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Wood is one of the materials that is used for building construction either as structural member or as finishes from ages past to contemporary generation. It is composed of elongated, hollow spindle shaped cells that are arranged parallel to each other along the trunk of a tree. The resistance to water, chemicals, strength properties, appearance and decay rate is dictated by the fibrous cells. The purpose of this paper was to examine the application and use of wooden floor finish (an extract from wood) in residential buildings in Lagos, Nigeria, with a view to determine its effectiveness.

The study adopted a dual stage survey approach before the administration of questionnaire on 100 respondents that were selected through purposive sampling after the initial inquiry on the use of the material from 384 randomly selected samples from the entire population.

The study shows that the material is applied in all interior spaces except bathrooms and toilets. Minimal adoption is also seen in the kitchen area. Users indicate that wooden floor finish requires little maintenance, has low impact on users' health, considered safe-minimal occurrence of home accidents is recorded, has moderate thermal insulation and affordable.

The usage has impact on the environment due to continuous lumbering activities and lack of adequate plan for reforestation. This suggests that its sustainability depends on afforestation programmes. Its poor performance in sound insulation, water and fire resistance requires further attention. The maintenance is relatively easy and affordable.

The author made a new foray into investigating the performance of wooden floor finish due to its resurgence in the area bearing in mind the unseasoned condition of wood in circulation in the area. Previous adoptions were done by a less aggressive generation of well-trained artisans. Best places for its usage within the interior spaces are identified.

Understanding the thermal performance of sandcrete hollow block walls in the tropic is very essential for occupants' well-being, productivity and efficiency, due to its widespread application in buildings in the study area. Lokoja, in Nigeria, lies in the warm humid zone with its attendant's high temperatures all year round. Thus, providing an acceptable walling material that will control the high indoor air temperature becomes imperative. This paper assessed sandcrete hollow blocks as a walling material used in Lokoja, to determine the thermal performances for effective thermal comfort of the residents.

It involves the construction of a habitable model building with the commonly available sandcrete hollow blocks in the area. One unit of Cryopak iMINI Temperature and Relative Humidity Data Logger called new generation intelligent iMINI with Serial Number and Product Code MX-CI-145–0009 and MX-HE-S-16-L was installed, to record the indoor air temperature and relative humidity data at an interval of one hour, for 12 months covering dry and wet seasons. The results of the recorded data were downloaded to an excel spread sheet for assessment and analysis throughout the seasons. The values were computed using the temperature–humidity index (THI) equation, with a view to determine the indoor thermal comfort level category.

The study revealed that sandcrete hollow block walls provide thermal discomfort of the indoor environment for both seasons, with attendant adverse effects in the comfort of the occupants. The paper concludes that proper orientation of buildings, planting of trees, use of low absorbing or reflective surface materials, application of cavity walls to receive insulation materials in between the hollow spaces provided, instead of the single walling as well as providing shading device elements, can improve users' comfort and also ameliorate the heat effect on the external surface of building transferred into the interior by conduction, radiation or convection within the area and in the tropics at large. Other thermally eco-friendly wall materials available in Lokoja includes timber, stabilized laterite–cement blocks, burnt bricks and earth-mud bricks which can be used to replace sandcrete hollow block walls. These alternative wall materials are used for construction of residential and office buildings by the colonial government of Sir Fredrick Lugard in the study area.

The application of sandcrete hollow blocks as a wall material is in vogue, not minding its thermal discomfort to the users and the environment; this is due to its availability and ease of production. The acceptability of this walling material requires holistic study to unravel the best way to reduce the thermal discomfort inherent in its application.

The author succeeded in revealing the thermal performance of sandcrete hollow blocks as walling material in Lokoja, the study area. It is a first attempt at understanding the performance for human comfort in the area. This will greatly assist the resident and other researchers to improve on the application of sandcrete hollow blocks as walling material towards ensuring that maximum indoor thermal comfort is achieved.

This paper is based on users’ satisfaction with housing infrastructure as a derivative of their participation in evolving the facilities from inception. The paper aims to examine optimal performance of infrastructural facilities with a view to determine the satisfaction of users in the study area.

This study reports on a cross-sectional doctoral research study on 304 household heads in the transitional and peripheral zones of Akure, Nigeria. The infrastructure studied were water supply, electricity supply, roads, drainage, waste management and security. A structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and physical observations were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean satisfaction scoring and categorical regression analysis.

Respondents found the infrastructural facilities in their communities to be unsatisfactory; they also indicated low levels of participation in the provision of infrastructure. Residents were most satisfied with waste management and least satisfied with water supply. The results showed a significant relationship between users’ participation and satisfaction with housing infrastructure.

