Table of contents

3^rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT ICESE 2021

The third edition of the International Conference on Energy and Sustainable Environment – ICESE 2021 held 26 – 28 October, 2021. As usual, the conference was hosted by Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria. The theme of this edition is "Inclusive and Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development" and the sub-themes included: Environment and Climate Change, Energy/Energy Management, Built Environment and Biotechnology.

ICESE 2021, like the two previous editions, continued to build on the foundation of collaboration by research clusters in Covenant University. The clusters are: Energy and Environment Research Cluster, the Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR), Renewable Energy Research Cluster (RERC), Built Environment Research Cluster (BERC), and most recently, the Biotechnology Research Cluster.

The world energy and environment outlook has continued to elicit interest among researchers and policy makers. Given the multi-dimensional nature of the energy and environment challenge, an all-inclusive approach is deemed necessary. Hence, ICESE 2021 put together inclusive and innovative ideas towards addressing the numerous challenges associated with our environment. The keynote speakers were carefully selected to address some specific aspects of the energy and environment challenge.

In this respect, the oil and gas industry and the energy sector in Nigeria come into sharp focus. Two keynote papers were presented during the plenary session. The first keynote address focused on the environmental challenges posed by the oil and gas sector from the regulatory perspective. The keynote speaker was Mr. Idris O. Musa, the Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), which is under the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria. The keynote address was titled: Environmental Pollution – Impacts of Vandalism, Oil Theft and Artisanal Refining.

Also, given the prevailing energy situation in Nigeria and the world over, new thinking in the area of utilizing fossil fuels such as coal becomes apposite. Hence, the second keynote Dr. Samson O. Bada of the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, addressed the evolving role of coal even in the light of advancement of renewable energy technologies. The keynote paper was titled: Clean Coal Technologies and the role of Fossil Fuels in Renewable Technologies.

Thereafter, Sixty-Five papers were presented in eight technical sessions. The built environment aspect of ICESE has remained very pivotal and over half of the papers came from the cluster. In all, the keynote papers and presentations at the ICESE 2021 were relevant to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Given the restricted travels as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was planned and executed as a hybrid conference incorporating in-person and virtual components. After careful review of the papers presented at the conference, the selected papers in this proceedings were found to meet the requirements of the publishing organization – IOP Publishing

List of Acknowledgements, Funding Support, Conference Technical/Scientific Committee, Local Organising Committee are available in this pdf.

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.

• Type of peer review: Double Anonymous

• Conference submission management system: The email used for the management system is: icese@covenantuniversity.edu.ng managed by Dr. Anthony B. Sholanke

• Number of submissions received: 107

• Number of submissions sent for review: 75

• Number of submissions accepted: 57

• Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 53.3

• Average number of reviews per paper: 2

• Total number of reviewers involved: 69

• Contact person for queries:

Name: Dr. Anthony B. Sholanke

Email: anthony.sholanke@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

Affiliation: Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

This study experimentally investigates the potential of using amended substrate as a planting medium component to improve rice husk and saw dust used in producing Capsicum chinense crop. The biochar is produced from a locally fabricate plyrosis kiln, this is then incorporated into rice husk and substrate at 30% and 50% (vol.) respectively to grow (Capsicum chinense), in black buckets. The responses of plant growth to the percentage of biochar in substrate mixtures are different across the line of treatment. The Capsicum chinense, were grown in amended substrate (A-30% biochar, b-rice husk (Ab) and B-50% biochar, b-rice husk (Bb)) with different treatment level of I₆₀, I₈₀, I₁₀₀ and I₁₂₀. The I₁₀₀ Bb and I₁₂₀ Ab treatment recorded the highest value of plant height, which is 21.9 cm for the both of them. The amended substrate Bb produced a widest momentous stem diameter in all the treatment levels than in substrate Ab with a value of 1 cm. In addition, broader leaf area index was observed in the amended substrate Ab than in Bb. Biochar application also enhanced plant height, stem diameter, plant fresh, weights and yield components of pepper plant. Moreover, biochar application improved the efficiency of irrigation water usage. Therefore, biochar amendment could be an effective option to improve substrate media, which affects plants.

Bioethanol is one of the best alternative form of energy source in place of fossil fuels. In this study, bioethanol was produced from waste paper following a pre-treatment. The isolates used were isolated from fresh palm wine and characterized via standard microbiological methods. The pre-treatment was done using 5%, 10% and 50% concentrations of sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide respectively. Results obtained showed that the concentration of glucose from the substrates ranged between 0.2-0.8 ppm with 10% sulphuric acid giving the highest glucose yield. The fermentation of the sugar was carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production of bioethanol, which was recovered by fractional distillation. From this study, the production of bioethanol from waste paper is a veritable means of shoring up energy deficit especially in the developing countries.

Pectinases accelerate the breakdown of the glycosidic bonds in pectin into simpler forms. Pectinases in the study were produced using three extraction solvents, three fungi, and six substrates. Citrate buffer, distilled water and 0.1 M NaCl were utilized as extraction solvents. Penicillium sp, Pichia kudriavzevii F2-T429-5 and Aspergillus niger were selectively isolated from the environment and identified. The substrates include; wheat bran, banana peels, orange peels, corn cobs, Thaumatococcus daniellii (sweet prayer plant) fruit peels, and leaves in solid-state fermentation. The dinitro salicylic acid (DNS) technique was used to determine pectinase activity. In comparison to distilled water, the study found that extracting the enzyme from the fermentation medium with 0.1 M NaCl solvent resulted in considerable (p<0.05) activity. The best substrate and fungus were orange peels and Aspergillus niger, respectively. In general, when compared to the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii F2-T429-5, the molds (Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus niger) produced pectinases with higher activity. Orange peel resulted in pectinase production with significant (p<0.05) activity compared to wheat bran, banana peels, corn cobs, Thaumatococcus daniellii (sweet prayer plant) fruit peels, and leaves. Additionally, Pichia kudriavzevii F2-T429-5 in Thaumatococcus daniellii fruit peel fermentation produced pectinase with the lowest activity. The inference drawn from the study shows the potential of T. daniellii fruit peels, its leaves, and Pichia kudriavzevii F2-T429-5 for pectinase production.

The continuous rise in fish importation had conditioned Nigerian's preference and taste for imported fish developing the fish sub-sector of other economies while crippling the sector in the country. This study therefore, examines the macroeconomic implication for fish importation in Nigeria. The study employed the FMOLS estimation technique to investigate to investigate the long-term effects of fish importation on the Nigerian economy. Major findings revealed a significant but negative macroeconomic effect of fish imports on the overall performance of the economy through an increase in unemployment, depletion of foreign exchange earnings, high consumer inflation and rise in food insecurity in the country. The study recommends an aquatic transformation agenda implementation in attempt to eliminate the demand-supply mismatch in domestic fish production.

Fomites have been known to harbor significant amount of microbial load and its handling by food vendors poses a significant risk to consumers. In this study, swab samples were collected from vendors handling paper currency; their food contaminated hands, and selected foods-Akara, Suya and Bole. These fomites were evaluated for organisms that may pose a risk of food infection/contamination. The organisms isolated were identified based on their macroscopic, mi-croscopic and biochemical characteristics and comparison with standard reference organisms. From the results obtained, the paper currency had the highest numbers of bacterial and fungal load (too numerous to count – TNTC), food contaminated hands ranged between 12 x 10⁵- 15 x10⁵ cfu/g and the selected foods- Akara, Suya and Bole had 7x10⁵- 12 x10⁵ cfu/g. The bacteria members' species recorded include Pseudomonas, Streptococcus pyogenes, Shigella, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhi, Enterobacter sp, Aeromonas hydrophila, Micrococcus luteus. Others include Clostridium sp, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus cereus. The fungal species reported include Aspergillus, Yeast, Penicillium sp. and Saccharomyces spp. Mucor sp. and Rhizopus sp. Members of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were noted to occur on all the samples surveyed. From this study, it can be deduced that handling of paper currencies by food vendors could serve as a direct and indirect pathway for man-microbe interface.

