Passive Building Design Evaluation in Nigeria: The Case for Energy-Conscious Design of Residential Buildings for the Dynamics of Nature

Abstract

Globally, air-conditioning systems consume over 40% of the total energy consumed by buildings. This accounts for one-third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which significantly contribute to climate change. Building designs must take climate into account at all times. This study sought to evaluate passive methods of making residential buildings more energy efficient, hence lowering energy usage. The study concentrated on residential buildings in Abuja, Nigeria. Using a quantitative method, a survey was utilised to collect data from randomly selected respondents. A total of 121 questionnaires were distributed to study participants, and the weighted mean of replies was sorted ordinally from 107 respondents. Although the results indicated that the residential buildings were designed and supervised by architects and engineers, it was surprising that features that could make the buildings more energy efficient were not fully considered in the design because the respondents were unsure of the availability of passive design measures due to their inadequacy. The study emphasises the necessity of considering the micro climatic condition of the building environment, as well as passive design features that could lessen reliance on mechanical means and so use energy efficiently. The paper builds on the findings by arguing for energy-conscious residential building design that takes into account natural dynamics. This might be accomplished by implementing passive design features appropriate for the climatic environment, which could result in a reduction in energy demand for cooling the indoor environment.