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Before you boo me off stage, hear me out.

I know there are a lot of people out there — many of you fresh out of university, having been promised a good career — who are looking at artificial intelligence and feeling genuinely anxious. I understand that. But I want to offer a different way of thinking about it, because I believe AI is not your enemy. AI is your friend.

Here’s why.

Technology Has Always Done This

Every significant technology that has come along has done the same thing: it has helped us see more clearly what is truly valuable and what isn’t. That clarity can feel threatening at first, but it has always, ultimately, been liberating.

Think about the ATM. When automated teller machines arrived, the assumption was that banking tellers would become obsolete. And in a narrow sense, yes — you no longer need to queue to draw cash from a person. But what actually happened is that we began to understand how valuable our time with real bankers is when it matters. The ATM freed us up to have more meaningful engagements with the people in the bank for the things that actually require human judgment, human relationship, and human trust.

Technology didn’t destroy the value of the bank. It clarified it.

The Real Thing Always Wins

Here’s another way to think about it. You can watch a rugby match from your couch in high definition, with action replays, close-ups, and expert commentary. It is, in many technical respects, a better experience than being there. And yet people still go out in the cold and the sleet to watch the game live, because they know there is something irreplaceable about being present for the real thing.

The same is true of the Mona Lisa. Technology has allowed us to reproduce that painting with extraordinary accuracy. You can see it in crisp detail on any screen. And yet people save for years, travel to Paris, and stand in long queues at the Louvre just to stand in front of the original — because they know it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, and that knowledge changes everything. The real thing carries a weight that no reproduction can replicate.

Or consider diamonds. Most people genuinely cannot distinguish a diamond from a cubic zirconia, or even a well-cut piece of glass. And yet people value the real thing deeply, sometimes fiercely. Because authenticity matters. Because knowing something is genuine matters.

What AI Is Actually Teaching Us

AI is going to generate an enormous amount of content. Much of it will be good. Some of it will be indistinguishable from the real thing. And that is precisely what will make us understand, more clearly than ever before, what human creativity, human judgment, human presence, and human authenticity are actually worth.

AI is not going to make your skills worthless. It is going to make the right skills more valuable. It is going to sharpen our collective sense of what matters.

So yes — AI is your friend. Not because it will do your job for you, but because it will help you see, perhaps for the first time with real clarity, what your job actually is.

— Tim Hewitt-Coleman

Director, noh Architects

http://www.noharchitects.com

Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

One of the most common sources of confusion in building plan submissions is floor area measurement. When you submit drawings to a municipality, you’re required to show your calculations — erf size, coverage, floor space ratio, and so on. But where do those definitions actually come from? This is something we get asked about regularly, so it’s worth setting the record straight.

Use the Definitions in Your Zoning Scheme

The first place you should be looking is your local zoning scheme. Not your own judgment, not a rule of thumb you picked up somewhere — the zoning scheme for the area where the project is located. If you’re working in Mossel Bay, use the Mossel Bay zoning scheme. George, use George’s. Nelson Mandela Bay, use ours. Each municipality publishes its own scheme, and the definitions for terms like “floor area”, “coverage”, and “floor space ratio” are contained in there. That is the authoritative source for submissions to that municipality.

This matters because the definitions are not universal. What counts as floor area in one scheme may be treated differently in another, and if you submit calculations based on your own interpretation rather than the relevant scheme, you’re going to run into problems.

The National Building Regulations Are Also Relevant

The second reference you should know about is SANS 10400 — the National Building Regulations. There is a section dealing with dimensions and measurement definitions that is worth familiarising yourself with. We’ll make a dedicated video on that part of the regulations, but for now, know that it exists and that it’s another legitimate source of definitions you can draw on.

For Retail and Commercial Projects: SAPOA

If you’re working on a shopping centre, commercial development, or any project where you’ll be providing floor area information to tenants or property owners, the relevant standard is published by SAPOA — the South African Property Owners Association. Their measurement standard is widely used in the commercial property industry, and if a landlord or tenant is asking for GLA or GBA figures, that’s the framework they’ll be working from.

Don’t Invent Your Own Method

This is the point we want to land firmly: don’t make up your own way of measuring things. It sounds obvious, but it happens more often than it should. The moment you start making ad hoc decisions — do I include the wall thickness or not? Does the deck count? How do I handle a double-volume void? Do I count the staircase on both floors? — you’ve left the realm of a defensible, document-backed calculation and entered territory that a municipal plan examiner can legitimately query or reject.

These are genuinely complex questions. The answers vary depending on which definition applies. The only way to get it right is to anchor every calculation to a specific clause in a specific document. When you do that, you have a basis to stand on. When you don’t, you’re exposed.

So to summarise: for municipal submissions, go to your zoning scheme first. Cross-reference with SANS 10400 where relevant. For commercial property work, use the SAPOA standard. Always work from the document — not from memory, not from habit, and not from a colleague’s interpretation of what seems reasonable.

If you’re unsure which definition applies in a specific case, ask. It’s a much shorter conversation before submission than after.

