Canaanland, Km 10, Idiroko Road, P.M.B.1023, Ota.

Ogun State, Nigeria

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP SUPPORT APPLICATION FORM

1. Name of Research Cluster:
Civil Environmental and Industrialization
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
2. Number of Accepted Manuscript(s): _______________________________________________________________

3. Title of Accepted Manuscript(s) for the Conference:

Sustainable Constructions and cases of Tall Buildings collapse in Nigeria
a) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
b) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
c) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
d) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
e) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
f) ___________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Participant(s) or Applicant(s) Information:

Cluster Status Conference/Workshop Designation
S/N Name
(PI)/Member Status (A or B) (CA)
1. Anthony N. Ede PI A Professor (CA)

2. Ayomide J. Akin-Adeniyi Member A Student

3. John U Effiong Member A Student

4. Paul O. Awoyera Member A Senior Lecturer

5 Solomon O. Oyebisi, Member A Senior Lecturer

6. Oluwseun G. Mark Member A Lecturer II

7. Chidiebere S. Ezenkwa Member A Assistant Lecturer

*A: To attend; ** B: Not to attend; ***CA = Corresponding Author

8th International Conference on Development and Investment in Infrastructure (DII-2022)
5. Title of Conference/Workshop: ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
6. CPCI/Scopus/Web of Science status of the Conference (attach printout):  Attached  No Attachment
Note: The policy for funding of publication is separate from conference attendance
7. Conference Venue (City, State & Country): __________________________________________________________
Virtual: University of Zambia | University of Johannesburg | Copperbelt University | National Council for Construction

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
6TH-7TH OCTOBER 2022
8. Expected Date of Commencement & Duration: ______________________________________________________
9. State briefly the objectives of the Conference/Workshop:
a) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Infrastructure Development and Investment.

b) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss, evaluate and devise ways of maximizing benefits of infrastructure development and achieve outputs that will inform policy and wider development goals.

c) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
d) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
e) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
f) ___________________________________________________________________________________________

1|Page
 1
10. How many CPCI/Scopus/Web of Science conferences have you been sponsored to attend? _________________
11. How many of the manuscripts have been published (attach proof): ______________________________________
12. Expected Contributions at the conference/workshop:
Collaborations,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Students and faculty exchange
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discussions on Sustainability Development Goals
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Note: You are to submit a detailed report not later than 3 days after the conference/workshop to the CUCRID office.

13. Indicate your role at the Conference/Workshop and attach evidence e.g. Full manuscript presentation etc.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Full manuscript presentation

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Type of Manuscript (Please indicate the type of your manuscript by ticking the options below):
a. Full Length Research Paper  b. Mini Reviews  c. Short Communication 
d. Letters  e. Critical Reviews  f. Technical Reports 
15. Type of Presentations:
a. Oral Presentations  b. Poster Presentations  c. Colloquium 
d. Symposium  e. Workshop/Interactive Presentation 
16. Manuscript Title:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sustainable Constructions and cases of Tall Buildings collapse in Nigeria

300
17. Article Processing Charges (APC): Naira __________, US Dollars __________, Euros _________, Pounds
_________, Yen ____________, Canadian Dollars ____________, Others (Specify) ______________
418354
18. Invoice no: _____________________________ (Attach evidence)
19. Budget (Attach Breakdown):
S/N Description Days/Nights Cost Total Cost
1. Conference/Workshop Fee 300
2. Publication Fee
3. Flight Ticket
4. Accommodation
5 Transportation
6. Feeding
7. Others (Specify) __________________________________
Grand Total Cost 300
*****Leave cost in foreign currency where applicable
20. Name of the Lead/Corresponding Author (CA):
Professor Anthony N. Ede
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Surname first Other Names
E-Mail: anthony.ede@covenantuniversity.edu.ng
___________________________________________________________________ Engineering
College: ________________
08060164058
Mobile No.: ______________________________ Signature: ________________________ Date: 14/12/2022