The environmental imbalance exerted by the continuous release of phenolic substances necessitates a return of polluted sites to natural and safe status. In this study, fungal isolates obtained from sawdust-contaminated soils were screened for laccase production capacities, using tannic acid, as an index to the bio-stimulatory potentials of the sawdust. Soil and sawdust samples collected from wood-processing plants in Morogbo-Agbara (M), Iju (I), and Oja (O) of Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria were subjected to physicochemical analysis. The phenolic content estimated using gallic acid calibration curve, showed 0.90%, 0.79% and 0.33% for the soil samples labeled MSL, ISL, OSL, respectively. Phenol content was observed to be 0.63%, 0.91%, and 0.53% for sawdust samples labeled MSD, ISD, OSD, respectively. In the same labeling order, the percentage nitrogen content was 0.77%, 0.38%, and 0.21% for soil; and 0.0025%, 0.0035% and 0.0028% for sawdust; while the percentage carbon was 0.25%, 0.62% and 0.49% for soil samples; and 88.11%, 85.56%, and 88.69% for the sawdust samples. Fungal species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida and Saccharomyces among the ten isolates presented a positive reaction for laccase production by showing a brownish-black coloration. The ability of the fungal isolates to produce laccase makes them useful laccase sources for industrial and environmental applications.

The appreciable development in nanotechnology has drawn the attention of several researchers cutting across different fields. However, some nanoparticles have been identified to possess harmful effects on humans and the environment. Hence, putting these cause and effect patterns into context is highly required for future research and discussions about nanotechnology. This study reviewed existing literature on the toxicity and cytotoxicity effects of some nanoparticles to compare reaction patterns. Many kinds of research used different cell cultures, including cancer cell lines, human endothelial cells, hepatic cells, which were tested both in vitro and in vivo to check the mechanism of the possible toxicity effects. Adverse effects of nanoparticles identified involved damaged DNA leading to mutations and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The prominent identified common toxicity responses in nanoparticle-cell interaction were lysosomes formation interference, necrosis and apoptosis, nanoparticles and protein interaction, and agglomerate formation in other body parts. Some reports showed that the causes of these responses might be due to the physicochemical properties of the interrogated particles, such as particle size, shape, surface functionalisation, surface charge. Furthermore, nanoparticles' toxicity effects are both concentration-dependent and time-dependent, highly pronounced in chemical or physical-based synthetic routes. Cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles were mainly linked to their synthetic method, nature of the reducing agent, and culture media.

The effect of different concentrations of herbicides on bacterial isolates from various surface water sources was undertaken. The research was aimed at the isolation, identification and characterization of bacteria from selected surface water sources, in order to ascertain the effects of varying concentrations of herbicides on resident bacterial populations. Samples were obtained from five different surface water sources and sediments in Makurdi, using sterilized plastic containers. The herbicides used were Butachlor and Glyphosphate ammonium salt with Rid-over's trade name (500, 250, 125, 62.5 and 31.5 mg). Both herbicides were spiked in the volume of water samples to reflect the recommendation of the manufacturer). The bacteriological analysis of the samples prior to spiking with the herbicides indicated that, Afuko stream had the highest total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) count of 4.55x10⁷cfu/mL; River Benue 3.45x10⁷cfu / mL; Akighir stream 3.0x10⁷cfu / mL; whereas Mu river and Jamu stream had the lowest total heterotrophic bacteria count of 2.36x10⁷cfu / mL and 2.31x10⁷cfu/mL respectively. The isolates from the water sources in the order of highest percentage occurrences included; Escherichia coli 24(21.7%); Bacillus sp 22(21.2%); Salmonella sp 20(17.6%); Pseudomonas sp 17(15.0%); Proteus sp 16(14.1%) and Staphylococcus aureus 14 (12.3%) before spiking with the herbicides. The number of bacteria colonies increased as the days increased after spiking at different concentrations of the herbicides though colony counts were higher at lower concentrations than higher concentrations. The bacteria isolates have shown resistance to herbicides, which implies biogenic elements for their physiological processes.

Within the hard rock terrains, stream channels are suspected to be controlled by fractures and joints. In the same light, the topographic lineaments and the lineaments observed from the aeromagnetic anomalies are expected to reflect the structural trends within the complex. This study has therefore adopted multi-data sets results first on a regional scale to depict the structural fabric of Ilorin Sheet 223 and then at the chosen location of the University of Ilorin Main Campus, which is made up of the Basement Complex rocks. From the remote sensing map of Ilorin Sheet 223 structural trends have been divided into two: the NE-SW and the NW-SE structural trends. The aeromagnetic anomalies divide the rocks types into metamorphic (low-to-medium magnetic intensity) and igneous (high magnetic intensity) rocks. The resistivity data interpretation reveals the weathered basement at the University of Ilorin ranges from 5m to 20m. The radial sounding results reveal the structural trend to be NW-SE and NE-SW with the interconnection of joints. The radial sounding shows the rock type in the University of Ilorin Campus to be quartzitic, clayey and igneous as judged from the near hexagonal and elongated shapes of the polygons. The results reveal a good agreement between the trends of fractures derived from the radial vertical electrical sounding and that from the lineament maps. Areas with low bedrock resistivity, thick overburden, presence of two or more interconnected fractures, and high co-efficient of anisotropy indicate intense fracturing and thus, indicate areas of high groundwater potentiality and good water quality.

The knowledge of orthodox medicine on the medicinal effects of plant extracts has continued to be a major booster to our modern healthcare delivery for over 80% of the world's population, especially in the developing world. In this study, we examined the leaf extracts activities of Nicotiana tabacum, Jatropha curcas, and Ficus exasperate on common pus – producing bacteria that occur during secondary infection of open wounds. The initial plant extracts were extracted using methanol via the cold extraction method. The obtained extracts were fractionated via solvent –solvent extraction in the following solvents ethyl acetate, hexane, and distilled water. Preliminary studies carried out revealed that only Nicotiana tabacum was effective at inducing inhibitions on the selected clinical isolates, namely: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi. The antimicrobial assay of the chosen plant was done by agar well diffusion method using 20.0 mg/ml and 40.0 mg/ml concentrations of the selected plant extract. The selected concentrations (40.0 mg/ml and 20.0 mg/ml) exhibited different degrees of zones of inhibition. The mean zones of inhibition ranged between ca. 6.0 −14.5 mm. From the obtained result, Streptococcus species were the most inhibited. In addition, the Nicotiana tabacum ethyl acetate fraction exhibited a significant inhibitory effect when compared to other fractions such as hexane and aqueous fractions. Thus it is evident that ethyl acetate might be the best choice for extracting the bioactive components from tobacco.

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) serves as power supply for suitable electronics and stationary electrical systems (storage) as a result of their outstanding combination of extraordinary densities (power and energy). The cathode constitutes an integral part of LIBs and its property determines the performance of the battery. The layered lithium-rich oxide (LLO) is unique and favourable cathode materials for LIBs as a result of its high capacity compared to conventional cathode materials such as LiNiO₂ etc. However, they demonstrate several performance limitations such as low first cycle efficiency and poor cycling stability thus, limiting their practical applications. Therefore, this review discussed a core-shell architecture strategy of enhancing the electrochemical performance of the LLOs materials for LIBs.

Recently, there has been increased concern about emerging pollutants (EPs). Many EPs can be found in consumer products and are regarded as primary indoor contaminants. This review paper focuses on the overview of some emerging indoor chemical pollutants, their negative health effects, appropriate sampling methods, drawbacks associated with them, and the analytical techniques used. Some of the challenges identified during this review included the ease of access to affordable sampling equipment and analytical instruments. More sensitive and cost-effective sampling and analytical equipment should be made available to allow for continuous monitoring of these emerging pollutants, especially in low and middle-income countries.

