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© 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 
 

Asian Review of Environmental and Earth Sciences 
Vol. 7, No. 1, 41-46, 2020 

ISSN(E) 2313-8173 / ISSN(P) 2518-0134 
DOI:10.20448/journal.506.2020.71.41.46 

© 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 

  
 

 
 
 
Construction Design and Sustainability in Architecture 

 
Bada A.O1 
Akharia O.O2 
Daodu, S.A2 
Dania, S.F3 

  
( Corresponding Author) 

 
1Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. 

 
2,3Department of Architectural Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. 

 
4Department of Building Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. 

 

 
Abstract 

The study aims to access the implementation of sustainable housing indicators (SHI) in the 
building design and construction in Ondo State, Nigeria. Generally, the overall degree of 
incorporating SHI in the building construction showed that Ondo Central District (OCAEZ) has 
the highest design compliance, while the awareness is unpopular in Ondo North District 
(ONAEZ) and Ondo South District (OSAEZ). Conversely, the selection of sustainability key 
indicators is very important at the early design stage and this would be veritable to projecting the 
environmental impact, energy and air quality sustainability potency of building. This development 
will go a long way to integrate and improve the building design and construction and enabling 
sustainability in building development. 

 
Keywords: Sustainable housing indicator, Environmental impact, Sustainability, Building design, Ondo State. 

 
Citation | Bada A.O; Akharia O.O; Daodu, S.A; Dania, S.F (2020). 
Construction Design and Sustainability in Architecture. Asian 
Review of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 7(1): 41-46. 
History:  
Received: 19 December 2019 
Revised: 24 January 2020 
Accepted: 27 February 2020 
Published: 6 April 2020 
Licensed: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 

Attribution 3.0 License  
Publisher:  Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 
 

Acknowledgement: All authors contributed to the conception and design of 
the study. 
Funding: This study received no specific financial support. 
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of 
interests. 
Transparency: The authors confirm that the manuscript is an honest, 
accurate, and transparent account of the study was reported; that no vital 
features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the 
study as planned have been explained. 
Ethical: This study follows all ethical practices during writing.   

 

 

Contents 
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 
2. Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 
3. Results and Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................... 43 
4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 45 
References .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 46 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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Contribution of this paper to the literature 
The study contributes to existing literature by accessing the implementation of sustainable 
housing indicators (SHI) in the building design and construction in Ondo State, Nigeria. 

 

1. Introduction 
Sustainable building design and construction is the practice of making structures and using processes that are 

environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout the life cycle of a building from selecting the site to 
design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and finally, deconstruction. The building industry is a 
vital element of any economy but has a significant impact on the environment [1]. Sustainability is an important 
issue to consider in building design, for environmental design and socio-economic to integrate and develop global 
architectural excellence. Until modern architecture conquered the world, architecture was mostly rational, 
functional, hence resource conserving and energy saving in the regional/local climatic context [2]. Architecture 
exemplified the local physical appearance or a place. Akadiri, et al. [1] reported that vernacular architecture, by its 
nature, had built-in sustainability, both physical and cultural. Several important variables and indicators are 
considered at the onset of design phase for building analysis and sustainability projections.  Studies of many 
authors have agreed on the significance of indicators to measure and predict sustainability in architecture. The 
concept of sustainability includes promoting the quality of life, thus allowing people to live in a healthy 
environment, with improved social, economic and environmental conditions [3]. 

Sustainable buildings should be designed and developed to take in cognizance factor to limit and mitigate 
greenhouse gases emission (GHG), environmental pollution such as noise, and integration of indoor and outdoor 
air quality and cross ventilation. John, et al. [4] reported that a number of certain objectives such as resource and 
energy efficiency, CO2 and GHG emissions reduction, pollution prevention, mitigation of noise, improved indoor 
air quality, harmonization with the environment should be considered in building design for optimal sustainability. 
Many studies have revealed that that the world population will increase by more than 45% by the mid of 21th 
century. The projected increase in population could be a major factor for exponential demand for shelter and 
housing units mostly in developing countries. The pressure of creating a sustainable housing unit for the 
increasing population will further complicate the environmental processes through the deforestation, consumption 
of huge fossil fuel and depletion of ozone layer from the building production companies. Globally, the building 
sector is arguably one of the most resource-intensive industries [1].   