2|Page
 21. Attestation: I hereby attest that I am a co-author of the manuscript titled: __________________________________
Sustainable Constructions and cases of Tall Buildings collapse in Nigeria
___________________________________________________________________________ submitted to CUCRID
for conference/workshop support. Therefore, my co-author and I take full responsibility for the content of the
manuscript.
Affiliation(s)
S/N Name Email Sign
(Dept. & University)
1. Anthony N. Ede anthony.ede@covenantuniversity.edu.ng Civil Engineering
2. Ayomide J. Akin-Adeniyi ayomide.akin-adeniyipgs@stu.cu.edu.ng Civil Engineering
3. John U. Effiong john.effiongpgs@stu.cu.edu.ng Civil Engineering
4. Paul O. Awoyera paul.awoyera@covenantuniversity.edu.ng Civil Engineering
5 Solomon O. Oyebisi, solomon.oyebisi@covenantuniversity.edu.ng Civil Engineering
6. Oluwseun G. Mark oluwaseun.mark@covenantuniversity.edu.ng Civil Engineering
7. Chidiebere S. Ezenkwa chidiebere.ezenkwa@covenantuniversity.edu.ng Civil Engineering
****Corresponding Author and Co-Author(s) must fill & sign the above table or Letter of Attestation will do for external co-authors

Satisfactory
22. Recommendation by Cluster Head/Head of Dept/College Dean: ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Professor Anthony N. Ede
Name: _____________________________________ Signature: ____________ Date: 14/12/2022

23. Recommendation by Director CUCRID: ____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Name: _____________________________________ Signature: ____________ Date: ____________

24. Vice Chancellor’s Approval: _______________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________ Date: ______________________

25. Action by Director, Financial Services: ______________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________ Date: ______________________

*Support Grant No.: ____________________________________

Name: _____________________________________ Signature: ____________ Date: ____________

* Financial Services: This page containing the disbursed sum and grant number should be sent to CUCRID for documentation (copy needed)

3|Page
 RESEACHER’S UNDERTAKING
Lead or Corresponding Author’s/Researcher’s Name:
Ede Anthony N.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Surname Other Names
Sustainable Constructions and cases of Tall Buildings collapse in Nigeria
Title of Article/Paper/Manuscript: ___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
anthony.ede@covenantuniversity.edu.ng
E-Mail: ______________________________________________________ 08060164058
Contact No.: _________________
Civil Engineering
Dept./Unit/Resource: ____________________________ Engineering
College: __________________________________

I hereby undertake and agree on behalf of myself and my co-researcher(s) (if any), that:
• The manuscript submitted is my/our own original work;
• All researchers/authors participated in the research work in a substantive way and are prepared to take
public/legal responsibility for the work;
• All researchers/authors have seen and approved the manuscript as submitted;
• The manuscript has not been published and is not being submitted or considered for publication elsewhere;
• That there is no conflict of interest with any person/group of persons/institution;
• The text, illustrations, data, charts, diagrams, tables etc. and any other materials included in the
manuscript do not infringe upon any existing copyright or other rights of anyone;
• If found any copyright content or any issue related to copyright in future have rights to withdraw the
paper without prior notice to authors;
• All works by others used in any form in the preparation of the manuscript have been duly referenced;
• All legal consents/ approvals have been obtained prior to submission of the manuscript;
• The author(s) acknowledge the financial and moral contributions of Covenant University to the research
and/or payment for APCs on the published article where applicable.
Notwithstanding the above, the Contributor(s) or, if applicable the Contributor’s Employer, retain(s) all proprietary
rights other than copyright, such as:
• Patent rights;
• The rights applicable with a CC-BY-NC license; which are; to use, free of charge, all parts of this article
for the researcher’s/author’s future works in books, lectures, classroom teaching, oral presentations;
• The right to reproduce the article for their own purposes provided the copies be not offered for sale.

Professor Anthony N. Ede

Name: _____________________________________ Signature: ____________ Date: 14/12/2022

4|Page
6/7/22, 12:10 PM Home || DII Conference

DII-2022
8th INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON
DEVELOPMENT AND
INVESTMENT IN
INFRASTRUCTURE (DII-2022)

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
BIM SUMMIT: 5TH OCTOBER 2022
DII CONFERENCE, 6TH-7TH OCTOBER 2022
CALL FOR PAPERS

ORGANISED BY:
University of Zambia | University of Johannesburg |

Copperbelt University | National Council for Construction

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6/7/22, 12:10 PM Home || DII Conference

OBJECTIVES
The DII-2022 conference is part of the DII conference series on Infrastructure
Development and Investment. It aims to provide a forum for leaders, researchers,
practitioners, and stakeholders in infrastructure development to discuss, evaluate
and devise ways of maximizing benefits of infrastructure development and achieve
outputs that will inform policy and wider development goals.

