TECHNOLOGICAL ADOPTION OF THE INDUSTRIALIZED BUILDING SYSTEM FOR HOUSING DELIVERY IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Industrialized Building System is an advancement of the new construction technology for the time being. It is an alternative of construction that can change many aspects in building construction. The industrialized building system is a construction system that is built using pre-fabricated components and is systematically done using machine, formworks and other forms of mechanical equipment R(ahman & Omar, 2006). The components are manufactured offsite and once completed will be delivered to construction sites for assembly and erection (Rahman & Omar, 2006). It is also can be interpreted as a system which component is manufactured in factory and then installed on site based on the size and dimension of the component required. Furthermore, a system in which concrete components, prefabricated at site or in factory are assembly to form the structure with minimum in situ construction (rikha, 1999).

Industrialized Building System (IBS) is a term used in Malaysia for a technique of construction where by components are manufactured in a controlled environment, either at site or off site, placed and assembled into construction works. Worldwide, IBS is also known as Prefabricated/Pre-fab Construction, Modern Method of Construction (MMC) and Off-site Construction. CIDB Malaysia, through IBS Centre is promoting the usage of IBS to increase productivity and quality at construction sites through various promotion programmes, training and incentives.

IBS effectiveness study for government project carried out aims to assess IBS effectiveness on the use of foreign workers, that does not exceed 15% level towards year 2010 (CIDB 2010). IBS usage will put high standards in construction field through building material quality control (Nawi et al. 2011). As such, cases involving usage of low quality material and sub-standard construction practices would be reduced with the increased use of IBS. IBS is a construction system built by using prefabricated components; where component manufacturing is systematically performed using machinery, molds and other mechanical equipment (Azman, Ahmad, et al. 2012). Component that have been produced and completed off-site or in factory are sent directly to building site for installation (Rahman and Omar 2006; Azman, Ahamad, et al. 2012). Among advantages seen in IBS include; improved quality, cost effectiveness, health and security, waste reduction, efficiency and productivity (Nawi et al. 2014; Abedi and Fathi 2011). IBS is said to be able to replace the conventional labor oriented method (Hassim and Jaafar 2009). IBS usage in Malaysia is still at a lower scale and usually used in concentrated works like bridge construction and tunnel (Bakar 2009). Nigeria, like any other developing country, considers the construction industry as one of the main contributors to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It, influences the country’s economic activity, adds up to the government revenue, creates investment benefits and creates employment to specially trained workers.

The population of Nigeria is about 160 million and with a claim of about 17million housing deficit, the country will continue to embark on developing an affordable and sustainable low and medium house. Furthermore, the increasing demand for construction witnessed shall continue as long as the Population increases and there is improvement in the quality of life of the populace. Meeting the housing need of Nigeria within the framework of sustainable development will require that new technology and sustainable strategies be adopted. Waleed et al., 1997 stated that to meet the ever- increasing housing demand by sticking to the current traditional building process requires a large workforce (mostly unskilled). This is due to the low productivity rate in such an outdated system. Agus, 1997 and Senturer, 2001 opine that the traditional construction method, which is commonly practiced, is high in cost, unable to respond to this huge demand within a short space of time and failing to produce acceptable quality construction products and slow in considering sustainable development strategies. Industrialized materials in the building process minimizes accident rate in the construction industry. Aladeloba, 2003 opines that bad construction is an accident waiting to happen, no matter the length of time, surely; it must happen. Building construction activities have to do with the effective management of all resources namely money, manpower, methods, materials and machine at an appropriate time. Aladeloba, 2014 posited that material is a substance of which a thing is made or composed and industrialized is the act of producing something by efforts or some mechanical or industrial process

---

1.2 Statement of the Problem

An industrialized building system (IBS) may be defined in which all building components such as wall, floor slab, beam, column and staircase are mass produced either in factory or at site under strict quality control and minimal on site activities (Rollet, 1986; Trikha, 1999). Esa and Nuruddin (1998) asserted that an IBS is a continuum beginning from utilizing craftsmen for every aspect of construction to a system that make use of manufacturing production in order to minimize resource wastage and enhance value for end users.it is in view of this that the researcher intends to investigate the effect of the adoption of industrial building system in Nigeria.

IBS represents 70% of total building constructions in some European countries like Finland. IBS facilitates an efficient and rapid site assembly and improves the construction quality. In Japan, the building industry has promoted the most advanced manufacturing approaches in construction processes. Manufacturing processes in construction take the advantages of automation and robotics. At the same time, the quality of off-site manufacturing in German building industry has improved, and a better value is provided together with a significant flexibility and variety in design. Moreover, IBS has aided the developers to realize the strict standards of quality control that are imposed by local authorities.

Additionally, off-site production greatly reduces the construction cost at site compared to the traditional methods. It considerably decreases redundant activities and some wastes, which are considered as two of the most important challenges in construction sites. These two factors are deemed to be as non-value adding activities that account for 30 to 35% of the construction cost of a project. Wastages and redundant activities include extra workers at the site about 16% of worker’s cost; material wastages around 2.5% of construction cost ;need-to-do rectification works at approximately 5% of project value ; theft and destruction of properties around 1.5% of production cost; redundant activities of workers almost 5% of construction cost; check and inspection of the construction process roughly 1% of production cost; and safety and health .

---

1.3 Aim and Objective of the Study

The main aim of the study is to ascertain the effect of the adoption of industrialized building system in Nigeria and expel the use of the conventional system of building. But for the successful completion of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following objectives

1. To ascertain the effect of industrial building system in Nigeria
2. To ascertain the relationship between industrial building system and the availability of housing in Nigeria.
3. To ascertain the impact of industrial building system in cost reduction of building
4. To evaluate role of industrial building system on the affordability of building project.

---

1.4 Research Hypotheses

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses are formulated by the researcher

H₀1: Industrial building system does not have any significant effect in the availability of housing in Nigeria.

H₀2: Industrial building system does have a significant effect in the availability of housing in Nigeria

H₀3: Industrial building system does not have any significant impact on cost reduction in building construction but conventional have impact on cost process reduction

H₀4: Industrial building system does have a significant impact on cost reduction in building construction.

H₀5: Convention building system has more disadvantage than industrialized building

---

1.5 Significance Of The Study

It is believed that, at the completion of the study, the findings will be of great importance to the federal ministry of land and housing; who are saddle with the responsibility of providing affordable houses to her citizens. The study will also be of importance to the management of construction companies and building contractors respectively; because the study seek to enumerate the benefit of the adoption of industrial building system in the execution of building projects. The study will also be beneficial to researchers who intend to embark on study in similar topic as the study will serve as a guide to their study. Finally the study will be beneficial to academia’s students and the general public.