ABSTRACT

Energy services in buildings – the provision of thermal comfort, refrigeration, illumination, communication and entertainment, sanitation and hygiene, and nutrition, as well as other amenities – are responsible for a significant share of energy use worldwide. In addition to the energy consumed directly in buildings, primary energy is lost in the conversion to electricity and heat and petroleum products, and the transport and transmission of energy carriers cost energy. in addition, the construction, maintenance and demolition of buildings requires energy, as do the manufacturing of furniture, appliances, and the provision of infrastructure services such as water and sanitation. this study investigated demand for sustainable in office buildings in Lagos. The method for data collection was through the design of self-administered questionnaires. the data collected was analyzed using chi-square, where the critical value was p value < x20.05, the aid of spss version 20.the result indicated that there is a fair knowledge on green building among the residence and people that work in the Lagos Island and it’s environments. With time, the demand for green building will increased and the willingness to pay for the features of green building.

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Over the past few years, the concept of sustainability has become increasingly popular in discussions with in the commercial property sector. According to the Investment Property Forum, (2009), this has been largely fuelled by a growing understanding that commercial buildings are major contributors to increased carbon emissions due to increased energy usage which most experts now acknowledge is a major cause of climate change, and that improving the energy efficiency of such buildings can help reduce emissions and the consequential strain on the environment.

The change in energy use patterns and intensity in the built environment and the growing carbon footprint and other environmental concern has been attributed to the increasing demand for real estate and the changes in design and construction strategies, materials and product development which initiated the supply of more complex buildings with massive growth in energy, carbon and environmental footprint (U.S Department of Energy , 2gs.

010) and this, today has been the major reason for the increased drive for optimized use of energy resources and provision of green and sustainable building

Globally, the built sector is said to account for close to 40% of total end use of energy. (International Energy Agency, 2008).Developed countries are becoming more proactive and seeking alternative and sustainable means to encourage the responsible use of energy in the built sector. This has invariably led to various policy interventions by leading Governments worldwide and technological improvements all aimed at changing the pattern of energy usage in the built environment although developing nations and 3rd world countries notably lag behind.

Sustainable building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from citing to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. In other words, green building design involves finding the balance between homebuilding and the sustainable environment. Studies show that many developed countries have embraced the concept of sustainability in construction of modern building and this phenomenon is gradually being imbibed by many developing countries as well (EPA, 2009).

In recent years, sustainability has been used interchangeably with energy efficiency although sustainability covers a wider range of factors such as energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste reduction etc. The Global rise in energy cost is creating the drive for the adoption of energy efficient technology worldwide. TAC (2006) stated that “Owners of commercial office buildings today face energy costs that continue to rise, creating very difficult challenges managing the building operation costs; hence, there is a need for consideration of sustainability and energy efficiency in the design of new buildings while strategies and incentives should be created to make the existing stock of buildings more sustainable.

The Understanding of the environmental impacts of buildings and their relative importance has been described as one of the major tools to help work towards the creation of sustainable development, Lehrer (2001), Buildings have the most impact mostly in the energy used in building operations most importantly lighting, air conditioning and other appliances and these put a huge effect on both environmental and energy resources in the form of emissions and pollutions. Sustainability however is a goal that allows for the continuing improvement of standard of living without reversible damage to resources we need to survive as species (Lehrer 2001).

The issue of sustainability has however received lesser attention in most countries like Nigeria. Otegbulu(2011) in his study of the economics of green design and environmental sustainability, stated that in spite of the huge environmental and energy problem in Nigeria, designers have not seen the need for a shift from their traditional method of designing buildings. Such lack of supply of more sustainable buildings may be related to the lack of drive from users and occupants of these buildings or a general lack of awareness of sustainability concepts.

It is important to note that putting up green features in building either by way of green design or retrofitting may raise the initial cost of construction but might impact positively on the future running cost of the building. Unless there is an effective demand for green features in office building which in turn will guarantee that developers recoup their investment, the concept of sustainable building and its benefit may continue to elude us, green building measures can lead not only to lower building operating expenses through reduced utility and waste disposal cost, but also to lower ongoing building maintenance cost ranging from salaries to sup

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