CONFERENCE THEME
The conference theme for this 8th edition is

“Building Smart, Resilient and

Sustainable infrastructure in developing
countries”

CALL FOR PAPERS

With focus on Infrastructure Development and Investment, the conference will
address a broad
range of topics around the theme to establish trends, forecast and recommend
ways to ensure sustainability.
Industry and academic papers are invited to be submitted on the following topics

MAIN TOPICS
Sustainability in infrastructure development

Infrastructure investment - trends and forecasts

Smart infrastructure and cities

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6/7/22, 12:10 PM Home || DII Conference

Quality and resilient infrastructure

Gender equity, empowerment, and development

BIM, digital twins, Mixed Reality, 3D Printing and Construction Innovation

Climate change and shock events impact and response and Water resources

Environmental and waste management

Investment and finance

Renewable Energy

 Construction Cost management

Construction Materials and ethical issues in Construction

Lean Construction and Value Engineering

Construction Ergonomics, Health, and Safety

Social Justice and Social Inequality in Construction

Circular Economy in Construction

POSTGRADUATE (MASTERS’ & PHD)

STUDENTS’ PAPERS
The DII conference has been mandated to promote research and
collaboration in Africa. Therefore, papers and research proposals

from postgraduate students are also invited to be presented at the

conference on issues relating to Development and Investment in
Infrastructure.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND GENERAL

INFORMATION

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6/7/22, 12:10 PM Home || DII Conference

The primary source of information about the DII 2022 conference

is the conference website: www.diiconference.org. Enquiries
concerning registration, sponsorship, exhibitions, paper/ poster
presentations and abstract submission should be directed to:
info@diiconference.org

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IMPORTANT DATES
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IMPORTANT DATES
Submission of Abstracts - May 15th, 2022
Submission Link: Click Here

Notification of Decision on Abstracts - 15th May 2022

Full paper submission: July 1st, 2022

Submission Link: Click Here

Notification of Decision on Paper - July 15th, 2022

Final Paper: July 30th, 2022

Conference Registration: August 15th, 2022

PhD Poster Submission - August 30th, 2022

Submission Link: Click Here

BIM SUMMIT: 5th October 2022

CONFERENCE: 6th -7th October

2022

on the acceptability of
Consideration of full papers will be based

the abstract. Compliance with publishing guidelines and scientific

contribution.

Registration
Fee: 300$ per paper

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
Dr Erastus Mwanaumo (Chairman)
Dr Chabota Kaliba

Dr Charles Kahanji
Dr Neema Kavishe

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Prof Innocent Musonda (Chairman)
Prof Trynos Gumbo
Prof. Franco Muleya

Prof. David Olukanni

Prof Justus Agumba
Dr Chioma Okoro
Dr Balimu Mwiya 

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PANEL OF SCIENTIFIC REVIEWERS

Prof. Riza Sunindijo - University of New South Wales
Prof Sing Wong - University College of Technology, Sarawak, Malaysia
Prof Mbuyu Sumbwanyambe - University of South Africa, South Africa
Prof Ephraim Munshifwa – Copperbelt University
Dr Thembani Moyo- University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr Sam Zulu - Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom
Dr Olatunji Aiyetan - Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Dr Nuru Gambo - Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria
Dr Nadine Ibrahim - University of Waterloo, Canada
Dr Mehdi Pourmazaherian - Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Dr Lovemore Chipungu - University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Dr Kenneth Park- Aston University
Dr Hussien Elsaigh - University of South Africa
Dr Devon Gwaba- United States
Dr David Oloke - University of Brighton
Dr Danstan Chiponde - Copperbelt University, Zambia
Dr Charles Kahanji - University of Zambia
Dr Bupe Mwanza - University of Zambia
Dr Alireza Moghayedi – University of Cape Town
Mr. Abdullahi Saka – Hong Kong Polytechnic University, HongKong

PUBLICATION:
Accepted papers will be published online Open Access on
Taylor & Francis.

