Yakubu Aminu Dodo

Lessons from Sukur Vernacular Architecture: A Building Material Perspective

This study presents the lessons from the vernaculars Architecture of sukur kingdom with a focus on the use of building materials as a sustainable means for solving problems facing present-day architecture in issue of sustainability; in particular the critical housing situation in the developing countries. Through a case study of the ancient vernacular Architecture of sukur the result shows that stakeholders in the construction industry could reflect on how this building materials and the techniques in operation in their region by translating it in a modern way to address those striking design problems through solving them from the masters builders.

Importance of a View Window in Rating Green Office Buildings

The essence of a view window (VW) in an office building is not only to bring an optimal balance between daylight and electric light, but also for psychological and health purpose. VW does not only allow the admittance of light and views, but indirectly affects the productivity and psychological wellbeing of office occupants; it has a link to the sustainability in both conventional and green buildings. This paper defines the function of a view window as it relates to green office building. Through literature review and an experiment conducted in room 432-01 located at B11 Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The function of VW in a green office building is highlighted; and the findings show that a VW would enhance sustainability in an office setting and has a dimension greater than 750mm above a finish floor level and less or equal to 2300mm above a finish floor level and with a wall to window ratio (WWR) of 25% to 40%.

Awareness of 3R's Critical Success Factor for Greener Higher Educational Institutions

Awareness of solid waste reduction programs is the priority in institutions of higher learning nowadays for a greener environment, thus brought about the issues of 3rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) practice by all the waste generator within Urban and Higher educational institutions (HEIs) around the globe. Integrated solid waste management hierarchy was adopted to enlighten the waste generators to use them in 3rs critical success factor as a substantial method to deal with the situation, given priority to the waste reduction. This paper highlight the awareness method of 3rs and interdependent nature of the higher education institutions environment, as these can result in cost avoidance, and enhance the systematic practice and lessen environmental impacts for effective and efficient solid waste management in HEIs.

Low Carbon Emissions Through the Use of Bipv Windows in Algerian Mid-rise Buildings

Sustainable developments in the field of architecture are turning out to be increasingly vital which requires the utilization of renewable energy and the reduction of energy consumption in Algerian mid-rise buildings. However, Algeria energy utilization which is not sustainable has contributed to excess amount of CO2 emission. This study investigated the potential of using PV system in vertical facade (azimuth 90 °) and identifies the yield of photovoltaic in each orientation and tilt angle (horizontal, 30 °, 90 °). Through a series of simulations were perform in eight azimuth (and tilt angle from 0 ° to 90 °) throughout four season by using Polysun software in order to evaluate the optimum power output of 1.54 m2 of Mono-crystalline windows. This was carried out on a 7th floor office building of Tebessa University which contain, the area of the roof 242 m2, the area of whole facades 1,904 m2, whereas the surface of the opening (windows) 580 m2. The difference of energy output in mid-rise building (7 levels) between the Roof area and whole facade area was up to 3.6 times. Consequently, after calculation the total amount of energy output. It revealed that the energy output of BIPV windows is higher than BIPV on the roof; however the performance of the BIPV in the roof is much better than facade. In overall, the application the BIPV windows in mid-rise buildings under semi-Arid climate is favorable and convenient, increased the CO2 saving to 173.4 kWh/y, and reduce more than 200 kWh/y energy to supply the energy of buildings.

Towards low carbon universities in Nigeria: Agenda for green information technology

Over the years, so many efforts have been put in place towards achieving environmental sustainability. The international community has presented many models and frameworks aimed at creating sustainability awareness and cleaner productions among nations. Research concepts, policies, and technologies designed to foster the production of goods and services that conform to the standards of environmental sustainability were offered for consideration and use. However, the pace at which individuals and organisations adopt environmental sustainability policies differ across countries. Increase e-waste from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming an important environmental issue that requires urgent attention. To control the ICT e-waste, production of environmentally friendly ICT known as Green Information Technology (Green IT) and their use among individuals and organisations should be encouraged. While the adoption of Green IT in organisations has been partly considered by researchers, its adoption among individuals has largely been overlooked. In Nigeria, the university communities represent the best place for promoting and enshrining the environmental sustainability policies being home to youth who are likely to be more conscious to issues related to sustainable environment. This paper provides a framework for understanding and explaining the individual adoption of Green IT. An extensive literature review was carried out and an Integrated Model of Green IT adoption (IMGITA) in Nigeria is presented. The paper recommends the adoption of IMGITA in Nigerian universities that will facilitate green policies to enhance the low carbon development among Nigerians.

Attaining points for certification of green building through choice of paint

Scientists predict that anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions will raise global temperatures by 2 °C this century. More importantly, buildings account for a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the concept of green building is currently considered one of the best strategies for addressing the challenges of global climate change and energy efficiency. Green building technologies can be integrated into existing technologies to ensure substantial reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The Malaysian Green Building Index (GBI) is a novel rating initiative designed to assess buildings using six criteria (with a total of 100 points) required to attain certification. This study presents an analytical case study of Nippon Paint in Selangor, Malaysia with a range of green products using GBI criteria for Non-Residential New Construction buildings (NRNC). The results demonstrate that by considering the choice of paint of the built form, 12 points could be earned by a building, cutting across the six criteria of the GBI rating. Therefore, the use of green materials in buildings rated under the index can contribute to substantial reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions.