The workshop was organized by NBRRI in view of low performance level of buildings in Nigeria.
The aim of the workshop was to assess the issues and challenges facing the building sustainability in Nigeria and provide Panancea to mitigate the challenges, it was designed to strengthen the capacity of professionals in the built sector in the area of design, material specification and construction techniques considering the climatic demand (condition) and local content. (presidential order No 5).
This was tackled through share of knowledge and experience in the form of lectures, paper presentations, reports and discussions between facilitators and participants which came from the relevant government and non-government organizations.
COMMUNIQUÉ
- Workshop and training on collaboration amongst the seven members of the construction industry is critical in these dark times of rampant building failures and collapse
- The figures on building collapse has stepped down arising from frantic efforts of research and collaboration amongst the construction family with NBRRI taking the lead
- Most building failures arise from substandard materials and poor supervision rather than design
- Flexural failures is identified as the major cause of building collapse
- On engineering design, there is need for Modified adoption of Euro code or BS standards in accordance with localized parameters for Nigeria.
- Building collapse investigation team MUST comprise all building professional from the seven professional bodies in the construction industry as agreed by the Committee of Registrars of the industry’s regulatory bodies.
- Lack of adherence to building standard is a major source of worry in attaining building construction sustainability
- Intensified efforts is needed in research and distribution of research outputs on local building materials
- The need to prosecute quacks both in cities and suburbs by the committee of registrars of the seven professional bodies in the construction industry
- NBRRI should lead the course on urgent sensitization among building professionals on implementing sustainable construction
- NBRRI should create a forum for development of sustainable construction policy
- Inclusion of design requirements for the aged and disabled in sustainable design
- There is need to build BIM capacity (2D-7D) and baseline data for design and decision support to achieve sustainable building
- The need for Building Energy Management system synchronized with BIM necessary to achieve sustainable design and inclusion of renewable energy in design practices
- Issues of Compliance of construction in line with approved designs is appalling and Development control is calling on NBRRI and other relevant stakeholders to help defend and achieve compliance with the Abuja Master plan
- Proliferation of unstandardized building materials and gross lack of compliance to National standard is counterproductive in the race towards sustainable construction
- Approach to building design is a major determinant in cutting down building energy demand as such the need for energy conscious designs
- NBBRI should step in at the policy level in terms of building materials sourcing to mitigate against environmental degradation
- At the heart of sustainable construction practice is project planning and management. Critical path analysis should be adopted in achieving stated sustainable goals.
- NBRRI is hereby challenged to pioneer BIM technology adoption in the Nigerian building sector
- Consideration of regional climatic condition, cosmology and local content in Building Design and Material specification is a panacea to improve the sustainability of Building in Nigeria. This recommends Trainings on climate change and cosmology as it concerns building. NBRRI and ARCON should work together on this.
- Proposed building finishing materials should be checked at building approval stage and inspected at and cleared at the finishing stage. NBRRI, ARCON and Development control both federal and state levels should work on this.
- Due to reports by the workshop participants on issues at building site and in line with its mandate, NBRRI should conduct immediate Research/Assessment/Investigation necessary on the following building materials in Nigerian
- Aggregate: Both granite and local (red) stone, sample from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. A mix design for local aggregate is needed.
- Reinforcement bar. Samples of different sizes from different companies’ in Nigerian
- Electric cables: Cables of different sizes from different companies or producers in Nigerian
- Paints: Assess/Investigate different products of paints in the market and recommend ways to reduce their shadding and screening effect when used to finish walls in the tropics.
- Cement: Physical and chemical assessment of all the brands in the market.
This study was recommended due to variations in characteristics noticed in the same materials of the same size but different brand of company.
The result of these investigations and the recommendation should be presented before the relevant stakeholders and published as a technical report in collaboration with standard organization of Nigeria and Department of Development control.
Workshop Chairman: Arc. Umaru Aliyu. (FNIA)