Climate change could render most modern buildings useless if… Matazu

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

The Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Mansur Matazu, has urged stakeholders in the building and construction sectors, especially Architects to consider the challenge and impact of climate change when creating concepts and designing contemporary buildings.

Speaking virtually as the Keynote speaker at a two-day forum organized by the Association of Consulting Architects, Nigeria (ACAN) with the theme: Rethinking Buildings for Climate Change: Why it Matters for Architectural Industry Players, he said climate change is an existential threat to mankind, adding that modern Architectural slogan should be “Designing for Climate Change”, in order to achieve resilient buildings.

According to him, ‘Climate change will render most present-day astonishing, magnificent buildings a waste and inhabitable in future because most of them are not built to be low-carbon, energy and climate resilient.

He said the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Global Alliance for Building and Construction) Status Report in 202, shows that building operations are responsible for 27 percent of Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs) emissions, adding that countries that will meet Paris Agreement (PA) emission reduction targets are countries that will support energy efficient building sector.

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‘’Night temperatures hitherto known to be minimum are becoming high making sleep difficult and uncomfortable in most houses primarily designed for comfort. Buildings have relatively long lifespans and action taken to reduce their carbon footprint from design to construction will have long-term reduction effects’’, he said.

He is of the opinion that government, through policy and regulation can emphasise and approve only Climate Smart Designs and Climate Smart Housing Estates (CSHE).

While noting that different agroclimatic zones possess unique weather hazards to buildings, Matazu listed climate variables to consider in designing resilient buildings including Wind speed, frequency and direction; Soil temperature; Rainfall; Temperature; Sunlight, angle, and intensity of sunlight.

He urged the members of ACAN to also consider reducing the number of hours of Air Conditioning and electric bulbs that are needed through natural daylight for lighting inside during the day.

He said there is a need to consider cross ventilation/ natural air to cool the house most times to reduce energy while also adding that there must be a resilient roof to withstand and cope with annual high-intensity rainfall.

Prof. Matazu also asked stakeholders to limit designing houses for floodplains and “Reclaimed” waterways and initiate research into low-input technology/materials to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.