A sustainable housing design involves highly simulated and technically-based approaches which allows 
continuous modifications and adjustment at every stage. Ensuring the high quality of design is to ensure an 
approach based on building performance, an integrated and interdisciplinary project team working through an 
integrated planning and preparing a project to its best performance [5]. Thus, the design process is crucial because 
most decisions that will determine building performance in use will be made at this stage [5]. In any architectural 
project, the principal intention and objective of the project has to be clearly defined. The conceptual ideal must be 
well studied, queried and modified to meet the expected client’s demand. During this initial phase, clients and 
design team share information seeking to develop the building’s concept. The architectural programming is 
required to define key requirements and constraints towards project quality. 

The study aims to measure and identify the sustainability indicators in housing design and to determine its 
adaptability to the architectural design and construction in Ondo State, Nigeria. The output of this study is aimed 
to allow the architect and other housing designers to accommodate environmental sustainability indicators in their 
housing design from the early to completion stage at affordable cost.  
 

2. Methodology 
Housing design and development today is much different from what used to be obtainable many decades ago; 

these changes are mostly in the cities, developing and developed environment. However, improvement is 
incorporated to make housing facility be more conducive to enhance healthy living and socio-economic activities. 
The advancement in housing design includes introduction of integrated mechanism which could be used to 
mitigate the emission of GHGs, air-quality monitor and automated ventilators. To make building to be sustainable, 
allowance for all integrated indicators must be provided. Modern movement and modernism have made a huge 
impact on industrial buildings, while at the same time industry has influenced the modernistic architects [2]. In 
order to achieve a sustainable future in the building industry, Asif, et al. [6] suggest adoption of multi-disciplinary 
approach covering a number of features such as: energy saving, improved use of materials, material waste 
minimization, pollution and  the greenhouse gas emissions control measure etc. Having considered the importance 
of designing for sustainable use, a set of design-indicator data was obtained in Ondo State, Nigeria for this study. 
The sustainable housing (SHI) indicators considered are as follows: 

i. Environmental impacts include global warning, depletion of ozone layer, CO2 and climatic monitors (EI). 
ii. Energy (E). 
iii. Life cycle cost (LCC). 
iv. Air quality control (AGC). 
Ondo State has a total landmass area of 77,818 Km2 located in Southwestern Nigeria. The study area is 

surrounded by the states of Kwara and Kogi on the north, Edo on the east, Delta on the southeast, and Osun and 
Ogun on the west and by the Bight of Benin of the Atlantic Ocean on the south. The study area comprises 
mangrove-swamp forest near the Bight of Benin, a tropical rain forest in the centre part, and wooded savannah in 
the north. Ondo State is located at an elevation of 264 meters above sea level and lies on coordinates 7°10'0" N and 
5°4'60" E in DMS (Degrees Minutes Seconds). Figure 1 shows the location of Southwestern region and Ondo State 
inside the map of Nigeria. Construction of housing units and other infrastructural amenities are on-going in the 
State to meeting the growing population. Many building designers have been preoccupied with style and form-
making, disregarding environmental quality and human satisfaction in and around the built environment [1]. 
Conversely, design to promote and protect human health and well-being should be the priority of architect and 
other designers. The sustainable housing (SHI) indicators were measured from three categorized regions (Ondo 



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Central Agro-Ecological Zone in the State [ONAEZ], Ondo South Agro-Ecological Zone [OSAEZ] and Ondo 
Central Agro-Ecological Zone [OCAEZ]) that made up of Ondo State.  
 

