Red bricks option: Building at reduced cost, time

Rising cost of building houses has made it imperative for Nigeria to toe the footsteps of other developing nations such as Brazil, by utilising its local building materials and technologies in meeting the housing needs of low- and mid-income earners, experts have observed.

They contend that the housing sector is approaching a critical state where the demand for housing cannot be met by the current efforts that lean heavily on imported materials.

Raymond Enenmoh, public relations officer, Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Lagos State chapter, in a paper he presented at the inaugural sitting of Lagos State tribunal on building collapse, stressed that the growing housing needs of low- and mid-income earners could be significantly met through the use of alternative building materials and methods, citing red bricks as viable alternative to sandcrete blocks.

Enenmoh also suggested the use of stabilised laterite block which, he said, “eliminates combustion when compared with normal brick,” saying “the laterite block is cheaper to maintain as it excludes the cost of plastering just as the use of red bricks excludes the cost of painting a building’s interior and exterior without any consequence; it is also more environment friendly.”

Kenneth Vincent, a material engineer with Clay Industries Nigeria Limited, agreed, advising builders to use local building materials such as clay brick which, he said, “has the advantage of resistance to heat transmission, making it best for the Nigerian climate, as its thermal insulation is superior to other forms of construction, just as its high thermal mass means brick buildings are energy efficient.”

By: ODINAKA MBONU