BUILDING THE GREEN WAY: IS LAGOS READY?

 

The skyline of Lagos is changing dramatically from what we use to know. Now the State’s skyline is gradually being transformed to a mega city skyline, from the iconic UBA building in Marina to Heritage building in Ikoyi, the city of Lagos skyline is changing. However, is this change meeting up with sustainability trend in the world? Mega cities around the world like us are celebrating Platinum, Gold and Silver certification of buildings. Are we just changing our skyline for investment or we are building structure that will be sustainable and ensure the environment safe for the coming generation?

Though Lagos can boost of a green building, the iconic Heritage Place is a magnificent 14 floors of approximately 15,736sqm of office space located in old Ikoyi and boasts of a magnificent facade of curving glass, steel, and dramatic curving facing the Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi. The first LEED ((Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified Building in Nigeria.

What most observers don’t realize is that this is a “green building,” or environmentally and economically sustainable, workplace—and that it costs 20% less per square foot to operate than it’s comparably sized “standard” buildings in other part of Ikoyi or Lagos. So, what many people will ask is, what a “green building” is or what makes a building to be considered “green”?

Here are some of quick facts about construction

·      50% of material resources taken from nature are building related;

·      Over 50% of National waste production comes from the building sector,

40% of global Energy Consumption is building related;

·      50% of global Greenhouse emission is due to Buildings.

The US Environmental Protection Agency reported that building construction, maintenance, and disposal account for:

·      12% of potable water use;

·      39% of primary energy use;

·      70% of electricity consumption;

·      40% of all raw materials extraction;

·      38% of carbon dioxide emission

www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/gbstats.pdf)

Unknowingly, architects, urban planners and other professionals in the building community and sector in Nigeria are unaware that building is responsible for almost half of green emission. Green buildings are not green because they are painted green. Green Building is a major component of sustainable development. It is an approach to building design, construction and management that reduces or eliminates the negative impact of buildings on the environment while promoting enhanced building performance and occupant health. They use less energy, consume less water, generate fewer air pollutants and provide healthier indoor environments in comparison to conventional buildings. Green buildings are green because they expand and complement the building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

According to World Green Building Council: A ‘green’ building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life.

There are a number of features which can make a building ‘green’. These include: 

·       Efficient use of energy, water and other resources

·       Use of renewable energy, such as solar energy

·       Pollution and waste reduction measures, and enabling of re-use and recycling

·       Good indoor environmental air quality

·       Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable

·       Consideration of the environment in design, construction and operation

·       Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction and operation

·       A design that enables adaptation to a changing environment

Now the question is, are the following features utilised as metrics for the consideration of design, construction and approval of new buildings in Lagos State? It is imperative for us to now setup a mechanism for ensuring that all buildings in Lagos incorporate the following;

·      Sustainable site planning

·      Building design optimization

·      Energy performance and efficiency optimization

·      Renewable energy utilization

·      Water and Wastewater management

·      Solid waste management

·      Sustainable building material and construction technology

·      Health, wellbeing and environment quality

 

As a result of the increased interest in green building concepts and practices, a number of organizations have developed standards, codes and rating systems that allows government regulators, building professionals and consumers embrace green building with confidence. In some cases, codes are written so local governments can adopt them as bylaws to reduce the local environmental impact of buildings. The relevance of green building include but not limited to:

•       Energy (Energy Use, Energy Source, Clean Energy Transport)

•       Water (Water Use, Water Filtration, Human Waste, Ground Water Recharge)

•       Landscape (Integrated Pest Management, Green Space, Native Plantings and Wildlife Habitat)

•       Materials (Recycled Materials, Efficient Materials, Salvaged Materials, Local Materials, Durable and Low Maintenance)

•       Waste (Recycling and Composting Facilities) ° Construction Practices (Construction Waste, Reuse Topsoil, Vegetation and Watercourse Protection)

•       Indoor Environmental Quality (Air Pollutant Emissions, Ventilation Effectiveness and Air Filtration, System Commissioning and Cleaning, Daylighting)

•       Economic Performance (Life-Cycle Assessment, Capital Cost Accounting)

While there are challenges in achieving these in a short time, it is imperative for us all to put in place mechanism to ensure that all buildings in Lagos adopts the green and sustainable approach. To bring about meaningful changes and unity between traditional building expert and green building practitioners, it is essential to maintain open and constructive dialogues that will support the development of mutually beneficial and effective guidelines, ratings and construction strategies. Each group brings significant value to the table, both for building owners and users, as well as communities at large. We cannot continue with business-as-usual approach.

In conclusion, in a bid for Lagos to meet the current housing deficit with her fast-growing population, green building standard should be initiated to serve as both a compliance and inspection procedure which would serve to reduce and address the numerous shortcomings the real estate and built environment are currently posed with.

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

·      http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/tests.jsp?event=22869

·      http://www.greenbuildingsindia.com/GreenBuildings.html

·      http://www.biperusa.org/6-objectives-of-greenbuilding.html

·      http://www.brighthub.com/environment/greenliving/articles/51601.aspx

·      http://ecenter.colorado.edu/greening-cu/greenbuilding

·      http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/top-10-greenbuildings-in-India-1011.asp

·      http://gbindia.wordpress.com/igbc-rating-system-2