Gongronema latifolium Benth., is listed among the important vegetable with medicinal attributes. Its native habitat currently threatened in Nigeria and there is death of molecular genetic information important for breeding and conservation purposes. To study the species genetic diversity, 50 accessions were collected from South Eastern Nigeria where the species is endemic and was subjected to molecular evaluation using the non-coding internal transcribed spacer (ITS 4 and 5) location. Relatively high within population gene diversity and low nucleotide (base) diversity was identified among the fifty (50) accessions. AMOVA analysis highlighted 93% within population diversity (variations). FST = 0.074 genetic differentiation was recorded for genetic diversity. Principle component analysis (PCA) segregated the accessions into four large groups (A-D), along non-geographical lines; with four outliers' accessions; AwkCH051 (Akwa Ibom), EnuCH014 (Enugu), EboCH036 and EboCH037 (Ebonyi). Expectedly, the species recorded low-moderate genetic diversity common for organisms experiencing decreasing cover range. Enugu recorded the least within population diversity and Ebonyi showed higher diversity than states and might constitute the core of a possible genetic centre for the species. The outlier accessions represent potential parental lines for breeding and improvement programmes. Conservation efforts comprising in situ and ex situ strategies are required to arrest the declining diversity of the species in its native range across Southern Nigeria. Conservation and improvement efforts will sustain the uses of the plants, reduce poverty and improve the livelihood of gatherers, farmers and vendors of the plant, who are particularly women in the region.

The rapid urbanization, taking place in Southwest Nigeria in the last 40years has necessitated the need for regenerating the historic city cores of the region. The state governments and big private stakeholders determine the key narratives for the urban upgrades. Loss of patrimonial stock of indigenous buildings and communal cohesion in these enclaves after upgrading often lead to a complete loss of the socio-cultural heritage. The promotion of urban tourism, which is ideal for cities with heritage values, is thus made more challenging for these cities. This study examines the sensitive nature of upgrade programmes as it affects historic city centres. A review of instances in the area is concluded with a case study of the Abeokuta city core. The study was carried out using literature about upgrades in Southwest Nigeria and field studies that involved interviews and questionnaires in Abeokuta city core. The research discovered that while residents are aware of the programmes, they had no input in the planning and implementation, whereas, they appreciate heritage preservation and prefer to be carried along in the planning. The research concluded that more inclusive policy planning and project participation would have entrenched heritage preservation, stemmed the rate of gentrification, and produce more acceptable outcomes.

Sustainable design strategies focus on architectural design considerations which assures the welfare, in addition to cohabitation of inanimate elements, and existing creatures that constitute the ecosystem. Sustainable architecture for public spaces, in addition to energy efficiency and zero greenhouse gas emission, needs to adopt approaches that lessen the effect of communicable diseases. Often, the primarily focus of architects is the aesthetics of buildings, there is no cognizant method for sustainable infection prevention and control mostly in the planning/production phase of public buildings. The paper aims to assess and identify how the public space can be safer in a pandemic from the vantage point of built environment professionals with the view of evolving strategies for policymakers with emphasis on the duties of the architect in mitigating the spread of viruses. The steps taken were to assess the relationship amongst environmental space and infectious diseases and propose practical steps to limit infection prevention and control (IPC) in public buildings. The paper is based on works of literature and consultations. The paper concluded that design approaches perform a substantial part in prevention and control of infections in public spaces, as well as healthcare facilities. Hence, sustainable design strategies may well be a remedy for mitigating the spread of coronavirus in public buildings.

Housing is a necessity of life that cuts across all peoples in all places worldwide. Ensuring good living and solving homelessness are fundamental issues in the United Nations charter and a sustainable developmental goal (SDG). Houses communicate the culture of the builder-occupants as a non-verbal language. However, the meaning of house concepts and their importance in Yoruba architecture is unclear and well known in contemporary architecture. Despite not being iconic and monumental, their built-forms have symbolic functional, morphological, and sustainable qualities. This paper investigated the importance of the house to Yoruba culture by identifying the critical usable space across the house plans and their symbolic importance for adoption in contemporary architecture. This study was carried out using the archaeological method to x-ray the building plans, while a Semiotic approach was adopted to interpret sign systems' science, often in cultural contexts. A qualitative research design was conducted using observation, interview, and focus group discussions across southwest Nigeria's study area. With the peoples' Mutual Contextual Beliefs (MCBs) cognisance, the study showed that words are there for only what exists. For interpretations, the study of Yoruba building terms showed the house; culturally more than mere shelter as in the English term '... a roof over my head'. The Yoruba word for the home; ile showed the house to be multi-dimensionally important, that phenomenon like; family (idile), heaven (ajule-orun) and the earth (ile-aye) all derived from it, to be seen as its bigger cosmological modules. Eight discovered housing typologies, with commonalities of basic rectangular shape, courtyards, large family lobby in-between rooms and family lobby (oruwa) are highlighted. In conclusion, the southwest Nigeria Yoruba-speaking people's housing concept and practice are richer than the eye meets.

The past housing policies in Nigeria recognised housing co-operatives as a viable way of increasing the production of housing units. This recognition necessitates the identification of ways through which improvement in the housing delivery of co-operative societies could be achieved. The study aims to identify the factors militating against the contributions of co-operative societies in the delivery of housing and the influence of these factors on housing provision in the study area to optimise their housing delivery output. A review of relevant literature revealed a number of factors that were tested with the use of copies of the questionnaire administered on the respondents whose total number from each of the 52 co-operatives that responded to the study, as determined by proportionate sampling, summed up to 418. The data collected were analysed with the use of IBM SPSS (version 20) software. Severity index and mean weighted scores were used to rank the factors identified. The study showed that ten out of the eleven factors identified in the literature have a significant effect on housing provision and were ranked as follows: opportunism, corruption and greed; high cost of building materials; difficulty in getting finance; difficulty in accessing affordable land; lack of provision for technical support; and limited access to technical services. Others are unavailability of training institutions, lack of provision for logical and administrative support, unskilled leadership and lack of adequate provision for beneficial legislative and policy framework. Categorical regression analysis was carried out to determine the influence of these factors on housing provision components. The result showed that the unavailability of training institutions has the greatest influence on housing provision. In view of these findings, the study recommended the evolvement of policy statements that promote the mitigation of the ten factors; and that training institutions for members be made readily available to increase the housing production capacity of co-operative societies.

Some of the brands of tiles commonly available in the markets in Nigeria, which are used for building purposes, were analysed in order to estimate the concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides. The analysis was done with the aid of High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. The results revealed that the average activity concentrations in the sample of tiles, cement and sand varied from 41 ± 4 to 96 ± 8.3, 27 ± 9.5 to 76.5 ± 2.5 and 140 ± 7.9 to 940 ± 19.2 Bqkg⁻¹ for ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K, respectively. The results obtained were used to determine the impact of these building materials on users. The radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq) ranged between 125 – 280 Bqkg⁻¹ and were observed to be lower than 370 Bqkg⁻¹ in all the samples tested, which is the recommended safe limit. Similarly, the absorbed dose rates were noted to vary from 51.00 – 122.52 nGyh⁻¹. However, one of the samples examined showed a result of 122.52 nGyh⁻ for the indoor absorbed dose rate (D_R), which is higher than the internationally recommended safe value of 80 nGyh⁻¹according to USEPA. The results revealed that the building materials investigated do not pose any danger to the end users.

