Journal of Engineering and Architecture

Material Resources Optimization for Sustainable Construction in Nigeria
A. Garba, Y. O. Olaleye, N. S. Jibrin

Abstract
Material waste in construction contributes approximately 30-35% of project cost; thus leading to material loss and project cost overruns. Lack of concern by Governments and developers globally and Nigeria, in particular, is continuously affecting the use of these resource materials. The aim of this paper is to examine the ways by which construction material resources can be optimised towards sustainable material resource preservation. Questionnaire method has been used, and administered among construction consultants in Nigerian. A total of 70 questionnaires were administered to construction practitioners; 53 were returned giving a 75% response rate. This was analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings reveal that selection of low-quality products and inexperience of method are the major sources of material wastage at the design stage. Construction stage major sources of material wastage are design changes during construction and re-working due to incorrect use of material and labour. While at procurement stage the major source of materials waste are the lack of possibility to order small quantity and waste encountered during loading/transportation. Finally, at the handling stage, the major sources of material wastage are theft and inappropriate storage. The study also revealed that lack of adequate security in the country and inadequate knowledge of recycling are the main challenges that occur more frequently in resources management .The study found that the following factors should be considered for sustainable material resources optimisation that include, use of standard space product design, adoption of supply chain management, and developing of material schedule software. It recommends that better utilization of resources through adopting lean production and prefabricated component processes, use of appropriate equipment and specification, recycling/re-using of old materials for new construction projects will assist greatly to reducing visit of the base materials, hence leading to resource optimization and protection of the environment. Lastly, there is the need for policy establishment and implementation for resource optimisation for the Nigeria construction industry

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jea.v4n1a3