Assessment of Climate Change Mitigation Strategies in Building Project Delivery Process

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the climate change mitigating strategies adopted at the stages of the building project supply chain towards enhancing the sustainable construction process. Design/Methodology/Approach: Primary data used for the study were collected through questionnaires administered on 102 construction professionals comprising; architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, and builders in Lagos State, Nigeria. These are major construction professionals that represent various organizations in the supply chain of the building delivery process. Data retrieved were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: Respondents indicated their opinion that the top four stages of the building project supply chain that contribute most to climate change ranked in the order of; the processing of raw materials with means score (MS = 4.14), extraction process (MS = 4.12), and transportation processes (MS = 3.83). The assembling process (MS = 3.40), maintenance operations (MS = 3.32), and other operations such as heating, lighting, etc. (MS = 3.26) were also significant on the scale of assessment used in the questionnaire but they stayed in the category of lesser ranked variables. Findings also indicated that mitigating strategies including waste reduction, waste re-use, and waste recycling (MS = 3.72), more efficient construction processes (MS = 3.62), use of sustainable building materials (MS = 3.59), increased use of local materials (MS = 3.59), were rated more important than those of retrofitting of existing buildings (MS = 3.16), carbon sequestration (MS = 3.03), and carbon mitigation offsets, emissions trading, and carbon tax (MS = 3.01). Research Limitations: A larger sample size and inclusion of case study projects could bring the findings to a broader perspective. Practical Implications: More awareness about climate change and its impact should be created by government and professional bodies through the regular advertisement, workshops and seminars to update the knowledge of clients and construction professionals. Social Implications: Government should enact laws that will regulate indiscriminate extraction of raw materials to minimize its contribution to climate change. Originality/Value: The study provided implications for climate change mitigating measures and sustainability in building project delivery.