Energy efficiency ensures reduced energy for heating and cooling space, lower maintenance requirements, reduce the cost of running a building, and improve users' comfort in a space. The amount of energy used by building materials is an essential factor in defining the energy efficiency of the building. This study evaluates the building materials used in selected south-western museums using energy efficiency criteria to identify materials that comply with energy-efficient criteria, which would be recommended to ensure energy-efficient materials are adopted by Museum buildings. The study's objective is to identify the existing energy-efficient materials used in Museums and evaluate the identified building materials in terms of energy efficiency. The study methodology employed is qualitative, engaging case studies and observation guides to determine the materials used in existing museums. The materials identified were evaluated using the energy-efficient criteria provided by Yüksek [1]. The sample size consists of materials used in selected national Museums of southwest Nigeria. The results derived from the case studies identified the materials used in the selected Museums and their level of energy efficiency, which affects the maintenance and the overall cost for running the Museum. The results from the study identified a total of eleven materials. It was shown from the results that while four of the eleven materials complied fully with the energy-efficient criteria, the other materials did not comply fully with the energy-efficient criteria. This study recommends that more materials that comply with energy-efficient criteria be adopted to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Professionals in the built environment should focus more on energy-efficient materials to ensure an energy-efficient building

Universal Design (UD) is a concept that encompasses strategies in design that provides comfort, flexibility and adaptability in the built environment and improves the quality of life of all human beings. Perceptible information as a principle of UD that needs to be incorporated in the design of shopping malls in southwest Nigeria because it helps communicate sensorial information effectively to users notwithstanding the condition of the users or their sensory capacities. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of perceptible information in shopping malls located in southwest Nigeria with a view to providing a standard for designing shopping malls that fulfill all requirements of UD. The quantitative method of data collection was used to obtain data. The data obtained was statistically analyzed and used to generate results related to the study. The Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the statistical analysis and the results were presented using descriptive texts, figures, plates and tables. The study uncovered that the application of perceptible information as a UD principle in shopping malls in southwest Nigeria is insufficient. The study concluded by recommending various strategies through which perceptible information can be implemented in shopping malls in southwest Nigeria.

There is a growing concern about the negative impacts of buildings on the environment and the need to reduce them. Several studies have identified the relevance of green building strategies in this regard. Architects play vital roles throughout the lifespan of a building, from its conception to its demolition or conversion to other uses. It is in the light of this that this study examined the degree to which architects in the Lagos metropolis are aware of green building technologies. The objectives of the study included identification of the socio-economic characteristics of architects in the study area; investigation of their level of awareness of green building technologies; and to ascertain implementation of green building technologies in building projects by architects in the study area. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample consisting of 296 registered architects in the study area. The data obtained from this research was analyzed using the Statistical Product for Services and Solutions (SPSS). The findings revealed that architects in the Lagos metropolis have a general understanding of green building technologies but however, they have not implemented many of the technologies in their building projects. Ranking of level of awareness of the technologies investigated showed that architects in the study area were most aware of solar energy systems and least aware of energy efficient windows. Similarly, ranking of implementation of the technologies revealed that daylighting strategies were mostly used while biofuel systems were least used by architects in the study area. The study also showed that the major factor inhibiting architects from implementing green building technologies was clients' resistance. Based on these findings, the paper recommends an intensive awareness drive to increase clients' knowledge of the enormous benefits of green building technologies over conventional technologies.

Studies have shown that there is a need to adapt buildings over their lifespan to environmental, economic and social changes. This will help enhance the decision-making process of building design and the development of a more sustainable built environment over a while. Anecdotal evidence suggests that entertainment centres in Nigeria often cease to meet their performance criteria over time as the entertainment needs of users change. The purpose of this study is to identify space adaptability strategies that influence the performance level of selected entertainment centres in Nigeria. Four entertainment centres were selected for this study. Respondents were users of the buildings. A total of 86 copies of the questionnaire were retrieved from the users of these selected entertainment centres. The data were analysed statistically using descriptive, predictive and inferential statistics. The sample size from each of the buildings was determined using census sampling with a total of 86 respondents collectively from the four selected entertainment centres. The findings from the study suggested that only 7 of the 37 identified adaptability strategies had a significant effect on the performance of these entertainment centres. These include space modularity, versatility of spaces, convertibility of spaces, reversible spaces, space scalability, space mobility and adjustability. The results of this study showed that while space modularity has a negative influence on the perception of security, social and cultural performance; versatility of spaces positively influenced that performance dimension. This study, therefore, concluded that, concerning entertainment centres, adaptability may not have influenced the performance in terms of functionality, equitable use, efficiency and psychological pleasure; however, security of such facilities may be enhanced by providing versatile spaces. The study recommended that architects should focus on versatility of spaces in the design of entertainment centres as it has been discovered to positively influence the security, social and cultural performance level of entertainment centres.

Pharmaceutical factory workers spend 37.5% of their daily time in the production hall manufacturing drugs used for human health needs. There is usually little or no time given to spend in the natural environment. This affects their sanity and well-being. The Pharmaceutical factory building (PFB) is classified as a specialized, controlled, or restrictive building; it provides little or no access to natural environmental conditions like ventilation and lighting, thereby increasing the financial implication of energy for the operation of production of drugs. Hence, the survey was conducted to identify the factors that influence the indoor environmental performance (IEP) of PFBs. The factors responsible for influencing the indoor air quality were measured through a survey conducted in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria on 14 PFBs to determine the value of these factors identified, using principal component analysis (PCA), Bartlett Test, and Kaiser-Mayer Olkin (KMO): the conditions for PCA were also observed. PCA is a factors or data reduction technique to select a subset of highly predictive factors from the larger group of factors identified from the study. Indoor environmental quality variables satisfied the condition for PCA while thermal performance variables did not meet the condition. PCA was conducted for Indoor environmental quality and the result showed 2 major factors explaining the variation in the original set of variables. Whereby CO₂, P.M_1.0, P.M_2.5, P.M₁₀, HCHO, airflow, AQICN, and AQIUS as component 1 and TVOC as component 2, the data set was also compared with the standards recommended for indoor environmental quality and thermal performance variables. It was found that at an average air velocity of 29°C and RH of 60%, the average CO, TVOC, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ were 0.25ppm, 0.31ppm, 33.92ppm, and 43.48ppm respectively for the PFBs. Because thermal performance includes several dependent variables, greater research on the indoor environment of PFBs in Nigeria is recommended to determine the impact of indoor environmental characteristics on thermal parameters.

There is a growing concern about shopping malls' energy consumption, and this has stimulated responses to the demand for passive features in their design from the building industry. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems was the main focus of this study. The study investigated the compliance level of selected shopping malls in southwestern, Nigeria to passive cooling design strategies. Shopping malls that were built in the last 10 years were selected for the study. Data for this study was gathered through observation guide and case studies. It was observed that the selected shopping malls did not fully adopt passive cooling design strategies as it was observed that most of them still depends on HVAC system. This indicates that passive cooling design strategies was not considered when the malls were at the design stage. The study recommends that different passive cooling strategies should be considered when designing future shopping malls so as to optimize energy efficiency. Furthermore, regulatory authorities and allied professionals should see to compliance of future shopping malls design at design, planning and approval stage.

Human comfort is a major criterion for mixed-use buildings to be habitable, leading to the usage of technologies such as HVAC and artificial lighting. These devices demand high electricity, causing a 25% rise in building greenhouse gas emissions. It is important for architects to develop energy efficient design strategies in order to maintain and improve user comfort in mixed-use buildings. This study investigated the impact of energy efficiency design strategies on users' comfort in selected mixed-used building in Lagos State, Nigeria, with a view to identify areas for further improvements. The research adopted a quantitative approach. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data. The Statistical Product & Service Solutions software was used to analyse the data. The result was presented with the aid of texts, tables and graphs. The findings indicated that building orientation was one of the most important techniques, affecting each dimension of human comfort. This revelation suggests that when adopting energy efficiency measures, a building's early design stage should focus on enhancing human comfort. The study recommended that professionals conduct critical analysis on buildings in the design stage to guarantee energy-efficient approaches used throughout the planning, design, and construction stages of mixed-use buildings. In order to create sustainable future designs, it is therefore necessary to recognise the significance of energy efficient design techniques on users' comfort.

