The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), says adherence to code of practice and use of standard materials are critical to attaining building construction sustainability in Nigeria.
Prof. Samson Duna, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NBRRI, stated this at the presentation of the 2023 NBRRI Scorecard to stakeholders on Thursday in Abuja
Duna said the institute carried out a robust research on building collapse in Nigeria.and the outcomes were revealing, while far-reaching recommendations were made.
‘The investigation reveals that substandard materials, poor workmanship, poor supervision, lack of proper topography and soil investigation, absence of building or planning permit ,corruption ,inadequate designs are major factors of building collapse,’ he said.
The institute’s CEO appealed to construction industry workers to use materials that meet the standard specification in construction and follow the code of practice.
He said that the Code of Practice is a guide enabling profes
sionals in the construction sector to do the right thing as expected and not to cut corners.
Duna added that the code of practice covers construction areas like the labour, material, machines and manpower.
He added that, when construction workers adhere to the code of practice, the case of building collapse would be a thing of the past.
‘My advice and appeal to professionals in the construction industry is that they should adhere to the standard requirement for the use of any material in construction.
‘If you want to be sure that you are using quality materials like steel; you have to take it to the lab and test it to ensure that the material you are using meets the standard specification.
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‘If you are asked to produce a grade of 25 or a grade of 30, ensure that you use a mixed ratio that is standard to give you that specification of the required grade.
‘Most of our infrastructure does not last long because we hardly adhere to spec
ifications, ‘ he said.
Duna said that through the Institute’s intervention in conducting studies on building collapse, the incidence was declining.
He said that NBRRI as a research institute had come up with some of the best labs in the country, in measuring construction materials like cement, concrete, steel among others
Source: News Agency of Nigeria