Abstract:
The design of a Building Research Establishment is an innovative idea to the Nigeria Building Industry. The proposed design attempts to solve the Architectural problems where the building materials and processes imposes it's own solution. The Establishment will through architecture provide a conducive atmosphere for canying out researches and development of indigenous building materials and processes to bring about a viable building construction industry.
The various studies carried out showed clearly that Nigeria lads a purpose built institution that caters for the use, preservation and improving the indigenous architecture of our land. The disheartening situation is that most public buildings around are products of westem influences whereby creating an inconsistency of architectural elements within the built environment.
Through this study, the viability of indigenous building materials were fully put to test in designing an articulate research establishment. The materials in themselves apart from their structural limitations, imposes their own solution on the architectural style of the buildings. The designs were strongly rooted within the vernacular styles of Nigerian Traditional Architecture, through considerations being given to the prevailing climatic conditions of the subSahara region to which Nigeria belong. The designs were able to solve the various climatic problems associated with buildings in this zone, via planning and use of the materials for construction. It was explicit therefore, that the best form of architecture is that which shows originality and can easily identify with the environment (induced or natural). The proposed Building Research Establishment was designed using
indigenous materials thereby conforming to the architectural orientation of building in any of the Nigeria geo-political zones. The proposal is for a design that will challenge today's architectural design and encourage today's architect to look further inward to check the encroachment of foreign influence on our building culture.
