ABSTRACT
Climate
change has become a reality and so has building collapse. Global Reports have
already shown serious changes in rainfall volume and timing resulting in
heavier floods or in other situations more intense temperature waves. The science that deals with understanding and
employing ethical processes in our daily activities in order to mitigate the
negative effects of climate change caused by man's activities is referred to as
Green Building or sustainable development. It is sometimes also called
sustainable building/design. The idea of sustainable comes in three forms;
Environmental sustainability, Economic/ Financial/cost sustainability and
Social sustainability i.e. User friendliness/comfort/ health. The challenge of
building collapse in Nigeria is clearly
an issue that traverses these three aspects. This paper examines the occurrence of building
collapse in Nigeria from the consultant's view point with a view to highlight
the importance of adopting green building practices by Architectural
Consultants as the leaders of the building team. Documented cases of building
collapse in Nigeria within the past decade are reviewed, the stated causes are
highlighted. Furthermore, industry bespoke practises on building collapse
mitigation across the globe are studied. These include specifically America,
Europe and Asia. A comparative analysis of the sustainable approaches adopted
in these climes is drawn. In conclusion, it is recommended that the Nigerian
Architect must imbibe these methods to see a future with less or absolutely no
cases of building collapse. Keywords: climate
change, building collapse, sustainable design, professional ethics,
consultants' responsibilities.