— Tim Hewitt-Coleman

Director, noh Architects

http://www.noharchitects.com

Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

If you’re submitting building plans to a municipality — whether you’re an architect, a draughtsperson, or a contractor managing the process yourself — there are two reference numbers you need to understand. Confusing them is an easy mistake to make, and it causes unnecessary delays and headaches. So let’s clear it up once and for all.

What Is an Erf Number?

An erf number is the number assigned to a piece of land. It’s a fixed, cadastral reference — it describes the property itself, not anything built on it. Whether there’s one building on the site or ten, the erf number stays the same. It’s how the municipality, the Deeds Office, and your title deed identify the land.

What Is a Plan Number?

A plan number is different. It’s the reference number assigned by the municipality to a specific building plans submission. You submit a set of plans; the municipality gives that submission a plan number. It’s their tracking reference for that particular application.

Here’s the key point: one erf can have more than one plan number.

If there are multiple buildings on a site, each building’s plans get submitted separately — and each submission gets its own plan number. If you submit revised or amended drawings, that’s a new submission, and it gets a new plan number. The plan number is tied to the submission, not the land.

Why Does This Matter?

The confusion usually arises when people are working on a site with multiple structures, or when they’re resubmitting amended drawings. It’s tempting to think: same site, same number. But that’s not how it works.

Using the wrong plan number — or reusing an old one — can cause one submission to overwrite another in the municipal system. That’s a problem that’s difficult and time-consuming to unwind.

A Simple Rule to Remember

Erf number = the land. Fixed. Doesn’t change.

Plan number = a specific submission. One erf, many possible plan numbers.

If you’re unsure how to handle a particular submission — especially on a larger or more complex site — ask. It’s far easier to get it right upfront than to chase a correction through the municipal system afterwards.

This applies primarily to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, where we work, but the principle is consistent across most South African municipalities. The terminology may vary slightly, but the distinction between a land reference and a submission reference is universal.

— Tim Hewitt-Coleman

Director, noh Architects

http://www.noharchitects.com

Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

By Tim Hewitt-Coleman | Director, noh Architects | http://www.noharchitects.com

I get asked this regularly — and I understand why. The terminology in architecture and town planning is genuinely confusing. What is a site development plan? How is it different from a building plan? How is it different from a concept plan? Let me explain.

What a Site Development Plan Actually Is

A site development plan — or SDP — is a planning tool. It is the device we use to test whether a parcel of land can carry what a developer wants to put on it. A shopping centre. A block of flats. A hotel. A mixed-use development. Before you spend money on a full architectural design and a detailed municipal building submission, the SDP allows you to check the fundamentals with the municipality, with a degree of certainty, at a relatively early stage of the process.

Think of it as the planning equivalent of a feasibility study — but with teeth. It’s a formal submission. It has legal standing. And it can give a developer the confidence to say: yes, go. Or it can stop a project in its tracks before anyone has spent serious money.

Where the Definition Comes From

Don’t take my word for what a site development plan is. Go to the source. In Nelson Mandela Bay — and for most of the Eastern Cape — the authoritative document is the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Land Use Scheme of 2023. That is the zoning scheme. It defines the SDP, it sets out what must be included, and it tells you the scale, the required information, the supporting documentation, and the process.

If you’re working in another municipality, find your local zoning scheme. The definition will be there.

In the Nelson Mandela Bay scheme, the SDP definition appears at item 70, on page 55. Worth bookmarking.

What Goes Into a Site Development Plan

The SDP is not a full set of construction drawings. That’s the point. It is a drawing set that shows the land unit — the erf or erven — along with contours, proposed building footprints, parking layouts, access points, subdivisions where relevant, and other site-level information specified by the scheme. You are showing that the development concept fits on the land, complies with the applicable land use rights, and can accommodate the practical requirements of the site.

It saves you from the full effort of SANS 10400 compliance, drainage calculations, toilet schedules, and all the technical detail of a building plan submission — at least at this stage. That comes later. First, you establish that the concept is viable and approvable.

The Walking Sheet Process

Once you’ve compiled the SDP, you take it to the municipality’s planning department. They will issue you with a checklist and a document that we call a “walking sheet.” That walking sheet is your route map through the municipal system. You take your SDP drawings and your walking sheet to the fire department, to roads and storm water, to waste management — each relevant division of the metro. Each one reviews the proposal and signs off.

When all the signatures are in place, the municipality has confirmed that the proposed development is acceptable to each of those departments. That’s a significant thing. It means the developer has a green light — in principle — to proceed. A hundred two-bedroom units. Five thousand square metres of retail. The parking works. The storm water can be accommodated. Go.

Don’t Underestimate It

A word of caution: do not dismiss the SDP as a minor administrative step. It is not “just” a site development plan. It is a substantive piece of professional work. It requires careful analysis of the land use scheme, accurate site information, and a thorough understanding of the development proposal. Getting it wrong — or submitting something incomplete — costs time and money.