In architectural design, the level of comfort experienced in the spaces created serve as one of the units of measurement in assessing a complete design. In a country tropical climate such as Nigeria, indoor environmental conditions are primarily influenced by many factors, including lighting, ventilation, indoor air quality, sound quality and building materials employed. This study investigated users' comfort satisfaction level in relation to environmental design consideration factors in academic buildings of selected universities in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, with a view to identify areas for improvement towards making contributions that will help to improve users' satisfaction in the development of academic environments. The study adopted a quantitative research method that used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 291 respondents, out of which 271 are students and 19 are lecturers. The users' sample size was drawn from the Department of Architecture students and lecturers of two selected universities in the study area. The data were analyzed with the aid of Statistical Product and Service Solutions software and presented descriptively with the aid of tables. The results showed that majority of the respondents in the selected universities attested to the adequacy of the four environmental design consideration factors investigated, with the factors recording various levels of adequacies. In few areas were the factors were inadequate, the foremost reason was the inadequacy of the indoor air quality, followed by that of lighting before ventilation. Also, daylighting in classrooms and ventilation in offices was found to be inadequate in one of the universities, while the inadequacy of ventilation in offices in the other university was significantly high. The study recommended that building industry designers should pay more attended to means of achieving adequate indoor air quality, lighting and ventilation in academic buildings, without compromising achieving adequacy of sound quality found to be generally satisfactory. The study has implications for policy formulation, designs and researches that strive towards meeting users' comfort satisfaction level in the development of academic environments.

Social Housing remains highly essential in providing affordable shelter in urban and peri-urban settlements. However, pressures from liberalisation, public expenditures, and privatisation continue to threaten its availability. This paper reviews contemporary social housing trends and compares Europe's established social housing scheme to Africa's emerging schemes. This was achieved by identifying the similarities between social housing in the UK and the Netherlands and social Housing in Nigeria and South Africa and identifying the differences between them. Relevant literature was reviewed to give a detailed but straightforward account of the Netherlands, UK, South Africa, and Nigeria based on allocation policy, target occupants, ownership scheme, mode of finance, and the challenges faced. The studies conclude that there are more similarities between social Housing in Europe and Africa than differences. However, the most fundamental difference is the type of challenges they face. The challenges observed in Europe's social housing schemes are social problems such as segregation and bad public image. In contrast, Africa's social housing challenges are socio-economical in terms of lack of funds, poor planning, and implementation of policies. The outcome from this study is targeted at promoting the implementation of sustainable social housing schemes at the policy level.

Light is so important in our everyday lives that it effects user experiences of spaces as well as the user's overall well-being for a large portion of the day in the built environment. Lighting, among the other aspects that make up the design of spaces, is an important characteristic in a building because it is the primary means of appreciating art and culture. The study aimed to assess purposively selected art galleries as the basis for determining the best lighting strategies to be adopted in the design of an art gallery in Lagos, Nigeria. This study addressed two key objectives – identify the existing lighting strategies used in the assessed art galleries to recommend the best lighting strategies to be used and ascertain how the lighting strategies are implemented. A qualitative research method using case study approach was employed in the research. Content and narrative analyses were used to analyse data. Findings show a significant need for daylight to be implemented alongside artificial lighting in an art gallery. The results align with current global trends towards sustainability.

The architectural success of any structure depends on how well people experience spaces. In order to improve the overall user experience in spaces, the architectural promenade concept has become a part of modern architectural design. Despite this, little is known about it or how it affects the user experience, particularly in Art and Cultural Centres. This research aims to assess the user experience of architectural promenade in selected Art and Cultural Centres in Calabar, Cross-river state, Nigeria. A quantitative methodology was applied to gather data from the selected arts and Cultural Centres in Calabar, Crossriver. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 2021 software was employed to analyse the acquired data. The findings indicated that many users did not necessarily enjoy the architectural promenade in Cultural Centres, affecting their overall experience of spaces. The study recommended architectural promenade as an area of user experience that researchers could focus on in research. It also suggests Architects architectural promenade as a conscious consideration in the design of art and Cultural Centres.

Urban green spaces in cities have been attributed to both an ecologically sustainable environment and the well-being of urban residents, thereby improving their quality of life. The positive effects of urban green spaces on individuals, on the other hand, is usually dependent on the extent of these green spaces and their uses. The level of satisfaction with existing urban parks can be assessed based on parameters such as accessibility, safety, and relevant available facilities. The aim of this study is to examine user's perception of urban parks in ibeju-lekki, Lagos state. The key objective of the study is to determine the design strategies implemented in the design of an urban park; access users' perception based on the determined design strategies implemented in the selected urban parks. In this research, users of selected urban parks within ibeju-lekki were surveyed to properly investigate their perception of these urban parks in respect to already established survey criteria. Data was gathered through questionnaires, and users were randomly selected across the selected urban parks. The data gathered was analyzed using SPSS and content analysis, and the analyzed data was presented using tables and charts. From the study, it was found that users' perception of urban parks usually affects their continual use, this is referring to the urban resident rate of patronage of the urban parks. Therefore, to improve resident rate of usage of urban parks, it is important to improve on the design strategies adopted in urban parks.

The idea of preventing crime by strategically using the environment as tool has been explored for decades. Defensible space provides architectural strategies for effectively preventing crime by reorganizing the physical environment and giving inhabitants control over their surroundings. This study seeks to examine the security features allaying with defensible space in four selected secondary schools in Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria, with a view to making contributions on how to improve security in such environments for users. The study identifies areas for further improvements based on users' perception, towards enhancing security in the academic environments in Nigeria. Four selected secondary schools in Ota, publicly and privately owned was used for the study. The study used quantitative and qualitative research methods to obtain data from 149 students, in addition with 33 teachers from four secondary schools. The collected data were descriptively analysed with the use of SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) software. Results showed that there are evidences of elements of defensible space strategies, which are Territoriality and Natural surveillance that were adequately perceived and being implemented by the respondents. Deterioration of school buildings and poor road construction were seen. These were evidences of the elements of Milieu and Image, an indication of defensible space perception. Students dissatisfaction with overall school security was also revealed. The study further shows that appropriate maintenance strategies can help enhance the physical and security conditions of school environment in Nigeria.

This study was initiated in response to the high energy consumption connected with tourism-related activities. Air conditioning uses the majority of the energy required, typically exceeding 40%. Hotels in the tropics have higher average annual energy use intensity (avg. EUI) rates than those in the temperate zones; Regardless of the climate zone, the highest category hotels (i.e., five-star hotels) have a higher energy use index. When their efficiency is assessed and understood to ensure continuous improvement in their energy conservation, hotel buildings will make a much greater contribution to energy management. The objective of this paper is to investigate the extent to which Passive Cooling Principles were applied in hotel buildings in Nigeria, and the impact of these principles on the selected hotels; towards assessing the achieved level of energy conservation. The study is limited to selected hotel buildings in Nigeria; and they were studied in-depth to determine their compliance levels to passive cooling principles. Non-participant observation was carried out to obtain are objective data. As Lagos State houses a larger number of the five-star hotels in the study population, two of the selected case studies were from this location; and the last was from Abuja, which represented the North and Central Region of the country. The sampling technique used for this research is purposive sampling. The Five-Star hotels were selected based on their star rating according to set standards that have been identified in Literature; and they include prominent hotels in both Lagos and Abuja. The application rate of 64% also creates a basis for determining the minimum application rate targeted for the five-star hotel design carried out along-side this paper; which is 75%. This relays the extent to which Passive Cooling Principles are applied in hotel buildings in Nigeria; and also provides a benchmark for future researches and designers that intend to implement or study Passive Cooling Principles.

The design of each city inextricably influences the pattern of noise pollution across the globe. Many aspects of urban planning can significantly affect vehicular distribution, traffic conditions, and the volume of traffic. Lagos State, in particular, is afflicted by some of these factors. Numerous studies have established the significance of noise control strategies in this context. This paper focused on precautionary noise control strategies incorporated at the design stage, which are an integral part of a sustainable urban planning approach. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire from a sample consisting of 96 designers and 67 users of mixed-use buildings in Lagos state; as these building types promote sustainability in building design. This research utilized the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyze data. The results reveal which noise control strategies have been adopted and implemented in sustainable building designs and as a result, its users are not affected by external noise sources. The study's findings had a positive impact on the implementation of sustainable urban planning strategies that incorporate precautionary noise control strategies.

