Awareness and Practice of Green Construction
Abstract of Awareness and Practice of Green Construction
In spite of the huge environmental and energy problem in Nigeria, designers have not seen the need for a shift from their traditional method of designing buildings. Green building which is also known as sustainable buildings are buildings which represents friendly structures that have little or no impact on the environment.
This study focuses on examining the level of awareness and practice of green construction in Lagos state with a view to improve the practice by assessing the benefits of green construction, factors hindering the practice and proffering possible solutions to these factors.
A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted for the study. A structured questionnaire was used as the principal instrument for collecting data from respondents. Using convenience sampling technique, a total sample of seventy (70) was drawn from the collection of built environment professionals (including architects, builders, quantity surveyors, Engineers, Estate surveyors and town planners) in various types of organization, expert clients and government representatives, from various parts in Lagos state. Fifty five (55) were completed and returned representing a 79.00% response rate.
The analyses of data generated were carried out with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0) Percentage and mean score were used. Analysis of variance was also used in testing the hypothesis. The study also reveals that natural lightening access in many part of the building is the most important factor that built environment professionals put into consideration when carrying out construction projects, energy efficiency is the most important factor considered by built environment professionals in achieving sustainable design and construction. The conviction that green building costs higher is seen to be the greatest barrier that hinders built environment professional from regularly incorporating sustainable strategies into their work. This study further recommends that there should be education, training and seminars on green construction for project stakeholders involved in the design process including the client, developpers, project managers, architects, engineers, consultants, suppliers and contractors so as to convince them about the value of building green to the environment and to change their perceptions that green building cost higher than conventional method of construction as well as give the knowledge required to include green building technology into a project. It is also suggested that the government should provide incentives for stakeholders willing to build green and loan should be provided for sustainable projects. Finally, when carrying out construction projects, this study recommends that built environment professionals should put into consideration; natural access in many part of the building, use of large windows that maximizes the amount of light admitted into the building and vegetation around the building.