Done well, it gives a developer enormous confidence. Done poorly, it creates delay, uncertainty, and in some cases derails projects that could have been salvageable.

— Tim Hewitt-Coleman

If you are a developer, an investor, or someone sitting on a piece of land wondering whether your idea is viable — get an SDP done before you go further. It is the right tool for that question.

If you’re curious about building in timber, you’ve probably already run into someone at a braai who told you it can’t be done, won’t last, and no bank will touch it. Let me address that directly — and then tell you why timber is one of the most underutilised and underappreciated options in South African construction.

The Questions People Ask Me

Can I get a bond on a timber house?

Yes. ABSA certainly provides bonds. One or two other institutions require an extra hoop or two, but finance is available. We’ve helped clients through the application process — it’s not the obstacle people imagine it to be.

Can I get insurance?

Yes, without difficulty. This is not a problem.

Can I get municipal approval?

Yes. Timber construction must comply with the same regulations as conventional brick construction — the National Building Regulations apply equally — but approval is entirely achievable. Approved drawings, engineering sign-off, all of it. Formal, not informal.

Is it cheaper?

Not necessarily — and that’s not really the point. Cost depends heavily on your finishes, your fittings, your taps. Timber construction won’t be more expensive than brick, and it could well be cheaper, but if that’s your primary motivation you may be missing the more compelling reasons.

Is it faster to build?

Yes, significantly. The potential for off-site pre-manufacture means that components can be prepared in a workshop or at a supplier and assembled on site quickly and efficiently, often with nothing more than hand tools and a battery drill.

Is it better for the environment?

Clearly. Timber has a fraction of the embodied energy of brick, concrete, or steel — all of which require enormous amounts of heat and energy to manufacture. Beyond carbon, timber construction has a far lighter footprint on sensitive sites. No heavy concrete mixers, no constant brick deliveries, minimal ground disturbance. On environmentally sensitive sites, this matters enormously.

Is it DIY-friendly?

Very much so. The tools and skills required to build in timber are widely available — on YouTube, at your local hardware warehouse, from experienced tradespeople. If you want to get your own hands involved in the process, timber gives you far more opportunity to do that than conventional construction.

Timber Is Not Foreign to Construction — It’s Already Everywhere

One thing I want to clear up: timber construction is not some exotic alternative to conventional building. It’s already all around you. Roof trusses are timber. Louvre screens are timber. Flooring is timber. Joinery, cupboards, kitchen fittings — timber is ubiquitous in conventional construction. Our industry already knows how to work with it. The skills are there. The materials are there. Very good quality timber in all the varieties you’d need is available in the South African market.

What I’m advocating for is taking that further — walls, floors, and structure all in timber — and doing so formally, with approved plans, engineering, insurance and finance in place.

In the United States and Canada, this is simply how houses are built. Brick construction there is the exception rather than the rule, because timber offers efficiencies that brick simply cannot match. We haven’t fully made that shift in South Africa, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t.

Where Timber Really Comes Into Its Own

Two situations stand out.

The first is remote construction. I’ve worked on projects in deeply remote locations — including work we did on the Baviaanskloof Letterbosch Trail, half an hour’s drive from the nearest gravel road, in rugged terrain that would make conventional construction a logistical nightmare. Pre-manufactured timber panels and components, assembled on site with light hand tools. That project went through full municipal approval, and was subject to the conditions of an Environmental Impact Assessment, as it sits within a World Heritage Site. It can be done — formally, rigorously, beautifully. Those projects won awards from the South African Institute of Architects. I’m proud of that.

The second is DIY self-build. At Pebble Spring Farm, where I live, my daughter and I built a small timber structure in the forest — primarily ourselves, with simple technology. The foundations are 400x400mm concrete pier pads, available from any nursery, set in pits that anyone can dig. Treated poles, tech screws, engineered and signed off. Floor structure of 150x50mm beams on a 228x50mm undercarriage. Simple, low-technology, and completely replicable by anyone willing to learn. This particular structure is designed to be loaded onto a car trailer and moved — something you will never achieve with brick or concrete.

The vision for that project is a cluster of similar units at Pebble Spring Farm, available as Airbnb accommodation. Off-grid, light in the environment, beautiful in the forest.

A Balanced Approach

I wouldn’t suggest you become a timber fanatic and refuse to use anything else. Like a good diet, a balanced approach is usually right. Timber works brilliantly in combination with conventional materials — and the appropriate response depends on your project, your site, your budget, and your objectives.

What I am saying is this: don’t dismiss timber because of received wisdom or a sceptical uncle. The finance is available. The approvals are achievable. The skills and materials are in the market. The environmental case is strong. And the quality of space that timber creates — warm, tactile, quiet, and somehow emotionally at ease in its surroundings — is genuinely hard to replicate in brick and concrete.

Yes, you can do it. And it might be the best building decision you ever make.

— Tim Hewitt-Coleman

Director, noh Architects

http://www.noharchitects.com

Gqeberha, Eastern Cape