The study investigated wastewater management in selected shopping malls in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria and the effects on the environment, towards identifying areas for possible improvement. The study adopted a qualitative methodology. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary fieldwork data were collected using structured observation and interview guide, while secondary data were gathered from both published and unpublished literature by textual analysis. The study discovered that the wastewater management system employed by the shopping malls investigated were mainly on-site wastewater management systems that were not effective as a result of the way they were poorly managed. The shopping malls were found to release greywater into the environment that is leading to environmental degradation of the study environs. The study recommended that relevant government waste management authorities need to do more to ensure that shopping malls and other commercial public facilities, manage their wastes in line with standard best practices, to avoid degrading the environment. The authorities are to check and approve the design of wastewater management systems, as well as conduct routine checks to ascertain that the systems are functioning as expected, towards achieving a better wastewater management effective and sustainable environment.

Resorts are commercial establishments specialised to meet vacationers needs through the provision of specialised services such as food, entertainment and accommodation. Most of the facilities provided by beach resorts are outdoor-based, therefore detailed attention should be paid to the landscape and external environment and this implies that the implementation of sustainable site planning strategies is crucial in achieving sustainable development. This paper seeks to investigate the adoption of sustainable site strategies by Beach Resorts in Lagos, Nigeria to understand how the various strategies could be applied in Site planning. The study was limited to beach resorts in Lagos, Nigeria and three resorts were carefully selected through purposive sampling. A qualitative data collection method was adopted and data collected were analysed through content analysis and findings revealed that there is high adoption of sustainable site planning strategies by beach resorts. Design strategies for site planning in a bid to create more sustainable developments in Nigeria were recommended.

In every environment, the presence or lack of urban forests impacts the built environment. Urban forestry, a branch of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI), refers to an urban framework in which individual trees and tree populations in urban settlements are cared for and also managed to promote the health and well-being of the occupants of the urban settlements. Urban forestry strongly posits that trees are an integral part of the urban setting. The urban forest is an urban green infrastructure system that largely contributes to multiple service sectors and functions in urban environments. Although the environmental advantages of urban forests have been realised, the essentiality of urban forests in learning environments and educational communities alike, few have been largely neglected in existing research. Therefore, this research paper aims to investigate the impact of urban forests on the mental health of residents of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria. Data for this research was collected through the use of structured questionnaires and field observation. The data collected was analysed through the use of the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results obtained from the analysis of collected data explicitly highlights the effects of urban forests in learning environments and their positive impact, on the mental health and overall wellbeing of the residents of the university community. This research endeavour recommended that more urban forests should be planned and put in place within built up environments to improve the stability of the eco-system and the overall wellbeing of the residents of that urban environment.

High-rise office buildings are naturally energy-intensive as energy is required in large quantities to run modern building services and to power equipment needed for a hitch-free operation of the buildings. It was found in studied literature that maintaining good indoor environmental quality through air-conditioning, lighting and powering of office equipment contribute the most to an office building's total energy consumption. Hence, over time, various strategies have been employed to reduce the intense energy demand in high-rise office buildings. This paper adopted the use of both literature review and case study methods. The paper identifies the key energy efficiency strategies that have been successfully deployed in high-rise office buildings using the literature review approach. Also, case studies were conducted on three relatively new high-rise office buildings in Lagos, Nigeria by evaluating them against the background of the best practices in energy efficiency. The study found that deployment of energy efficiency strategies in high-rise office buildings in the study area is still very low especially in the areas of building orientation, building envelope design and the use of renewable energy. However, the use of day-lighting techniques and sustainable lighting systems are quite prominent in the office buildings studied. The study underscores the need to make high-rise office buildings more sustainable through energy efficiency strategies across the whole building life cycle of design, construction, use and end of life.

Architecture is a profession and business outfit that is facing Management-related challenges at all levels. These problems manifest themselves in various forms ranging from inadequate curriculum coverage, insufficient literature, professional ineptitude, and leadership management competencies flaws to globalization challenges as well as low Architects population ratio among others. This paper assessed management-related knowledge, skills and abilities possessed by Nigerian Architects by using Relative Importance Index to determine areas that Nigerian Architects have competitive advantages or disadvantages. A structured survey questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale was administered to 122 randomly selected Architects, while descriptive statistical analysis provided answers to the research questions and hypothesis. Findings of the paper revealed that Nigerian Architects have Management know how in Design, Time and Project Managements but are lacking in Maintenance, Property and Enterprise Managements to bring about Sustainable Architectural Practice. The result of the study also upheld the null hypothesis that Management Knowledge, Skills and Abilities of Nigerian Architects does not depend on their Academic Qualifications but rejected the null hypothesis that Professional classifications of Nigerian Architects does not influence their Management Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. The paper concluded that Nigerian Architecture curriculum and practice are deficient in essential management knowhow to bring about sustainable Architectural Management practice in the country. The paper, therefore recommends that curriculum and practice of Architecture be rich in management theories and practices for a Sustainable Architectural practice in the country.

Net-zero energy buildings are buildings that consume less energy than other similar buildings, producing as much energy as it uses or more, from a renewable energy source. Buildings are, without a doubt, one of the key contributors to energy-related emissions. It is important to design buildings that need less energy. Using DesignBuilder, this research explores the potential for net-zero energy in an artificially ventilated single-family dwelling unit in Kuala Lumpur Subang, Malaysia. To achieve net-zero energy five steps are taken; step one involves determining the most energy-efficient glazing, step two involves investigating the most energy-efficient wall material, the next step considers the best window-to-wall ratio, the fourth includes the use of external shading devices and the final step introduces the use of roof installed solar panels. One of the key findings was that shading either through external shading devices or through more efficient glazing reduced the overall energy use and that as the energy needed for cooling reduced as a result of shading the energy needed for lighting slightly increased. The research also revealed that the energy consumption reduced as the wall insulation increased and that bricks/block walls were more energy-efficient than wooden walls without insulation. During the third phase of the research, findings revealed that the energy efficiency of the walls and the windows were the determining factor for which window-to-wall ratio was best. In all, net-zero energy was achieved by reducing the energy consumption by 73.4% and by generating more energy than the building consumes from photovoltaic cells.

In low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, agriculture is a vital component of development and poverty reduction. The native population of Nigeria suffers a slew of challenges that stymie agricultural productivity. One aspect is the low level of female agricultural productivity, which is likewise dependent on other factors. The present level of agricultural output in the Nigerian economy in line with the level of demand necessary to meet the desired expectation of the Nigerian populace will continually pose a threat to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially, SDG-2 (achieve food security through agricultural productivity). This reflects the possible relationship that renewable energy especially in the area of healthcare can have on female agricultural productivity, as considered in this study, which can be a major component of the total agricultural productivity of the Nigerian economy. Therefore, an improvement in female access to healthcare through the input of renewable energy is a possible determinant for an increase in total female agricultural productivity. Using wave 4 (2018/2019) of the Living Standard Measurement Studies, Integrated Survey on Agriculture, the impact of female access to healthcare on female agricultural output in Nigeria was investigated in this study (LSMS-ISA). In addition to other tactics, the study employs the propensity score matching technique for the other specified aims. The estimation result reveals that in Nigeria, there is a significant and positive association between female healthcare access made possible by renewable energy provision and female agricultural production.

To ensure smooth running and continues supply of uninterrupted power from the Photovoltaic (PV) power plant, it becomes imperative to develop maintenance strategies that improves the reliability and availability of the system; thus, the need to balance between cost and reliability/availability of PV system arises in the industry. This work focuses on developing selective preventive maintenance algorithm based on the PV subcomponents' reliability that minimizes the preventive maintenance cost while also maximizing system availability over a finite horizon. A minimum reliability threshold was assumed which served as the determining factor on a component if maintenance is to be performed on the component. An algorithm was developed in MATLAB to perform the selection and cost optimization in which an optimal periodicity yielding 5 preventive maintenance actions was obtained resulting to availability of 99.75% and minimal cost of 1,649 monetary units.