The Work will be sent to multiple indexing services, including

Elsevier (Scopus, Compendex and EI) and Clarivate Analytics, Formerly the
IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters (Web of Science).
Both Elsevier and Clarivate Analytics have a review process prior to acceptance.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Abstract should not exceed 250 words and include up to 5 keywords.

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Papers should be limited to 9 pages and adhere with the template as available
at DOWNLOAD

All submitted papers will go through a double-blind peer-review process with

decisions and comments
availed to all authors.

Final acceptance is only granted upon revising the manuscript in line with
reviewer’s comments.

Acceptance of the manuscript is subject to review and approval by the Publishers

Publication in the proceedings and presentation at the Conference is subject to

registration and
submission of copyright forms

Contact us for enquiries at: Info@diiconference.org or

visit https://diiconference.org/
The submission templates and guidelines are also available via the CRC
Press/Balkema website
https://www.routledge.com/balkema

On the CRC Press/Balkema website, you will see a listing of Conferences. Double
click on International
Conference on Development and Investment in Infrastructure (DII-2022). This
opens a folder with all the
relevant files you need to prepare your paper for DII-2022 (including additional files
with instructions for
LaTex users)

https://diiconference.org 8/8
 DII-2022 FULL PAPER ACCEPTANCE
Dear A.N. Ede,

Congratulations on the acceptance of your manuscript, Paper 072, “Sustainable Constructions

and cases of High-rise Buildings collapse in Nigeria” by A.N. Ede, A. J. Akin-Adeniyi, J. U.
Effiong, P.O. Awoyera, S.O. Oyebisi, O.G. Mark, & C. S. Ezenkwa for the 8th International
Conference on Development and Investment in Infrastructure (DII-2022). With great pleasure, we
thank you for your interest and submission to the DII-2022 conference.

The DII-2022 conference is part of the DII conference series on Infrastructure Development and
Investment. It aims to provide a forum for leaders, researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders in
infrastructure development to discuss, evaluate and devise ways of maximizing the benefits of
infrastructure development and achieve outputs that will inform policy and wider development
goals.

We invite you to present your accepted paper at the DII-2022 conference by registering here.

Time
Oct 6, 2022, 07:30 AM
Oct 7, 2022, 07:30 AM

With best wishes

I. Musonda, PhD.
Professor - Construction Management
Chairman: DII-2022 Scientific Committee
Director: Centre for Applied Research + Innovation in the Built Environment
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
https://diiconference.org/
 INTERNAL MEMO

To: The Vice-Chancellor

Through: Director, CUCRID
From: Ag. Director, CLR
Date: 05, OCTOBER 2022
Subject: CERTIFICATE OF SIMILARITY CHECK

This is to certify that the article titled “Sustainable Constructions and cases of

High-rise Buildings collapse in Nigeria” by A.N. Ede et al has been checked to

ascertain the level of plagiarism using TURNITIN. The Similarity Index of 16% is

adjudged okay for further processing.

Thank You for Your Kind Consideration.

Iroaganachi, M. (PhD)
Sustainable Constructions and cases of High-rise Buildings
collapse in Nigeria
*A.N. Ede, A. J. Akin-Adeniyi, J. U. Effiong, P.O. Awoyera, S.O. Oyebisi, O.G. Mark,
C. S. Ezenkwa
Department of Civil Engineering, Covenant University, Ota 112233, Nigeria

ABSTRACT: The construction industry has been found to have the greatest influence on every
nation in comparison with other industries playing a significant role in every country’s’ economic,
social, developmental, and political affairs. In contrast, it has been shown to have negative envi-
ronmental consequences due to waste generation, depletion of natural resources, energy, and a
variety of other reasons. Because of this, there has been a push in academia and research to find
more environmentally friendly methods of building construction. Sustainable construction prac-
tices include land conservation, which at first glance may seem to conflict with the idea of con-
struction. As a result, high-rise buildings, also known as skyscrapers, have grown in popularity.
High-rise residential and commercial development in developing countries like Nigeria has been
spurred by both the rapid growth of the population and the pressing need to protect the country's
limited land supply. However, recent years have seen an increase in the number of building col-
lapses in Nigeria, which is a cause for concern. This study uses statistical method on historical
data to highlight the scenarios of the collapse of high-rise buildings in Nigeria and drawing a
relationship with it to sustainable construction. According to this study, Nigerian high rises have
a low rate of collapse despite the country's high rate of collapse, but the number of fatalities in
the collapse of these structures is alarming. The high death toll associated with these collapses is
a negative indicator for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations
(SDGs).

