Stakeholders' Perception of Sustainability in Educational Buildings in Nigeria

Building plays a vital role in the delivery of quality education. It is therefore necessary to provide not just buildings but sustainable ones, since educational buildings are meant to serve both the present generation and generations to come. This paper presents the findings of the assessment of sustainability in educational buildings in Nigeria from the stakeholders view point. A survey design approach was adopted and questionnaire was administered on construction participants in selected higher institutions. Data gathered were analyzed using percentage, relative importance index, and Kruskal-Walis H-test. The study revealed that sustainability in educational buildings in the country is on the average with the social dimension ranking a bit higher than the economic and environmental dimensions. There is also a significant divergence in the view of construction stakeholders as to the sustainability features of educational buildings. This divergence tends to affect the priority placed on sustainability as some critical sustainability features such as thermal, visual and acoustic comfort, needed for sustainable educational buildings were found to be very low. If this is to change, then more orientation of construction stakeholders as regards sustainability is needed. The study therefore recommends that educating construction participants, on the concept of sustainability is necessary in order to improve the understanding of sustainability among participants, and achieve sustainability in its holistic form. The study contributes to the body of knowledge as it brings to light the sustainability nature of educational buildings in the country from the stakeholders' perspective; an aspect that has lacked research attention in the discussion of sustainable construction in the country. It is therefore believed that its findings will assist those responsible for the delivery of educational buildings across the country in delivering sustainable buildings for effective learning

Appraising the use of labour-only procurement system for building construction in Nigeria

Labour-only procurement system is gaining fast popularity among construction clients who want to make savings by procuring materials themselves, leaving the contractor to provide only the labour needed. This study, therefore, appraised this procurement system by assessing its cost performance, its suitability, construction participant’s willingness to use it for subsequent projects and its merits and demerits. Using a survey design approach through the use of questionnaire and a pro forma, data were gathered from a total of 98 construction professionals and contractors who have been involved in the use of this procurement system. Analyses of data were done using percentage, mean item score, Mann–Whitney U test and paired samples t-test. The study revealed that this procurement system is best for procuring residential buildings and minor alteration works. Construction participants who have used this system before are willing to still use it for subsequent works, as it delivers projects within budget and discourages short-changing of specifications and standard by contractors. However, the need for the time commitment and reduction in contractor’s profit are its major disadvantages. For its cost performance, an overall cost saving of about 2% was discovered for the assessed 32 projects. The findings of this study will be beneficial to various interest groups such as clients and estate developers in selecting the right procurement option to use

Achieving Value for Money (VFM) in Construction Projects

Value for Money is the client’s assessment of the project delivered and/or services rendered by the various project stakeholders as it met the pre-determined objectives. The study focused on ways by which the required value for money can be achieved in a project, these includes detailed risk analysis and appropriate risk allocation, drive for faster project completion, curtailment in project cost escalation, encouragement of innovation in project development, preparation of a detailed specification etc. Highlighted among management tools that can aid the achievement of the desired VFM includes Life Cycle Cost analysis, Value Management, Building Information Modelling, and Lean Construction methods. The study argued for the ex-ante VFM assessment to be carried out at the design stage of a project; the importance of an ex-post VFM assessment after project completion was stressed, this is due to the fact that it helps to determine whether or not value for money has actually been delivered. Meanwhile, the barriers to achieving value for money on investment for the client were discussed with recommendations for improving VFM practices. The findings of this research provide necessary information and instruments to assist the various project stakeholders to make informed and supportable decisions

Variability of Cost and Time Delivery of Educational Buildings in Nigeria

Cost and time overrun in construction projects has become a reoccurring problem in construction industries around the world especially in developing countries. This situation is unhealthy for public educational buildings which are executed with limited government funds, and are in most cases time sensitive, as they need to cater for the influx of students into the institutions. This study therefore assessed the variability of cost and time delivery of educational buildings in Nigeria, using a study of selected educational buildings within the country. A pro forma was used to gather cost and time data on selected building projects, while structured questionnaire was used to harness information on the possible measures for reducing the variability from the construction participants that were involved in the delivery of these projects. Paired sample t-test, percentage, relative importance index, and Kruskal-Walis test were adopted for data analyses. The study reveals that there is a significant difference between the initial and final cost of delivering educational buildings, as an average of 4.87% deviation, with a sig. p-value of 0.000 was experienced on all assessed projects. For time delivery, there is also a significant difference between the initial estimated time and final time of construction as a whopping 130% averaged deviation with a sig. p-value of 0.000 was discovered. To remedy these problems, the study revealed that prompt payment for executed works, predicting market price fluctuation and inculcating it into the initial estimate, and owner’s involvement at the planning and design phase are some of the possible measures to be adopted

Achieving Value for Money (VFM) in Construction Projects

Value for Money is the client’s assessment of the project delivered and/or services rendered by the various project stakeholders as it met the pre-determined objectives. The study focused on ways by which the required value for money can be achieved in a project, these includes detailed risk analysis and appropriate risk allocation, drive for faster project completion, curtailment in project cost escalation, encouragement of innovation in project development, preparation of a detailed specification etc. Highlighted among management tools that can aid the achievement of the desired VFM includes Life Cycle Cost analysis, Value Management, Building Information Modelling, and Lean Construction methods. The study argued for the ex-ante VFM assessment to be carried out at the design stage of a project; the importance of an ex-post VFM assessment after project completion was stressed, this is due to the fact that it helps to determine whether or not value for money has actually been delivered. Meanwhile, the barriers to achieving value for money on investment for the client were discussed with recommendations for improving VFM practices. The findings of this research provide necessary information and instruments to assist the various project stakeholders to make informed and supportable decisions

Challenges of Sustainable Construction: A Study of Educational Buildings in Nigeria

Buildings are essential facilities in the delivery of quality education in any nation. Providing not just buildings but sustainable ones is necessary, since educational buildings are meant to serve both the present generation, and generations to come. However, bold statements as to the poor sustainability nature of construction projects in most developing countries around the world have been made by researchers. This study therefore assessed the challenges of sustainable construction (SC) and the possible measures for mitigating the issue of poor sustainability in the Nigerian construction industry (NCI). Survey design was employed and questionnaire was administered on construction participants in selected higher institutions. Data gathered were analyzed using percentage, mean score, Kruskal-Walis H-test, and factor analysis. The study revealed that the significant challenges of SC are majorly construction related, sustainability awareness and knowledge related, finance related, and government related. To improve on the sustainability of construction projects, then strict government policy on SC, and jettisoning the traditional method of construction for innovative sustainability oriented methods, is necessary. The implication of this finding is that, the method and process of operations within the NCI does not favor the attainment of SC. Therefore, if sustainability is to be achieved, a review of construction activities and processes within the industry is necessary