Development of a Building Performance Assessment and Design Tool for Residential Buildings in Nigeria

Abstract Building performance and assessment tools are not new to the global audience. What are new however are the concerns, on the part of policy makers and building practitioners, with their adaptation to the Nigerian context. These concerns have become especially salient in the face of continued climate change and excessive environmental perturbations. This paper presents the development of a building performance and design tool that is intended to assist the Nigerian government with its building codes and policies and also building practitioners with the design process. The methodology is based on a review of existing building rating systems such as LEED and BREEAM, from which a system adapted to the requirements of the Nigerian National Building Code for residential buildings is proposed. The methodology is further developed into a design tool whose features include a schematic design serving as a reference building validated through energy simulation. The underlying proposal of this paper will assist the Nigerian National Building Code in establishing policies favourable to the built environment and aid designers in the creation of sustainable buildings in Nigeria, as well as serving as an exemplar to other developing African countries.