Keywords— Building Collapse, High-rise Buildings, Casualty Rate, Failure Rate, SDGs.

1 INTRODUCTION

Sustainability, as a concept has gained increased importance in the construction industry over
the past few decades. A large contributor to this is the United Nations World Commission on
Environment and Development who facilitated an awareness concerning the urgency to lessen the
detrimental effect of development and urbanization activities on the society and environment,
having particular emphasis and focus on raising developing countries (Dania, 2016; WCED,
1987). In general, sustainability in construction refers to the implementation of sustainability con-
cepts in construction practices or techniques (Esezobor, 2016). Sustainable construction (SC) can
be termed to be the act of creating and managing a healthy built environment by the efficient
utilization of ecological principles and resources (Kibert, 2012).
Every construction activity basically entails combustion of fossil fuels, release of CO2, me-
thane, & other by-products which causes pollution to the environment as well as the loss of natural
ecosystems (Toriola-Coker et al., 2021). The construction sector has been demonstrated to have
negative environmental consequences attributed to waste creation, depletion of energy and water,
and a variety of other factors (Aigbavboa, Ohiomah, & Zwane, 2017). Construction operations
have a huge impact on global climate change and pose several additional environmental risks.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the construction sector accounts for
the release of around one-third of global greenhouse gas and consumes considerable amounts of
non-renewable natural resources (Esezobor, 2016). In addition, construction activity is said to
consume half of the resources utilized by man, of which 50% of the world’s fossil fuel has been
utilized to serve buildings, 37% of the world’s total energy is used in construction works, and
roughly 6500 hectares of rural area has been converted to urban territory (He, 2019).
The quest to assuage the negative and detrimental effects of human activities on the environ-
ment brought about the concept of sustainability (Akinshipe, Oluleye, & Aigbavboa, 2019). Ac-
cording to (Anigbogu & Kolawole, 2005), the best approach to ensure that the ecosystem is pre-
served is to avoid any type of building activity, which is nearly impossible. The only rational
thing to do is to engage in activities that counteract the negative environmental impacts of devel-
opment (Dahiru, Dania, & Adejoh, 2014). As a result, the notion of sustainable construction has
emerged, which incorporates the construction, design, operation, maintenance, and management
of a structure (Akinshipe et al., 2019). Conservation of land, conservation of energy, conservation
of material, reducing pollution, and stormwater retention, as described by Nwokoro, are five es-
sential strategies that may be used to accomplish sustainable construction (Nwokoro &
Onukwube, 2011).
Many countries' pushes for sustainable building have been fuelled by population growth and
excessive demand for buildings and infrastructure. High-rise buildings are becoming a noticeable
feature in major cities of economic or political importance due to the ever-increasing need for
accommodations and gradual disappearance of buildable land in major urban areas of the world (
Ede, 2014).
Populations are moving to densely populated metropolitan areas because of global urbaniza-
tion. As a result, there is an increased adoption of high-rise buildings that might have dispropor-
tionately negative effects from exposure to extreme weather. These slender structures are ex-
tremely vulnerable to wind-induced motion. In designing high-rise buildings, structural engineers
are faced with the problem of working toward the most effective and cost-effective design solu-
tions while guaranteeing structural safety, serviceability for intended use, and liveability for in-
habitants during its design lifetime (Ding & Kareem, 2020).
More high-rise structures with unusual designs have been steadily constructed because of ad-
vancements in construction techniques, materials, and technology. Due to the increased suscepti-
bility of high-rise structures to wind excitations, optimizing the shape of the cross-section is pro-
posed to increase wind resistance (Zheng, Xie, Khan, Wu, & Liu, 2018). When a building
component cannot support the loads that it was intended to support, the structure collapses. When
one or more components of a structure are unable to effectively carry out its original purpose due
to the dysfunction of the constituent materials, the building is considered to have failed and col-
lapsed (Odeyemi, Giwa, & Abdulwahab, 2019).
Most often in developing nations, construction of buildings results in life, health, and resource
losses. These losses start with construction health and safety on site and extend to the post con-
struction phase (Al-Khaburi & Amoudi, 2018). In future growth, vertical building construction
has benefits for space use, plant space preservation, etc., but these benefits also have a cost for
various developing nations like Nigeria. The collapse of multi-storey buildings has become a per-
sistent problem for the Nigerian construction sector which has had a substantial effect over many
years (Sutherland, 2017). In Nigeria, about 170 buildings are estimated to have collapsed between
1971 and 2016, resulting in the deaths of over 1500 people (Hamma-adama, Iheukwumere, &
Kouider, 2020).
Over the years, the quality of life has improved, resulting in significant technical improve-
ments. Improved methods, more resilient materials, improved construction equipment, and more
sophisticated construction expertise are available today. Despite all the technological advance-
ments, there are still instances of building collapse in many nations, but they are more common
in developing nations like Nigeria. Natural disasters or man-made events such as bomb explosion
like the one at World Trade Centre are the main causes of collapse in affluent nations. However,
poor supervision, poor quality or substandard materials, a disregard for standards and regulations,
a lack of qualified professionals, overloading, a lack of geotechnical or subsoil investigations,
poor construction practices, unlawful approval, incorrect demolition procedures, a lack of mainte-
nance, among many other factors, are frequently to blame for collapse in developing nations
(Ajufoh, Gumau, & Inusa, 2014; Akpabot, Ede, Olofinnade, & Bamigboye, 2018; Ede, 2010;
Ede, Olofinnade, & Awoyera, 2018; Adetunji, Oyeleye, & Akindele, 2018; Odeyemi et al., 2019;
Oyegbile, Nguyen Tat, & Olutoge, 2012; Windapo & Rotimi, 2012). This paper aims to explore
the cases of the collapse of high-rise buildings in Nigeria and seek a relationship with sustainable
construction practices.

