Adekunye, O J and Oke, A E (2023) Applicable areas of biomimicry principles for sustainable construction in Nigeria. Construction Innovation, 23(4), pp. 713-732. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
Purpose: With over three billion years of existence of the world, researchers have seen the need to turn to nature to solve most of the problems faced in not only construction industry but in other industries. The principles of biomimicry are natural laws that has helped nature maintain its self-regenerating status over this long period of time of the world’s existence. This study investigates the areas of construction projects to which biomimicry principles can be applied with a view to enhance the delivery of sustainable projects. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted the use of quantitative approach, and well-structured questionnaires were administered to professionals in the construction industry who are responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of buildings. A total of 243 answered questionnaires were analysed for this study. The variables were analysed using both descriptive analysis and further grouped into components by using factor analysis. Findings: Data analysis for this study revealed that the principles of biomimicry can be applied to all the stages of building projects development and operations; this implies that the principles of biomimicry can be adopted at both pre-construction (design) and construction phases of developmental projects. Research limitations/implications: This study was limited to Nigeria, but the findings can be generalized for construction industry across the globe. Originality/value: The study identified design stage of work, tiling and painting as the foremost aspects of construction projects where biomimicry principles are applicable. Furthermore, biomimicry principles are applicable to four major areas of construction, namely, early construction stage, finishing and services stage, foundation and frame stage and project planning stage.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | biomimicry; construction industry; construction stages; project success; sustainable construction |
| Index terms: | Nigeria, biomimetic, pre-construction, project success, construction stages, construction phase, construction industry, factor analysis, data analysis, sustainable construction, project planning, design stage, questionnaire, construction project, methodology |
| Subjects: | control systems, design theory, data collection methods, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, professional practice, project management theory and practice, sustainable construction, Geography, production management, research methods, statistical analysis, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Project Management, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here