Exploring Factors Affecting the Choice of Building Materials in Nigeria’s Construction Sector

d in Emmitt and Yeoman [9], architect Chermayeff highlighted the importance of choosing building materials that effectively address issues of purpose, budget, and time-an idea that remains relevant today. As a result, architects are likely to prefer materials that align closely with their design principles, as noted by Emmitt (6]. The potential consequences of making decisions based on inadequate selection criteria may be more significant than anticipated. Traditionally, the choice of building materials has hinged on product characteristics, cost, and availability. However, Emmitt [6], identified additional factors that increasingly play a role in material selection decisions, including product safety, anticipated durability, embodied energy, regulatory requirements, and environmental considerations. Investigating the selection of building materials is a relatively novel area of research in Nigeria. This study seeks to address that gap by exploring the factors that influence decision-making in building material selection within the Nigerian construction industry. Research Methodology A quantitative research framework was utilized as the foundation a I epistemology for conducting this study. This method provides an objective, structured, and systematic approach wherein numerical data are employed to quantify or assess phenomena and yield findings. The methodology involved a questionnaire survey directed at Architects within the Nigerian construction sector, who are registered with the Nigerian Institute of Architects . In December 2017,490 questionnaires were distributed to participants for completion. Responses were received, including some that were incomplete. After eliminating the invalid responses, 245 valid responses were collected, resulting in a response rate of 50 percent. The survey initially aimed to gather background information about the respondents and their organizations. Subsequently, respondents were asked to evaluate the significance of the identified factors using IJEMT a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 denotes 'least important' 2 'fairly important' 3 'important' 4 'very important' and 5 'extremely important.' To facilitate a clearer understanding of the factors, definitions for each factor were provided along with guidance on. The questionnaire provided the completion details. The constructs identified are as follows: F1 = selection made due to client demand, F2 = selection based on cost considerations, F3 = selection as a result of climate compliance, and F4 = selection informed by knowledge of maintenance needs for materials. The frequency tables were analyzed using Predictive Analysis Software Statistics 7.0 (formerty known as SPSS Statistics), which was also utilized for processing the survey data. F4 was treated as the dependent variable while examining F1, F2, and F3 in the multiple regression calculations. Results and Discussion The findings from the empirical questionnaire survey were validated by referencing relevant literature where necessary to enhance their accuracy. The individual results from the regression analysis presented in Table 1 demonstrate that the variables F1, F2, and F3 are all significant concerning the maintenance demands of building materials at p<.05, which is the most significant aspect influencing architects' material selection decisions. This is corroborated by the fact that 72% of respondents rated maintenance concerns from very important to extremely important when choosing materials for building projects. Additionally, climatic considerations received an importance rating of 51.1%. This indicates that, although climatic conditions have been recognized by other researchers [5,1 0,11] as a vital element in material selection, Nigerian architects prioritize maintenance demands over climatic factors, despite Nigeria's tropical hot climate. Akadiri [5] argues that the selection of building materials should be tailored to the climate zone in which they are to be used. This is further supported by Marsono and Balasbaneh [11], who assert that considering a region's climatic conditions in the selection of building materials can enhance the construction process and yield significant social, financial, economic, and environmental benefits. The urgent discussions surrounding climate change necessitate that building materials adapt to the climatic conditions of their utilization sites. According to Akadiri [12], buildings should provide a healthy and comfortable indoor environment for occupants, achievable by factoring in climatic conditions in the material selection process. The response of materials to climatic behavior should be prioritized when specifying building materials due to the performance requirements expected from such materials, which serve as the last line of defense against climatic factors. This approach can aid decision-makers in choosing an optimal combination of materials that contribute to mitigating climate change. Conclusion and Recommendation This paper presented empirical evidence to evaluate three factors (variables) related to the decision-making process in selecting building materials by architects operating within Nigeria's construction sector. These factors include climate compliance, cost considerations, and maintenance requirements. Based on a questionnaire survey, the empirical findings revealed that all three examined factors positively and significantly affect the selection of building materials. Furthermore, maintenance requirements of building materials emerged as the most influential factor guiding the choice of materials. A notable concern observed is the limited attention paid to climate compliance when compared to the other two factors. As such, architects and specifiers need adequate information regarding how building materials perform in various climatic conditions to avoid poor decision-making, which could lead to increased maintenance for the IJEMT chosen materials. This study, of course, has its limitations, and addressing these could lead to potential avenues for future research. Overall, since this research concentrated solely on three factors, without considering additional variables, it may present only a narrow and incomplete perspective on the issue. Incorporating a broader range of variables would provide a more thorough understanding of the intricate mechanisms influencing building materials selection practices in Nigeria. The study would also benefit from incorporating insights from other professional specifiers beyond architects. Additionally, qualitative research could delve deeper into the matters raised here. Conducting interviews with respondents could' validate the findings presented and offer more nuanced explanations of their responses. Although the results primarily reflect local findings, they are also significant for international comparisons with other countries. IJEMT References [1] Atkinson, C., Colins, R. J., West, J. (1994). 'Use of Waste Materials in Building Products', In: Proceedings of CIB First International Conference. (2] Oyedele, L. and Ajayi, S. ed (2014). Use of recycled products in UK construction industry: An empirical investigation into critical impediments and strategies for improvement. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 93. pp. 23-31. [3] Wastiels, L, Wouters, I. (2008). 'Material Considerations in Architectural Design: A Study of the Aspects identified by Architects f or Selecting Materials', In Proceedings of the Undisciplined! Design Research Society Conference, 2008, Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield, UK. (4] Jahan, A., Edwards, K. (2013). 'Muti-criteria Decision Analysis for Supporting the Selection of Engineering Materials in Product Design' Elsevier science. (5] Akadiri, P0. (2015), 'Understan ding bariers affecting the selection of sustainable materials in building projects', Journal of Building Engineering, 4: 86-93. [6] Emmitt, S. (2011). 'Selection and specification of building products: Implications for design managers. Architectural Engineering and Design Management', 2: 176-186. [7] Marques, F. M., Salgado, M. S. (2007). 'The Building Material Selection Importance at the Building Design Process for its Sustainability', In R. Milford (Ed.), Proceedings of the CIB World Building Congress 'Construction for Development, (pp. 2384- 2396). 14-17 May, Cape Town, South Africa. [8] Franken, J. R. V, Pennings, J. M E., Garcia, P. (2011). 'Risk attitude and the structure of decision making: Evidence from Hog Industry. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Available from http://ideas.repec.org. [9] Emmitt, S., Yeomans, D.T. (2008). 'Specifying Buildings: A Design Management Perspective', 2nd ed; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (10] Herda, G., Sangori, R., Bock, M. (2017). 'Low Cost, Low Carbon, but no Data: Kenya's Struggle to Develop the Availability of Performance Data for Building Products', Procedia Environmental Sciences, 38: 452-460.