecture. It is crucial for the government to intervene and acknowledge how government policies and regulations affect the actions of participants in informal enterprises. These policies should serve as a foundation for restructuring these enterprises. This begins with designing tax and licensing structures that accommodate the flexibility of informal enterprises and creating economic climates that foster their growth and success.
Assisting small-scale wood industries to reach their full potential requires a comprehensive understanding of the informal market participants and the connections between artisans, sawmill operators, designers, and builders. In West Africa, for instance, these industries play a role in shaping and preparing timber for scaffolds and roofing structures in contemporary architecture. Collaboration between architects, builders, and informal wood industries can lead to innovative approaches in selecting building materials for architectural projects. One notable example is the Makoko floating school in Lagos, Nigeria, designed by NLÉ, the studio founded by Nigerian-born architect Kunlé Adeyemi. This triangular wooden structure, designed to float on water, was constructed by local residents using wooden offcuts from a nearby sawmill and locally sourced bamboo. This collaboration between the designer, residents, and small-scale mill participants not only enhances their skills and techniques but also establishes these wood industries as vital components of architecture in Makoko.
A radical approach to reshaping the roles of small-scale wood industries in tropical Africa is to decentralize wood manufacturing processes and establish production relationships between formal large-scale enterprises and small-scale informal enterprises. While formal large-scale wood industries are technically and financially equipped to undertake all wood manufacturing processes, including sawing, refining, and engineered mass timber, their limited presence in the region restricts the impact of their wood products to high-income earners within the region.
A system can be built to connect both industries by taking advantage of the high presence of small-scale enterprises and the technical know-how of large-scale enterprises. This system breaks down the wood manufacturing process and employs informal enterprises to engage in the initial refining tasks of wood before moving to formal industries for final refinement. For example, in creating medium or high-density fibreboards, informal wood industries can be employed to undertake processes such as wood chipping, metal detecting, and wood washing. After this, the fibers are then moved to formal wood industries for gluing, pressing, and quality monitoring. Through this system, there is a large increase in production, space for experimentation, and more participants in the process, exploring the architectural requirements of these wood products.
Consequently, there would be a continuous exchange of ideas, skills, technology, and innovative wood manufacturing systems between formal wood industries and small-scale informal industries. This collaboration would contribute to the growth and influence of timber construction in the tropical region. Moreover, this partnership has the potential to extend beyond technical interactions and encompass policies that integrate small-scale industries as formal enterprises.
One possible approach is to license these informal wood industries as subsidiaries of large-scale formal industries, allowing them to benefit from taxation and financial aid from the government. At the same time, they would retain their autonomy as entrepreneurial enterprises within their respective communities. It is important for governments to recognize the value created by integrating informal enterprises into formal systems, as they significantly contribute to meeting the local timber demand. To achieve this, it is necessary to explore and test innovative technical and policy solutions. The ultimate goal is to maximize the benefits of small-scale informal wood industries and create a sustainable impact across all sectors of Tropical African countries, including their architecture.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: The Future of Wood in Architecture presented by Tantimber ThermoWood.
Tantimber ThermoWood brings the timeless warmth of wood to modern design. Natural, renewable, and non-toxic, they transform sustainably sourced wood species into dimensionally stable and durable wood products for use in residential and commercial building and design projects. Find out more about how the enduring beauty of ThermoWood brings warmth to the built environment.
Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