2 OVERVIEW OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

The classification of high-rise buildings varies depending on the environment in question. It

will be simple to categorize a four-story structure surrounded by bungalows as a high-rise building
in the neighbourhood, and this claim won't be challenged (Ubani, 2021). Bungale contends that
high-rise buildings can't be categorised in terms of a certain number of floors or storey height;
rather, the line separating them should be where the structure's design crosses over from the statics
to structural dynamics fields (Bungale & Taranath, 2010; Taranath, 1988). A building is a high
rise if it is much high-riseer than the nearby structures or if its proportions are thin enough to
create the impression of a high-rise building, according to the Council on High-rise Buildings and
Urban Habitat (CTBUH, 2022). Town planning departments of municipalities, regulatory agen-
cies, standards organizations, and communities frequently develop definitions and rules for what
counts as a high rise building within their respective jurisdictions. For instance, according to the
Milton Town's High-rise Building Guidelines, a high-rise building is one whose height exceeds
the neighbouring street's right-of-way or is broader than two streets if it is situated at a junction.
High-rise structures in Milton will begin at around 11 storeys due to the right of way lengths,
which in Milton are 35 m for arterials and 47 m for regional roads. However, the standards doc-
ument recognises that a structure with nine storeys would be seen as reasonably high-rise; as a
result, the criteria for high-rise buildings should be implemented wherever the structure seems
high-rise in proportion to its surroundings (Milton, 2018). High-rise structures in Russia are those
that stand at least 75 meters high-rise (Generalov, Generalova, Kalinkina, & Zhdanova, 2018).
The National Building Code of Nigeria (2006) lacks a definition or guidelines for high-rise or
high-rise buildings. According to the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning Development
Law, a high-rise structure is one that has more than five storeys (including the ground floor) and/or
is high-riseer than 12 meters above the ground (LSURPD, 2019). As far as structural engineering
is concerned, a building can be categorized as a high-rise building whenever lateral pressures
begin to have a noticeable impact on the behaviour and stability of the building (Islam & Islam,
2013).

