Exploring Causes and Effects of Premature Building Dilapidation in Public Housing in Minna, Nigeria

Abstract

Buildings are constructed with the aim to last for certain duration of time while achieving other ancillary benefits, such as functionality, aesthetics, affordability, comfort and pleasure to the occupants. Over the years, some buildings have derelict within some period of construction. However, the issue of building dilapidation has caused a serious threat, discomfort and economical demanding to its’ users due to early decay. It has been observed in many cases that a building may still be physically sound while its economic life has expired due to its level of structural decay. This study investigates the causes of early building dilapidation in public housing in Minna in order to enhance sustainable housing and administration. Review of relevant literatures, reconnaissance survey coupled with experts’ contributions revealed some factors that form the basis for designing a questionnaire collection for relevant data from the respondents. Findings revealed that poor use of building materials, poor supervision and management, bad workmanship, aggressive environment, under specification of building materials, inadequate or no maintenance, poor usage of building and some physical influences are the causes of such dilapidation. In conclusion effective and good building construction should be adopted to prevent negative effect of building dilapidations and also professionals should be consulted to ensure right specification of construction materials with respect to the climate or the environment. Also, the study recommends for the professional builders and project managers to use funds allocated for any project to get the right materials and also adequate supervision to prevent early building dilapidation.