Metakaolin (MK) have been used in concrete as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) due to their economic and environmental benefits. Consequently, the use of MK in concrete production contributes to the overall reduction of CO₂ release in the environment. However, for a sustainable built environment, material resistance to thermal exposure is of concern. Previous research have studied the performance of MK at elevated temperature, but there is little or no literature on the effect of cooling methods on concrete structures with MK subjected to varying temperature. Hence, this research investigates the effects of cooling methods on the properties of concrete incorporating MK after thermal treatment (fire). Raw MK was calcined, ground and analyzed using XRD and XRF. 15%MK were used to replace cement. Concrete properties (crushing resistance, density, compressive strength) for water and air cooling methods were determined and compared to a control pure concrete. The heating temperatures were 200°C, 350 °C, 550 °C and 750 °C respectively. The incorporation of MK improved properties of the hardened concrete. Charts and tables showing the effects of MK on the concrete properties investigated were presented. The minimum strength obtained was 28.09 N/mm² during water cooling and maximum strength 35.20N/mm² during air cooling. The most enhancing effect of Mk as a replacement material was observed in all the cooling methods considered. Water cooling method was found to have caused severe strength reduction in the concrete structure. MK concrete performs better than pure concrete under aircooling method after thermal exposure, hence, can be adopted for fire aggressive environment.

Fresh vegetables and fruits, most of which are perishable, are known to be good sources of nutrients supplements with health benefits. Tomatoes fruits fall into this category of food supplements. However, the post-harvest losses associated with tomatoes fruits have greatly reduced the profitability of its farming and have even scared some farmers away from producing it. To reduce the losses and encourage tomatoes farming, this study designed, constructed, and evaluated the performance of a solar-powered electronic storage chamber for tomatoes fruits. In the performance evaluation, the weight, firmness, ripening index, and rate of spoilage of tomatoes fruits stored, within six weeks, at room temperature and atmospheric humidity and in the storage chamber were analyzed and compared per week. The results showed that the weight and firmness of the test experiment deteriorated by 24.87% and 20.83% respectively while that of the control experiment deteriorated by 50.59% and 79.68% respectively. Also, the percentage of cumulative spoilage for the test and control experiment was estimated to be 23.32 and 68.84 respectively showing a significant reduction in the rate of spoilage when the tomatoes were stored in the chamber.

Outsourcing is a concept that has gained ground instead of the dynamic nature of materials and construction resources over time, there is still yearning for resource augmentation, thus the need for this study. The course's primary aim is to study issues and challenges of outsourcing in construction firms with a view to enhancing materials and human resources usage. The survey research method was used in researching. In contrast, the random sampling method was used by the authors in the sample selection. The population sample for the study is infinite since while the Cohran formula was used to generate the sample size of 100. The authors used one hundred (100) samples for the study with questionnaire designed the Likert scale 1-5. The following parameters were censored and profiled. They include: understanding the current state of outsourcing in the construction sector, scope, and coverage of outsourcing, and the relationship between outsourcing strategy and performance helps examine the prospective areas that would warrant outsourcing and the possible outsourcing framework—the tools used in processing the data; relative mean, simple percentage, mean index. Some of the findings of the study include among other things: challenges that firms encounter in outsourcing their activities from the responses that the main challenges that the bank faced in outsourcing its included increase in cost and loss of managerial control over outsourced operations, the effect on the quality of operations of the firms, security and confidentially, and relocation of existing employees. The study recommends effective training of personnel, introduction of incentives and motivation factors in enhancing employees' performance as a way out of challenges that confronts outsourcing. Also, casual labouring system should be abolished since it is counterproductive in conventional production environment.

Sustainable provision of safe access to potable water has continued to be a major challenge across the world. Water samples were collected from water bodies at Awba Dam and National Horticulture Research Institute (NIHORT) in Ibadan, Oyo State and the Ogun River in Lagos State. The aim of this study was to gauge the conditions of these frequently used water bodies. The locations were selected based on surrounding population and activities. Sampling was done in the months of April and June, 2021. The physicochemical parameters analysed were pH, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Average salinity value ranged between 0.2675 ± 0.14 mg/L (UI) and 0.6735 ± 0.22 mg/L (Berger). These values are quite high and significant when compared to the threshold level of 0.0000001 mg/L. Of the three sampling points, the samples obtained from Awba Dam at the University of Ibadan seem to have the better quality in relative terms. This follows from the BOD and TDS values of 3.75 ± 0.28 mg/L and 259.7 ± 156.89 mg/L respectively. This study shows that the mismanagement of our waters through unrestrained and unrestricted dumping of contaminants into it has caused these water bodies to have poor quality and should not be used for the purpose of consumption unless properly treated. The presence of aquatic plants that take in some of these pollutants and release oxygen may also help improve quality.

Air pollution and air pollutants effect on humans and the atmosphere in general, is now an issue of great concern to researchers globally. Consequently, efficient mitigating strategies need to be introduced for the sake of the environment and most importantly human health. To this effect, this study aims to investigate possible ways through which architecture can help curb air pollution and air pollutants in the atmosphere through innovative architectural design strategies and controlled construction practices, with specific guidelines on how to achieve these strategies. The study in the quest to achieve the above aim employed the literature review research design, with particular reference to works of literature that dwelt on innovative and sustainable design strategies within the built environment. Evidence in literature reveals that air pollution is one of the major issues faced by man due to high level of industrialization and lots of other human activities, with a majority of the research dwelling on how pollutants are being generated but just a few studies dealt on how architectural and construction practices contribute to air pollution and the possible ways to reduce the effect of air pollution and air pollutant to the atmosphere through innovative design strategies, which is where this study plays a major role in filling that gap. The research finding from this study ascertained that all stages of building development projects from the inception of the project to its deconstruction release pollutants into the atmosphere. It concludes that the most effective way of controlling air pollution within the built environment is through the use of greenery (bio facade) and adopting a sustainable design system. The study will help inform government environmental agencies, architects, urban planners, builders, and all other stakeholders in the built environment on sustainable ways to tackle air pollution in the urban areas, most especially where there is no luxury of land for the planting of trees and vegetation.

This work investigates the radioactivity distribution of coastal polluted areas of Unumherin Community in Niger Delta, Nigeria. The measurement of the outdoor dose rate of the polluted coastlines was carried out using calibrated hand-held gamma detector, (RS-125 Gamma-Spec). The spatial distribution of gamma dose rate indicates the hotspot at location 4 with a value of 100 nGy/h. Maximum and minimum values of the absorbed dose-rate was observed in location 4 with the value of 100 nGyh⁻¹ and location 15 with the value of 2 nGyh⁻¹, respectively. This is an indicative that the risk of ionizing radiation exposures is much higher for location 4 than other locations. This higher value of 100 nGyh⁻¹ is far more than the recommended limit of 59.00 and 84.00 nGyh⁻¹ provided by UNSCEAR, 2000. The community requires much more radiological monitoring for the safety of human and ecosystem.

Cement factory produces air pollutants that contaminate and cause adverse effects on the health of dwellers of the affected environment. These pollutants enter the body and become injurious by initiating or aggravating problems in the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems. During the production of cement, many processes like crushing, raw milling, calcining, burning and cements milling, release pollutants to the immediate environment. This study aimed at estimating the discharge rate of carbon dioxide (CO₂) pollutant emitted from the production/combustion unit of Lafarge Cement Factory Sagamu Ogun State. Six points on each of the three major routes that lead to the factory were used as the sampling points for the study. Gaussian plume model method was applied in developing the model equation. Raw data obtained from the field was used to determine the spread of CO₂ concentration. The study showed that there were emissions of CO₂ within the study area, with an average monthly highest discharge rate of 773.333 ppm on Ikorodu route, and the lowest discharge rate on Abeokuta route (689.875 ppm). Consequently, the findings can be used to formulate and validate models as well as develop co-correlation among the three routes in the study area.

