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Assessment of Awareness of Architects on Sustainable Building Materials in Minna, Nigeria

Received: 4 July 2021     Accepted: 9 July 2021     Published: 27 July 2021
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Abstract

Sustainability is so important that both the MDGs and SDGs as United Nations development initiatives have listed it as a vital component. Non-sustainable practices lead to depletion and destruction of the environment with consequences that are still being understood. This could even get worst if professionals in the Building industry do not key into the sustainability initiative. Architects, as professionals in the built environment, take the most important decisions as far as the design and construction of buildings are concerned. Their awareness and knowledge of sustainable building materials is very important in solving this emerging problem. This study is aimed at evaluating the level of awareness of Architects on sustainable Building Materials. This is measured by looking at the knowledge, specification and application of sustainable building materials. The study was qualitative hence; data was obtained through a six-item structured schedule of interview. A total of 18 registered Architects were purposively selected for the study. The results obtained showed that as we get close to two decades since international attention has been drawn to sustainability, there is still a low level of awareness and knowledge of sustainable building materials among Architects. The study also revealed that Architects sometimes do not like pushing boundaries out of their comfort zones as far as specification writing is involved. In conclusion, the study recommended the updating of building bye-laws of the state, intending to make the Architects update their knowledge of sustainable Building Materials as a result of the more regular application in their designs.

Published in American Journal of Construction and Building Materials (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12
Page(s) 50-56
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Architects, Awareness, Building, Materials, Sustainable

References
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[2] ARCON. (2018, July 5). Architect Registration Act. Retrieved August 2, 2019, from Architect Registration Council of Nigeria: https://arconigeria.org.ng/architects-act.
[3] Bejtullahu, F. (2017). Role of the Architects in Creating Building and Urban Resilience. Journal of International Business Research and Marketing, II (5), 14-17.
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[6] Hakkinen, T., & Belloni, K. (2017). Barriers and drivers for sustainable building”. MAYFEB Journal of Environmental Science, II, 1-9.
[7] Happold, B. (2019, `july 10). Sustainable materials. Retrieved Agust 30th, 2019, from Designing Building Wiki: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Sustainable_materials.
[8] Isnin, Z., & Sh Ahmad, a. (2012). Challenges and the Way Forward for Building Materials Management in Building Adaptation Projects. Advanced Materials Research, 488-489, 274-278.
[9] Keskeys, P. (2019, March 3rd). Architects Must Rekindle Their Relationship With Building Materials. Here’s How. Retrieved from Architizer: https://architizer.com/blog/author/paul-keskeys/.
[10] Leeds, R. (2016, August 15th). Top 4 Challenges Facing The Construction Industry. Retrieved August 10th, 2019, from Digitalist: https://www.digitalistmag.com/future-of-work/2016/08/15/top-4-challenges-facing-construction-industry-04388065.
[11] Lim, C., Tan, K., & Hambira, N. (2018). An Investigation on Level of Public Awareness of Green Homes in Malaysia through Web-based Illustrations. International Conference on Applied Science and Technology (pp. 020074-1–020074-6). Joho, Malaysia: AIP Publishing.
[12] Meex, E., Knapen, E., & Verbeeck1, G. (2017). Challenges for the integration of sustainable material use into dwelling. PLEA Intemational Confrerence. I, pp. 1564-1571. Edinburgh: Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings (NCEUB).
[13] Mora, P. (2018, May 31st). The Relationship Between Architects and Building Materials and Products. Retrieved August 20th, 2019, from ArchDaily: https://www.archdaily.com/895479/the-relationship-between-architects-and-building-materials-and-products.
[14] Oliyide, S. (2014, June 3). Evolution of Green Buildings in Nigeria. A Myth or Reality. Retrieved August 5, 2019, from SlideShare: https://www.slideshare.net/amfacilities/the-evolution-of-green-buildings-in-nigeria.
[15] Patel, T. (2016, October 7). Sustainable Building Materials. Retrieved from Slide Share: https://www.slideshare.net/TEJALPATEL45/sustainable-building-materials.
[16] Pathare, P. (2019, January 6). Why should architects learn about building materials? Retrieved August 30th, 2019, from Quora: https://www.quora.com/Why-should-architects-learn-about-building-materials.
[17] Pyzyk, K. (2018, July 2). 5 of the world's most eco-friendly building materials. Retrieved August 15th, 2019, from Smart Cities Dive: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/most-eco-friendly-building-materials-world-bamboo-cork-sheep-wool-reclaimed-metal-wood/526982/.
[18] Shannon, K. (2012, September 6th). CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. Retrieved August 25th, 2019, from Adec Inovations: https://info.esg.adec-innovations.com/blog/bid/211107/construction-material-life-cycle-assessment-and-environmental-impacts.
[19] Sichali, M., & Banda, J. (2017, June 5). Awareness, Attitudes and Perception of Green Building Practices and Principles in the Zambian Construction Industry. International Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 215-220.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Ibrahim Adamu Umar, Jonam Jacob Lembi, Lilian Chioma Emechebe. (2021). Assessment of Awareness of Architects on Sustainable Building Materials in Minna, Nigeria. American Journal of Construction and Building Materials, 5(2), 50-56. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12

