INTEGRATION OF ECO-EFFICIENT MEASURES AND INNOVATIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY SENATE BUILDING LOKOJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Buildings are responsible for about 42% of global energy use, as the rapid economic growth has led to an increase in demand for buildings. Satisfying this demand comes with numerous environmental challenges, leading to an increasing concern of climate change. To this end, there is need to create buildings with high performance in relation to the environment. This thesis therefore seeks to provide insights on eco-efficiency and energy consumption of university senate buildings. The objective is to determine energy use pattern and identify eco-efficient measures and innovations that can be used for environmental sustainability of university senate buildings in Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from selected federal universities in the north central region of Nigeria. Data was collected from these universities with the use of observation schedules, Energy audit and questionnaires distributed to the built environment professional. Findings revealed that, innovative approaches tailored towards sustainability of buildings when adopted would make university senate buildings in Nigeria key into the philosophy of eco-efficiency. Some of the key elements of eco- efficiency are resource conservation (water, energy and materials), cost efficiency by reducing the initial cost, cost in use and also recovery cost of materials in the entire building construction process. Based on these findings, the thesis recommends the adoption of eco efficiency as a key element for sustainable office buildings. In conclusion, the thesis advocates innovative approaches that would enable a paradigm shift in the design of university senate buildings as very fundamental.