3 BUILDING COLLAPSE IN THE WORLD

Building collapse happens to be a phenomenon which spreads round the globe. This implies
that it is an occurrence not restricted to just underdeveloped and developing nations but is also
found in developed nations (Anosike, 2021). Many individuals have been made homeless due to
recurring building collapses, and many have been devastated by the death of loved ones. The
frequency and reasons for occurrence, however, vary from one climate to another because the
causes of these collapse in advanced nations most times are due to natural forces/disasters such
as flood, earthquake, tsunami, etc.
The issue of building collapse is not strange in Nigeria, as it has become a frequent happening.
Over the last 20 years, Nigeria has ranked as the country with the most building collapse in Africa
(Boateng, 2020). According to a study carried out by (Umo, Okonkwo, & Umo, 2018), about 186
buildings were estimated to have collapsed from 1974 to 2017 and over half of these collapses
happened in Lagos state. Okunola also noted that about 152 buildings collapsed in Lagos between
2005 and 2020, out of which 76.6% happened to be residential, 13.0% were commercial, and
institutional buildings accounted for the remaining 9.4% (Okunola, 2021). Okunola went ahead
to carry out a little survey on why residential buildings were dominating the cases of building
collapse. He found out that there was increased demand for accommodation due to the high influx
of people into the state. Due to this, developers try to play smart by building big structures in
areas that can accommodate minimal load, thereby trying to save cost. He also noted that most of
these buildings were owned by individuals who try to save cost by engaging quacks, instead of
engaging professionals (Okunola, 2021).
Unlike natural forces which happens to be the reason of most building collapse in developed
nations, the causes of building collapse in developing nation can be traced to human factors. Sev-
eral reasons have been touted as the causes of these buildings collapse according to research car-
ried out by several persons, some of which are poor supervision, poor quality or substandard
materials, a disregard for standards and regulations, a lack of qualified professionals, overloading,
a lack of geotechnical or subsoil investigations, poor construction practices, unlawful approval,
incorrect demolition procedures, a lack of maintenance, among many other factors (Ajufoh et al.,
2014; Akpabot et al., 2018; Ede, 2010; Adetunji et al., 2018; Odeyemi et al., 2019; Oyegbile et
al., 2012; Windapo & Rotimi, 2012).

4 DATA AND METHOD OF ANALYSIS

Historical data of building collapse in Nigeria in the last decade (2012-2022) were considered for
this research. The scope of this research was limited to the last decade so as to work with the most
recent data available and ensure that this research falls within current trend. Analysis of the data
collected were performed with MS Excel statistical tools. The basic parameters considered for the
research are the number of floors, the frequency of each group of floors, the casualty verified for
each group of floors, monthly record of collapse, status of building prior to collapse, confirmed
causes of building collapse and striking differences between collapse of high-rise buildings and
others. For this research, high-rise buildings are assumed to be five story and above.

5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The total number of cases of building collapse that was considered for this study is 66 cases over
the last decade (2012-2022). Figure 1 presents the records of building collapse with respect to the
heights of the buildings within the last decade. Three storey buildings are the most collapsed. It
can be seen that the incidence of collapse is least for high-rise buildings and large mono-volume
building. This can be attributed to the fact that developers or clients who engage in the construc-
tion of high-rise buildings are well exposed and well knowledgeable on the need to engage sea-
soned professionals for any form of construction work. The large mono-volume buildings refer
to mega single storey buildings meant for large crowd like mega church buildings.
 30

Number of Building Collapse

25

20

15

10

0
1-storey 2-storey 3-storey 4-storey 5-storey and Large Mono
above volume
Number of floors

Figure 1 Record of Building Collapse with respect to the heights of the buildings (2012-2022)

Figure 2 shows the number of casualties associated to each group of floors. It can be seen that the
casualties associated with high-rise buildings and large mono volume buildings far exceed those
of other group of floors. The large mono-volume buildings refer to mega single storey buildings
meant for large crowd. The high rate of casualties linked to high-rise buildings reflects the diffi-
culties involved in realizing such buildings which only highly skilled professionals can handle.