 
Figure-1. Map of Nigeria showing location area of the study region (Ondo State). 

             Source: ODSMA [7]. 
 

3. Results and Discussion 
Table 1 shows the results of selected Sustainable Housing Indicator (SHI) in every ecological zone of the State. 

In Ondo Central Zone (OCAEZ), it clearly shown that there exists a great awareness of incorporation of SHI into 
the building designs. Environmental impact indicator (Global warning, depletion of ozone layer, CO2 and climatic 
monitors). 
 

Table-1. level of sustainable housing indicator design. 

 
Sustainable Housing Indicator (%) 

Study region EI E LCC AGC 

ONAEZ 20.3 20.6 46.2 43.4 
OCAEZ 38.4 55.4 61.5 66.2 
OSAEZ 15.2 13.2 10.8 15.2 

             Source: Field output, 2019. 
 

3.1. Air Quality Control 
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the air quality that flows within and around building and structures. It has been a 

reality that IAQ affects the health and well-being of the people occupying the building. Poor indoor air quality has 
been associated with a number of ailments and diseases such as depression, suffocation, headache, assimilation and 
concentration problems. Bruce, et al. [8] reported that indoor air quality could be affected by gases such as carbon 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_quality


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monoxide, radon, volatile organic compounds, particulates, microbial contaminants or any mass or energy stressor 
that can induce adverse health conditions. In view of this, incorporation of air quality control and monitor becomes 
a necessity in modern housing design. The result in Table 1 shows that 43.4 % and 15.2 % of the sampled modern 
houses in Ondo north District (ONAEZ) and Ondo South District (OSAEZ). However, Ondo Central District 
(OCAEZ) indicated the highest building structures of 66.2% as showed in Figure 2. This observation shows there 
is a growing awareness to upgrade the quality of indoor air quality in the State. Urbanization, class, status and 
education are the major factors that actually influence the installation of air quality monitors in most houses. Ondo 
Central District of the State comprises the most educated people and also houses the capital town of the State as 
such, the awareness in this region is extremely high.  The observation from this findings, it is revealed that the 
people dwelling in OCAEZ) enjoyed better health status than the dweller from the less developed districts 
(ONAEZ and OSAEZ) which could be related to improved quality of air. Indoor air pollution in developing nations 
is a major health hazard [9]. A major source of indoor air pollution in developing countries is the burning of 
biomass (e.g. wood, charcoal, dung, or crop residue) for heating and cooking [9].  
 

 
Figure-2. Design of air quality control in building in Ondo State. 

                                     Source: Sensitivity analysis, 2019. 
 

3.2. Life Cycle Cost 
Life cycle cost is a method of economic analysis directed at all costs related to constructing, operating, and 

maintaining a construction project over a defined period of time. The main question for a sustainable design is how 
to put economic optimization into the early design stages. Early stages of the design processes are very critical 
phases to take a decision related to critical issues which are construction and operating costs, Bogenstätter [10] 
stated that ecological and economic objectives perfectly complement each other to achieve sustainability. The result 
in Table 1 and Figure 3 shows that the Ondo Central District (OCAEZ) has the highest design for LCC in the 
early stages of building constructions, whereas there is a poor awareness of LCC in Ondo South District (OSAEZ). 
Also, there is a growing of incorporating LCC design in building structures at Ondo North District (ONAEZ). 

Pellegrini‐Masini, et al. [11] investigate the total lifetime costs of three cases of energy demand reduction 
technologies over a 25 years’ period (2005–2030) for housing stock in the UK. Woodward [12] study life cycle 
costing to evaluate housing affordability with the aid of a computer program. Woodward [12] draw attention to 
the significance of energy consumption in affordable houses.  
 

 
Figure-3. Design of life cycle cost in building in Ondo State. 

                                 Source: Sensitivity analysis, 2019. 
 



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Figure-4. Design of energy (E) for building in Ondo State. 

