Material resources optimization for sustainable construction in Nigeria.

The aim of this paper is to examine the ways by which construction material resources can be optimised towards sustainable material resource preservation. Material waste in construction contributes approximately 30-35% of project cost; thus leading to material loss and project cost overruns.Lack of concern by Governments and developers globally and Nigeria in particular is continuously affecting the use of these resources materials. Questionnaire method has been used. To achieve the objectives of the research, the questionnaire was administered among Consultants (Architect, Quantity Surveyors and Builders) in Nigerian construction sector. A total of 70 questionnaires were administered to construction practitioners; 53 were returned giving a 75% response rate. This was analysed using Descriptive Statistics.The findings reveal that selection of low quality products and inexperience of method are the major sources of material wastage at the design stage. Construction stage major sources of material wastage are design changes during construction and re-working due to incorrect use of material and labour. While at procurement stage the major source of materials waste are lack of possibility to order small quantity and waste encountered during loading/transportation. Finally, at the handling stage the major sources of material wastage are theft and inappropriate storage. The study also revealed that lack of adequate security in the country and inadequate knowledge of recycling are the main challenges that occur more frequently in resource management.The study found that the following factors should be considered for sustainable material resources optimisation and include, use of standard space product design, adoption of supply chain management, and developing of material schedule software will assist in reducing materials wastage. It recommends that better utilization of resources through adopting lean production and prefabricated component processes, use of appropriate equipment and specification, recycling/re-using of old materials for new construction projects will assist greatly in reducing visiting of base materials, hence leading to resource optimization and protection of the environment. Lastly, there is the need for policy establishment and implementation for resource optimisation for the Nigeria construction industry