This study assessed user's satisfaction as well as maintenance related issues associated with expanded polystyrene elements in a residential housing estate in the Federal Capital Territory. Residents of Mount Pleasant Housing Estate, Abuja constituted the study population. Questionnaires were administered to 310 adult residents of the housing estate out of which 267 were retrieved, constituting 86.1% rate of response and used for analysis. Data were analysed with basic descriptive tools of frequency, percentage and mean score derived from 5-Point Likert scale. Results were presented in tables and then discussed. The study established amongst others that expanded polystyrene materials are used for different components of housing units with partition walls, decorative finishes and window hoods having 79.4%, 68.2% and 64.4% of usage respectively. The study found amongst others that respondents generally agree that EPS elements are costlier in terms of maintenance and require special skill to fix. It was further observed that respondents are of the opinion that EPS elements do not breakdown easily or frequently. Concluding, the respondents ranked their satisfaction level with the aesthetics and moisture resistance above other qualities of EPS components. The study therefore recommended further research to discover how EPS materials can be used to build complete housing unit. Furthermore, developers and builders should as a matter of policy embrace the use of EPS while special awareness creation programme is organized to enlighten the general public on the benefits of EPS to housing development in Nigeria.

Supply chain management concept has found its way into the construction sector of the economy as a result of the inherent opportunity to improve performance. The concept has continued to attract increasing support among major stakeholders in the execution of construction projects. However, it was observed that the strategy is still at low level of adoption among professionals in the industry. Moreover, the low level of knowledge of the strategy and the inability to effectively put the principles of supply chain management to practice hinders the application. This study therefore advances the knowledge of supply chain management by undertaking an examination of few key areas on the concept with a view to improving the awareness and understanding among professionals and assist in designing a supply chain management strategy suitable for building development process. Relevant studies were identified for review by literature search using key words and concepts related to the topic of the current study. Thematic areas of discussion include the construction industry outlook, building development process, the principles and essentials of construction supply chain management. The understanding of basic principles and essentials of supply chain management is important to adopting, adapting, designing and deployment of the strategy in the construction industry and this constituted the purpose and focus of the study.

Due to the increasing environmental hazards of climate change phenomenon, it has become a major concern of most environmentalist. Currently the world struggles to manage waste which are generated from human activity and it affects the global climate either positively or negatively. Therefore, particular attention should be paid to sustainable waste management strategy so as to ameliorate the issue. To this end, the 3-R concept of waste management (reduction, reuse and recycle) have been variously pursued by municipalities towards a sustainable waste management system. This study focused on the waste-to-wealth activities across the urban neighborhoods in the colonial city of Enugu and adopted a qualitative survey research design. Using stratified and simple random sampling technique, a survey was conducted in eight selected neighbourhood and orally interviewed waste pickers within the study area. It discusses solid waste disposal method in Enugu metropolis with a view to facilitating sustainable practices for enhanced environmental condition and wealth creation. The paramount theme is on the socio-economic networking of the waste-to-wealth activities in the area and the derivable benefits towards addressing the effects of global climate change phenomenon in the city. Its research results highlight the ineffective waste management system within the metropolis and showed that huge financial gains could be harvested from waste product. Also it revealed that waste picking is done on informal scale across all neighbourhoods in the study area. It concludes and recommends measures towards enhancing waste-to-wealth as a strategy for addressing the global climate change in the city.

The skyline of the developing world is decorated with medium and low rise structures and Nigeria is not an exception. Located in the tropics mainly characterized by an elevated air temperature and high relative humidity; obtaining the desired level of indoor thermal comfort without mechanical aid is a design challenge for most of her building structures in recent times. However, airflow inside a building depends not only on external wind velocity but also on a number of Architectural design features and principles. The study, aimed at identifying design element and strategies that modify the indoor comfort conditions as well as energy savings of tropical buildings. Through case study research approach and the review of existing literature, a comparison of the colonial and contemporary existing building designs were made in the study area based on seven architectural design features that can influence thermal comfort condition. The study found that contemporary building designs in the study area have in recent times departed from the traditional applications of passive design strategies used in colonial architecture and have taken a non-compactible design models for tropical climates like disappearance of eaves projections, shrinkage of balconies, reduced headroom heights and window sizes. Furthermore, the result highlights the need to evolve a climate responsive design as means of reducing heat stress in the contemporary Nigerian low-rise buildings. It concludes and recommends that architects and designers should review their design approaches in favour of functional building requirements for climate-responsive and energy efficient buildings, which will be less dependent on mechanical systems in order to achieve maximum thermal comfort levels in our buildings.

This study examines the effect of debt sustainability on Nigeria's economic growth. In contrast to previous studies, this study takes a holistic approach that considers both domestic and external debt, as well as debt service payments. The study used yearly data that covered a period of forty years (1981 - 2020). Consequently, the non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) econometric technique was used to decompose the effects of the debt variables into their positive and negative effects to ascertain if the inconsistent results documented by previous studies could be attributed to undetected asymmetries. The study established that Nigeria's total debt stock and debt service payments had a considerable short-run effect on the economic growth of the country, but that only a reduction in total debt stock is important for long-run economic growth in the country. It was discovered that an increase in total debt stock initially has a terrible impact on economic growth, but that it has a positive impact after one year. On the other hand, the short-run effect of a total debt stock decrease is found to be consistently positive for all lags. Concerning debt service payment, the short-run effect showed that economic growth decreases when debt service payment increases and economic growth increases when debt service payment decreases. In the long-run, only a decrease in the total debt stock decreases economic growth significantly. From Recommendations from this study state that debt accumulation should be used to increase the country's production capacity by increasing investments in infrastructure (e.g., power and better transportation networks) and to improve human capital development as these would help maximize the social gains from debt.

Agriculture is central to welfare especially in the context of developing countries which include those of ECOWAS, however among those individuals' dependent on agriculture for their livelihood are those living in poverty and earning low incomes amongst other living standards. On the other hand, sustainable socio-economic welfare is not given much attention in the welfare literature compared to other welfare categorisations such as socio-economic welfare and economic welfare. This study explores the effect of agricultural employment on sustainable socio-economic welfare as well as the possibility of a non-linear relationship between the aforementioned variables in a balanced panel of Fifteen ECOWAS member countries. Human Sustainable Development Index (HSDI) was used as proxy for Sustainable socio-economic welfare, while the proportion of employed individuals realising a living from agriculture is the measure for agricultural employment. The results from utilising panel data fixed effects estimation show that agricultural employment adversely and significantly resulted in sustainable socio-economic welfare declining while the hypothesis of non-linear relationship between the aforementioned variables was not supported. Consequently, the study recommends that ECOWAS member country governments in raising welfare levels focus necessarily on sustainable socio-economic welfare rather than socio-economic welfare that has been the traditional focus of welfare efforts. Also ECOWAS country governments should ensure that agriculture sector interventions effectively target the poor and vulnerable households relying on agriculture for their livelihood.

Fieldwork took place in naturally ventilated public primary schools in Imo State, Nigeria to find the upper limit of acceptable temperature. The period of the survey was from October 2017 to May 2018, where objective and subjective data were collected. Results of the fieldwork of the 330 surveyed children (aged 7-12 years) revealed that the upper limit temperature derived from their responses corresponding to mean thermal sensations of +0.85 is 31.6°C for the combined classrooms. This is about 4.9°C higher than the ASHRAE upper 80% acceptability limit. Furthermore, the maximum temperature acceptable by the studied children was found to be higher than the ASHRAE upper limit. The study shows that respondents in a tropical country, such as in Nigeria, can be comfortable at high temperatures. Information about the heat tolerance of primary school children is important as that may guide professionals in the building industry to achieve eco-friendly and sustainable classrooms that use less energy and at the same time provide thermal comfort to the occupants.

Gear fault detection and its severity is essential for analyzing the availability, maintainability and reliability of rinser machines. The occurrence of multiple failures of gears and their analysis is becoming more challenging, thereby causing the increased unavailability of rinser machines. This study reviewed the rinser machine and its various advantages and disadvantages, including the problems associated with the machine. More so, various types of failures associated with the spur gears were studied, and it was established that the detection and the diagnosis of gear faults would inform a maintenance planner on scheduled maintenance. Thus, the absence of failure detection will cause uncontrolled machine breakdown and, consequently, result in unsafe operation as well as a loss of productivity. The study concludes and recommends grey cast iron as alternative material that could reduce chemical failure and failure resulting from fatigue.