Shelter is one of the basic needs of people in every society. Man strives to have decent homes and environment; this is applicable in both rural and urban communities by the use of good building materials. The earliest forms of houses were built by mud which can still be found in some areas in the country. Gradually, development and structural advancement began to take place in the world of building. As man moved from Stone Age to computer age; this was further enhanced by the growth and advent of new building materials and modern technology. As a result of changes in design, environmental decoration and taste of individuals, the old and crude methods of building productions were rendered obsolete. Hence, there is need for a holistic approach for integrating sustainability principles into material selection decision making at the design stage of building project (Akadiri, 2011).
Careful selection of environmentally sustainable building materials is the easiest way for architects and building designers to begin incorporating sustainable design principles in buildings. Traditionally, price has been the foremost consideration when comparing similar materials or materials designated for the same function. However, the “off-the-shelf” price of a building component represents only the manufacturing and transportation costs, not social or environmental costs (Jong-Jin Kim, 1998).
Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.4 AIM OF THE STUDY
1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.6 HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY
1.7 Significance of the study
1.8 Scope and limitation of the study
1.9 Definition of terms
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Environmental Material Assessment
2.2.1 Three Phases of Building Materials
2.2.1.1 Pre-Building Phase
2.2.1.2 Building Phase
2.2.2 Three basic steps of product selection
2.2.2.1 Research
2.2.2.2 Evaluation
2.2.2.3 Selectio
2.3 Timber as a Building Material
2.3.1 Structural Properties of Timber
2.3.1.1 Strength and Stiffness
2.3.1.2 Increasing Bendability
2.3.1.3 Moisture Content and Density
2.4 Criteria for Building Materials Selection
2.4.1 Resource Efficiency
2.4.2 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
2.4.4 Water Conservation
2.4.5 Affordability
2.4.6 Non-polluting
2.4.7 Minimum wastes
2.5 Construction Materials and Components
2.6 Materials Selection
2.7 Factors to Be Considered During Material selection
2.8 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Principles
2.9 Energy
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.3 RESEARCH ASSUMPTION
3.4 POPULATION OF THE STUDY
3.5 SAMPLE SIZE
3.6 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
3.7 DATA COLLECTION METHOD
3.8 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT
3.9 STATISTICAL TOOLS
3.10 ADMINISTRATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE
Study Objectives & Themes
The primary aim of this research is to assess the criteria and factors involved in the selection of timber as a building material for construction projects within the Lagos Metropolis, ultimately seeking to improve building project quality and sustainability. The study focuses on evaluating stakeholder decision-making processes and identifying the environmental and structural attributes that influence material selection.
- Criteria for sustainable building material selection
- Assessment of decision-making processes in construction
- Structural and environmental properties of timber
- Integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles
- Impact of construction materials on project quality
Excerpt from the Book
2.3 Timber as a Building Material
Timber is one of man’s oldest materials. It is a renewable, naturally occurring organic polymer, unique in a world of synthetic and composite building materials. As a building material, timber is valued for its character, warmth and texture. The use of timber as construction material is a chance to save the world’s forests as it is directly linked to forest conservation and the planting of new trees to meet the green environmentally friendly requirements.
Timber is a versatile, strong and adaptable material both in its raw form as wood and as a range of products. Timber has been used in construction throughout history primarily due to its relative strength, ease of use and fixing and the fact it is a readily available natural resource. Although the ease of fixing and modifying timber components during construction has proved popular with builders, for instance notching and drilling joists for services, these types of modification turn a generic joist of uniform section into a joist that is tailored specifically for the building it is installed in. The wide distribution of timber, its ready availability, variety of uses and relative ease of handling and conversion, have all contributed to the wide acceptance of timber in the building industry. Timber also has the advantage of being low in the consumption of energy needed in its processing, and hence in its overall impact on the biosphere (Hobbs, 2008).
Summary of Chapters
1.0 INTRODUCTION: This chapter provides the background for the study, highlights the research problem regarding material selection in Nigeria, and outlines the research objectives, questions, and hypotheses.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW: This section covers existing research on environmental material assessment, the life cycle phases of building materials, the properties of timber, and general sustainability criteria for building construction.
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This chapter describes the explanatory survey design used, the population and sampling techniques employed in Lagos Metropolis, as well as the data collection instruments and statistical tools utilized for analysis.
Keywords
Timber, Sustainable Building Materials, Lagos Metropolis, Life Cycle Assessment, Construction Industry, Material Selection, Building Quality, Resource Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality, Environmental Impact, Structural Properties, Project Management, Sustainability Criteria, Construction Methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research focuses on assessing the criteria and factors used for selecting timber as a building material specifically for construction projects within the Lagos Metropolis.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers sustainable construction practices, life cycle assessment (LCA) principles, the structural properties of timber, and the decision-making processes of stakeholders in the construction industry.
What is the primary aim or research question?
The aim is to identify and assess significant criteria for selecting sustainable building materials to improve project quality, specifically asking what criteria exist for selecting timber and what factors influence these decisions.
Which scientific methods were applied?
The study employs an explanatory survey design, utilizing structured questionnaires administered to construction professionals and supplemented by oral interviews with site supervisors.
What does the main body address?
The main body examines the theoretical background of material selection, the specific properties of timber, the criteria for sustainable building, and the methodological approach to data collection among industry professionals.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Timber, Sustainable Building Materials, Life Cycle Assessment, Lagos Metropolis, Construction Methodology, and Environmental Impact.
How does timber compare to steel or concrete in terms of energy consumption?
Timber is noted to be more energy-efficient; producing a cold-rolled steel section requires significantly more energy than an equivalent solid softwood section of the same stiffness.
Why is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) important in this context?
LCA is vital because it evaluates the environmental impact of materials throughout their entire lifespan—from raw material extraction and production to transportation, installation, maintenance, and final disposal.
How are the "three phases" of a material's life cycle defined?
The three phases are defined as the Pre-Building Phase (production and delivery), the Building Phase (useful life and maintenance), and the Post-Building Phase (reuse, recycling, or disposal).
- Arbeit zitieren
- Blessing Adegoke (Autor:in), 2009, Assessment of criteria for selection of timber as building material for building construction projects within Lagos Metropolis, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/188780
