American Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering  
Manuscript Information
 
 
Uncertainties Surrounding the Economic Potential of Locally Available Laterite Deposits in Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Housing in Nigeria
American Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Vol.3 , No. 3, Publication Date: May 16, 2018, Page: 43-51
1238 Views Since May 16, 2018, 497 Downloads Since May 16, 2018
 
 
Authors
 
[1]    

Alolote Ibim Amadi, Department of Quantity Surveying, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

[2]    

Amadi Kelvin Chijioke, Department of Economics, Elechi-Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

 
Abstract
 

The wide-scale availability of clays in Southern Nigeria should be an avenue for the successful promotion of alternative natural cladding materials such as bricks for the construction of low cost housing. However, local clays and lateritic soils for use in engineering application, mostly lie wasted and unextracted. A major issue of contention being their structural viability as a building material for modern structures, with the bulk of its usage limited to rural areas. As such a fundamental gap remains, wherein the economic potential of locally available clay reserves is not translated into commercial production of bricks and patronage. The study appraises the factors determining the acceptability level of bricks as cladding materials for low-cost housing construction in Nigeria. The opinions of key construction industry professionals as well as marketers and developers in Port Harcourt were sought through the administration of structured questionnaires. The study revealed that aside from the perceived structural shortcomings of bricks, several issues abound as being responsible for the unpopularity of bricks. Typically, such views centered around difficulties in securing skilled labor for brick laying, lack of exact standards of material and workmanship, perceptions of adaptability to the environment, accessibility, supply shortfalls/poor marketing by brick manufacturers and the attitudinal propensity of Nigerians to view local materials as inferior. The study espouses the need for public enlightenment; skills development in bricklaying, creation of a viable platform for improved productivity, more aggressive marketing and quality control via standardization.


Keywords
 

Acceptability, Bricks, Housin


Reference
 
[01]    

Coduto, D. P. (2007). Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices, Prentice Hall,

[02]    

Adedeji, Y. M. D. (2005) Sustainable low-cost housing technology in cities: accelerated construction initiatives option. Journal of Land Use and Development Studies, 1 (2): 66-73.

[03]    

Oshike, E. E. (2015). Building with earth in Nigeria: A review of the past and present efforts to enhance future housing developments, International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, Vol. 4, No 1, 2015, 646–660.

[04]    

Daniel, E. E., Akpanim N. E. and Samuel, O. (2014). Sustainable Development and Utilization of the Red/Brown Earth (Laterite) in South-Eastern Nigeria. Caribbean Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 2, 464-470

[05]    

Amadi, A. I and K. C. Amadi, (2013) “Economics of Cement Production and Pricing in Nigeria: Policy Implications for Sustainable Growth in the Construction Industry. Proceedings of the 1st National Conference of the School of Humanities and Social Science Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt, 6th-8th March, 2013, On Nigeria and the Attainment of Sustainable Development in the 21st Century. pp 65–74.

[06]    

Enenmo, R. (2014). Towards the promotion of Alternative Local Materials. Inaugural Conference on building collapse in Nigeria. Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Lagos State.

[07]    

Adogbo, K. J and Kolo, B. A. (2013). Stabilized Earth Housing Delivery through the Public-Private Partnership: Panacea to Inadequate Housing Provision for the Low Income in Nigerian Cities. Journal of Construction Engineering, Vol. 2014, Article ID 502961.16. Agbede, I. A. and Manasseh, J. (2008). Use of Cement-Sand Admixture in Laterite Brick Production for Low Cost Housing. Leonardo Electronic Journal of Practices and Technologies ISSN 1583-1078 Issue 12, p. 163-174.

[08]    

Adam, E. A. and Agib, A. R. A. (2001) Compressed Stabilized Earth Block Manufacture in Sudan. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Paris.

[09]    

Aggarwal, H. R and S. D. Holmes. (1981). Soils for low cost Housing. in Tropical Soils of Nigeria in Engineering Practice. Ola. S. A (Ed). Balkema. Netherlands. pp 244-259.

[10]    

Adebisi N. O., Adeyemi G. O., Oluwafemi, O. S. and Songca S. P. (2013). Important Properties of Clay Content of Lateritic Soils for Engineering Projects, Journal of Geography and Geology; Vol. 5, No. 2, pp 99-115.

[11]    

ASTM. (1989). Soil Stabilization. American Society for Testing and Materials, Special Technical Publication No. 79, p. 83.

[12]    

Building Research Establishment. (1982). Reporting Brickwork. BRE Digest 261, 1982. BRE. Garston, England.

[13]    

Chew and De Silva (2002), Maintainability of facades in the tropics. Building Research and Information.

[14]    

Mac-Barango, D. O. (2006}. Bungalow building construction and environment; using resources cost profile in solving problems. Journal of the National Institute of Quantity Surveyors. (45) (4) 13-15

[15]    

Allasseh, V. (2003). Comparative analysis of the use of sandcrete blocks and bricks. An unpublished Thesis submitted to the Department of Quantity Surveying, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.

[16]    

Agbede, I. A. and Manasseh, J. (2008). Use of Cement-Sand Admixture in Laterite Brick Production for Low Cost Housing. Leonardo Electronic Journal of Practices and Technologies ISSN 1583-1078 Issue 12, p. 163-174.

[17]    

Madedor, A. O and A. O. Dirisu. (2008) Nigeria: Research and development in the promotion of standards and specifications for stabilized soil blocks. Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Lagos.

[18]    

Adedeji, Y. M. D. and Fasakin, J. O. (2010). Investigation of Acceptability Indices of Interlocking Masonry for Low-Income Housing in Nigeria (online). Accessed 21/04/2017. Available at www.ym2.adedeji.pdf

[19]    

Agresti, A. (2002). Categorical Data Analysis. second edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

[20]    

Pallant, J. (2013). A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS. Open University Press; 5th Edition.

[21]    

Bamisile, I. (2004). Building Production Management. Lagos: Foresight Press Ltd

[22]    

Anigbogu. N. A. and J. J. Dalyop. (2015). Opinion Surveys on Drivers and Barriers of Development. Journal of Environmental Design. Vol. 10, No. 2.





 
  Join Us
 
  Join as Reviewer
 
  Join Editorial Board
 
share:
 
 
Submission
 
 
Membership