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    ACS Style

    Ibrahim Adamu Umar; Jonam Jacob Lembi; Lilian Chioma Emechebe. Assessment of Awareness of Architects on Sustainable Building Materials in Minna, Nigeria. Am. J. Constr. Build. Mater. 2021, 5(2), 50-56. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12

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    AMA Style

    Ibrahim Adamu Umar, Jonam Jacob Lembi, Lilian Chioma Emechebe. Assessment of Awareness of Architects on Sustainable Building Materials in Minna, Nigeria. Am J Constr Build Mater. 2021;5(2):50-56. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12,
      author = {Ibrahim Adamu Umar and Jonam Jacob Lembi and Lilian Chioma Emechebe},
      title = {Assessment of Awareness of Architects on Sustainable Building Materials in Minna, Nigeria},
      journal = {American Journal of Construction and Building Materials},
      volume = {5},
      number = {2},
      pages = {50-56},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcbm.20210502.12},
      abstract = {Sustainability is so important that both the MDGs and SDGs as United Nations development initiatives have listed it as a vital component. Non-sustainable practices lead to depletion and destruction of the environment with consequences that are still being understood. This could even get worst if professionals in the Building industry do not key into the sustainability initiative. Architects, as professionals in the built environment, take the most important decisions as far as the design and construction of buildings are concerned. Their awareness and knowledge of sustainable building materials is very important in solving this emerging problem. This study is aimed at evaluating the level of awareness of Architects on sustainable Building Materials. This is measured by looking at the knowledge, specification and application of sustainable building materials. The study was qualitative hence; data was obtained through a six-item structured schedule of interview. A total of 18 registered Architects were purposively selected for the study. The results obtained showed that as we get close to two decades since international attention has been drawn to sustainability, there is still a low level of awareness and knowledge of sustainable building materials among Architects. The study also revealed that Architects sometimes do not like pushing boundaries out of their comfort zones as far as specification writing is involved. In conclusion, the study recommended the updating of building bye-laws of the state, intending to make the Architects update their knowledge of sustainable Building Materials as a result of the more regular application in their designs.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Assessment of Awareness of Architects on Sustainable Building Materials in Minna, Nigeria
    AU  - Ibrahim Adamu Umar
    AU  - Jonam Jacob Lembi
    AU  - Lilian Chioma Emechebe
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20210502.12
    T2  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
    JF  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
    JO  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
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    EP  - 56
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    AB  - Sustainability is so important that both the MDGs and SDGs as United Nations development initiatives have listed it as a vital component. Non-sustainable practices lead to depletion and destruction of the environment with consequences that are still being understood. This could even get worst if professionals in the Building industry do not key into the sustainability initiative. Architects, as professionals in the built environment, take the most important decisions as far as the design and construction of buildings are concerned. Their awareness and knowledge of sustainable building materials is very important in solving this emerging problem. This study is aimed at evaluating the level of awareness of Architects on sustainable Building Materials. This is measured by looking at the knowledge, specification and application of sustainable building materials. The study was qualitative hence; data was obtained through a six-item structured schedule of interview. A total of 18 registered Architects were purposively selected for the study. The results obtained showed that as we get close to two decades since international attention has been drawn to sustainability, there is still a low level of awareness and knowledge of sustainable building materials among Architects. The study also revealed that Architects sometimes do not like pushing boundaries out of their comfort zones as far as specification writing is involved. In conclusion, the study recommended the updating of building bye-laws of the state, intending to make the Architects update their knowledge of sustainable Building Materials as a result of the more regular application in their designs.
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

  • Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

  • Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

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