Global Journal Of Researches In Engineering

 Journal

 Factors Influencing The Productivity Of Concrete Placing By Cranes In Nigeria

 Olatunde Olaoluwa, Aderemi Adeyemi, Akinloye Lawal

 2010

Productivity in the Nigerian construction industry has been branded as extremely low by a number the industry researchers and conspicuous project failures. The motivation for this research therefore derived from the need to establish benchmarks for site productivity in the country. Tower crane with skip is emerging as a dominant means of placing concrete on sites in Nigeria and against the backdrop of low productivity, this study attempts to benchmark the productivity of placing concrete by crane&skip against established productivity of similar operations in other developing countries most especially Hong Kong where extensive research had been carried out the subject. The study made use of 25 building construction sites in Lagos metropolis with 35 separate pours earmarked for observation. The result showed that for a mean pour size of 41.6 m3, the overall productivity was 11.24 m3 /hour. This productivity figure compared favourably with 12.2 m3 / hour for a pour size of 89 m3 and 11.3 m3 /hour for a pour size of 49 m3 obtained in two different studies in Hong Kong. The multiple regression analysis (MRA) on factors affecting the productivity of concrete placing by crane showed that type of pour, pour size, and fractional delay (the delay time expressed as a fraction of the pour duration) are the most significant factors. It was recommended that planning engineers should note these three variables in future planning of concrete placing by crane. 

 Elsevier Editorial System(tm) For Energy And Buildings

 Journal

 Bivariate Relationship Between Passive Energy Parameters And Active Energy Utilization For Comfort In Public Buildings In Southwestern Nigeria

 Akinloye F Lawal, PhD; Joshua B Akarakiri, PhD; JOHN-FELIX K AKINBAMI, PhD

 2001

Much of active energy used in the public buildings which are not climate responsive is to make the indoor spaces physiologically comfortable. Field survey and experimental approach were adopted to assess the level of comfort, utilization of building design variables {climate responsive design (CRD) parameters} and active energy consumption in selected public buildings in the six States of Southwestern Nigeria. Characteristics of the climate responsive design (CRD) parameters were discussed extensively. The mean satisfaction rating of utilization of passive design parameters was 2.72 on a 5 point Likert rating scale, implying users' low level of satisfaction with the design parameters. The mean active energy consumption to attain the required thermal and visual comfort was 6.89 kWh which is high compared to Givoni's recommendation of 5.50 kWh. The analysis of variance test showed that utilization of passive design parameters significantly influenced active energy consumption in the public buildings in all the states of Southwestern Nigeria (4.3 < F < 7.7, P