The findings imply that giving adequate attention to users’ involvement in the provision process of infrastructural projects can enhance their satisfaction with infrastructure.

The study highlights the benefits of involving users in the process of providing housing infrastructure, establishing a positive relation with their satisfaction.

Paint that is used as exterior finish is subject to the stresses of the climate. The factors of climate such as sun and rain are major source of quick deterioration of paint. The existence of saline air and endogenic salt in substrates in any environment will increase the rate of failure and frequency of repainting of building exterior wall. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the difference in the frequency of repainting of exterior surface of buildings in areas at close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the hinterland.

The research adopted a survey method that involved the administration of structured questionnaire on 384 respondents to elicit data for analysis. SPSS 15.0 software was used to analyse the data. The study area is divided into two zones.

Paint of the same quality from the same manufacturer is found to perform differently. All defects that are caused by salt attack occur earlier in Zone B than Zone A. The frequency of repainting (maintenance) in Zone A is two years due to direct contact with the Atlantic Ocean and Zone B is four years because of the distance from the ocean.

This study enlightens the stakeholders in the building industry in the preparation of maintenance schedule for buildings in salty environment. It will also assist the architects in decision making during specifications of exterior finishes in such environments. The maintenance challenges of paint that is applied as exterior finish in salty environment is made clear.

It is a novel search into understanding the maintenance frequency of paint that is applied as exterior finish of buildings in areas with direct and indirect contact to salt attack.

Tropical buildings are subjected to many militating elements of climate, prominent amongst which are sunlight and rainfall. However, the geographic area in which the study was conducted has an additional influence from the Atlantic Ocean, which is just a few meters away from the buildings. The sea breeze is laden with high salt content that has adverse effects upon and reactions with the materials used for building finishes. In most cases, the outer skin/external surface of a building does not have any protection, due to its function as the protective layer. However, the influence of prevailing saline air in the present case differs from one part of the study location to another due to distance. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The study considered two areas of the city, referred to as zones A and B, using a survey approach to obtain data for empirical analysis. Various correlations were evaluated and regression analysis was carried out on the survey findings. The mean behaviour of each zone was determined using the F-value of the results to qualify the performance of paint in service at each location. Data obtained during the study were evaluated using SPSS version 15.0 software. Data were also obtained from architects practicing in Lagos using a structured interview.

The results demonstrated that degradation of paint set in faster and repainting was required earlier in Zone A than was the case in Zone B, due to more aggressive impact of the saline air. The established research findings that stipulate five to seven years for maintenance of paint were found not to hold good in areas subjected to saline air.

The research was geared towards establishing the appropriate use of paint in saline-laden environments as compared to its use in other parts of a tropical region. Specifiers/architects, developers and property owners may understand better the implications of their choice. Manufacturers should endeavour to develop paint that will retard the deleterious effects of saline air.

This study is the first attempt to investigate analytically the impact of saline air on the maintenance requirements of painted structures in the tropical regions.

Painting of buildings predates civilization. The primary purpose was to add beauty or aesthetics to the built environment. It was also to showcase the level of civilization, taste and fashion drive of the people. However, modern findings have proved that paint (when applied as a finishing coat on buildings) can elongate the service life of such buildings due to some characteristic properties it contains and modern additives that are included at production stage. This paper aims to examine some of the properties inherent in paint through which resistance to failure and better performance is enhanced, aesthetics is maintained and maintenance is reduced. It also examines whether these qualities subsist in all environments. Particular attention is given to its resistance to the impact of saline air when used around the Atlantic Ocean.

The research adopted a qualitative and quantitative approach with empirical analysis in examining the performance of paint used in salt laden environment.

It shows that paint used in an environment where saline air and salt is prevalent begins to deteriorate after two years and requires repainting as against the established norm of five to seven years (5‐7) in areas that are not exposed to saline air. The impact of saline air is significant at p<0.01.

Maximum life span of current paint products in the area is determined to provide adequate information for the preparation of maintenance schedule for painted exterior. Paint with higher resistance to salt attack is required to enhance the longevity of painted exterior in areas at close proximity to sources of salt. Specifying current available paint for exterior finish will be uneconomical and non‐compatible with the principle of sustainability.

The authors made a fresh attempt at investigating the life's span of paint used as exterior finish in salt laden area around the Atlantic Ocean due to the peculiarity of the stresses of the tropical region on external finishes. It also compared the result with existing researches. Differences in paint performance are established.