Barriers to the achievement of sustainable construction project in Nigeria

Nigerian Construction industry (NCI) have significant effect on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country as well as on the immediate environment where its product (construction project) is to be or are currently situated, it also has some technical impact on the projects constructed and the environment wherewith the projects are situated, as well as affect the social well-being of the people within that locality. Since these are core areas of sustainability, then, efforts put forward to assessing sustainability of construction projects and the major setback for achieving same is of great importance in the Nigeria construction industry. The objective of this study is to examine the barriers to achieving Sustainable Construction Projects (SCP) and to identify them base on how severe each factor appears to be on sustainable construction. Review of related studies and summary of respondent's opinions were conducted to identify possible factors causing barriers. A total of 87 questionnaire were distributed to respondents who are professionals in the construction industry. The study reveals that the major barriers to achieving sustainable construction project are Client's Unawareness, overall management action, lack of fund and contractual procedures. Finally, this research recommended that there should be a platform for awareness to the public about sustainable construction and this should be well grounded by incorporating green building into the standard building code of Nigeria.