                                      Source: Sensitivity analysis, 2019. 
 

 
 

Figure-5. Design of environmental impacts (EI) for building in Ondo State. 
                                          Source: Sensitivity analysis, 2019. 
 

3.3. Energy 
Buildings consume energy and other resources at each stage of building project from design and construction 

through operation and final demolition [3]. Building construction consumes large volume of energy throughout 
the construction stages. According to Lenzen and Treloar [13] reported that the kind and amount of energy use 
during the life cycle of a building material, right from the production process to handling of building materials after 
its end life can, for example, affect the flow of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere in different ways over 
different periods of time. Based on this, it is important to reduce the energy used mostly through the burning of 
fossil fuel and exploit the renewable energy mix. For that reason, the total demand for primary energy should be 
minimized and the share of renewable energy should be maximized while reducing the share of nonrenewable 
energy during the building’s life cycle [5]. It is clearly revealed that the energy (E) consumption for the Ondo 
Central District (OCAEZ) is the highest in the region with 54.4 % whereas in Ondo North District (ONAEZ) and 
Ondo South District (OSAEZ) have less consumptive rates of 20.6% and 13.2% Table 1 and Figure 4. The output 
of the energy analysis showed that the rate of urbanization is a critical factor that influence energy used in the 
building design and construction. However, most of the buildings in the urban centres have design provisions for 
space heating, space cooling, domestic hot water production and other energy consuming appliances.  

 
3.4. Environmental Impacts 

The building life cycle is an approach to design that considers environmental impacts such as pollution, energy 
consumption, global warming potential-GWP, greenhouse house emission over the life of the building. These 
environmental impact factor could also be determined using SimaPro standard of impact estimator software. 
However, it is showed that the environmental impact is lowest at Ondo South District (OSAEZ) with 15.2% and 
highest at OCAEZ as indicated in Table 1 and Figure 5 respectively. Conversely, this observation revealed that 
population density is proportional to environmental impact. And as such, the awareness of incorporating 
environmental impact monitors such as CO2 and GHGs monitors in urban centre (OCAEZ) is higher than the less 
dwelling places. 
 

4. Conclusion 
The aim of this study is to determine the sustainable indicators that could be evaluated in housing design 

project. Sustainable building is a measure to safeguard and shielding the environment from the building industrial 
sector. Generally, there is a growing awareness on the incorporation of sustainable housing indicator such as 
environmental impact indicator, energy and air quality control on the housing design in Ondo State with particular 
emphasis in Ondo Central District (OCAEZ). Holistic implementation of sustainable indicator (SHI) in Ondo State 
will be useful for economic integration and development. Findings have showed that there is significant 
relationship among SHI, socio-economic and environmental performance. In order to achieve a sustainable building 



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structure and reduce the construction cost and negative effect of building construction, all the sustainable housing 
indicator should be well designed and incorporated into the building.  
 

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[7] ODSMA, "Categorization of agro-ecological zones in Ondo State," Bulletin, vol. 5, p. 65, 2007. 
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challenge," Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 78, pp. 1078-1092, 2000. 
[9] E. Duflo, M. Greenstone, and R. Hanna, "Indoor air pollution, health and economic well-being," SAPI EN. S. Surveys and 

Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society, vol. 3, pp. 70-75, 2008. 
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386, 2000. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/096132100418528. 

[11] G. Pellegrini‐Masini, G. Bowles, A. D. Peacock, M. Ahadzi, and P. F. Banfill, "Whole life costing of domestic energy demand 
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[12] D. G. Woodward, "Life cycle costing—theory, information acquisition and application," International Journal of Project Management, 
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[13] M. Lenzen and G. Treloar, "Embodied energy in buildings: wood versus concrete—reply to Börjesson and Gustavsson," Energy 
Policy, vol. 30, pp. 249-255, 2002. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0301-4215(01)00142-2. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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