Figure 2 Record of Casualties Associated to the Number of Floors

Figure 3 shows the monthly record of collapse of buildings in Nigeria within the period consid-
ered. The raining season is the most dangerous period for the risk of collapse, collaborating results
obtained for the previous decade (Ede, 2010). The month of July is the peak month for collapse
in Nigeria. From Figure 4, it can be seen that most of the building collapse occur more often for
buildings under construction (64% of the cases considered).

14

12

10
No. of collapse

Month of the Year

Figure 3 Monthly Record of Collapse of Buildings in Nigeria (2012-2022)

36%
Under construction
During use
64%

Figure 4 Status of Building Prior to Collapse

Figure 5 shows the common causes of building collapse in Nigeria within the last decade. It
can be seen that most of the causes are difficult to ascertain (29.33%). Other prominent causes
verified are substandard materials (20%), structural deficiency from poor construction (18.67%)
and illegal conversion/addition of more floors (14.67%). Most of the causes of building collapses
can be linked to each other. The various results gotten can be related to each other. From Figure
3, it was shown that the month with the highest collapse rate was July, which happens to coincide
with the peak of the rainy season in Nigeria. As a result, it is critical to consider how changing
climates will impact these investments over the design life of these structures. This requires proper
planning, with an integrated design approach, construction and operation of the building infra-
structures, which is very key to sustainability and resilience in building infrastructures (ASCE,
2008; Pal, Kolathayar, & Ganni, 2022). This is also imperative as climate change is expected to
increase the frequency and severity of certain types of extreme weather. It is expected that heat
waves will be more severe, storm surges in coastal areas will be amplified, and precipitation will
be more intense as a result of climate change. High rise buildings could all be affected by these
changes, which could lead to increased delays as well as damage and failure. Hence, the need for
an integrated design approach incorporating all relevant professionals required for building sus-
tainable and resilient infrastructures.
In developing sustainable building infrastructures, a working knowledge of the state of the art
relating to structural materials and systems coupled with their approximate carbon content is also
essential in the proper utilization of locally sourced and accessible materials in building construc-
tions for sustainable, safe, resilient, and economic building constructions (ASCE, 2008). This
necessitates the further training of construction professionals to strengthen the sustainable and
effective planning, execution and operation building infrastructures. This is essential to avoid
future collapses due to flawed construction practices especially with the significant failures that
have due to the use of substandard materials as illustrated in Figure 5.
Geotechnical studies should also be done because they provide valuable information that can
be used for proper foundation design and other types of construction of civil engineering struc-
tures in order to minimize negative effects and prevent problems after construction (Nwankwoala,
Amadi, Ushie, & Warmate, 2014).

Not reported 29.33%

Weak foundation 4.00%

Disregard to standards of construction 5.33%

Poor maintenance 2.67%

Structural failure/defect 18.67%

Poor supervision 5.33%

Illegal conversion/addition of more floors 14.67%

Substandard materials 20.00%

Figure 5 Causes of Building Collapse in Nigeria (2012-2022)

6 CONCLUSION

From the results obtained from this study as shown in Figure 1, it has been established that there
are very few cases of the collapse of high-rise buildings in Nigeria when compared to the collapse
of buildings of lower heights. This can be attributed to the engagement of more seasoned profes-
sionals in the construction of high-rise buildings. On the other hand, the very high rate of casu-
alties verified for high-rise building collapse is scaring. Adequate safety measures need to be
adopted to reduce to the barest minimum the risk collapse of high-rise buildings. Proper pro-
ject planning and identification of probable risk with the integration of all relevant profes-
sionals is crucial in for a sustainable building construction. The development of high-rise struc-
tures has been on the rise in several parts of Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State. This is due to
urbanization and a need to maximize the land space available. The very few cases of collapse of
high-rise buildings shows that Nigeria as a nation can cope with the technicality and advancement
that comes with the construction of these high-rise buildings. The frightening scenario of casual-
ties linked to the collapse of high-rise buildings raises the question of how much still needs to be
done in Nigeria to fully adopt and incorporate sustainable construction practices into the Nigerian
construction industry processes, knowing that the environment in which we operate is changing
and the conventional tools with which we use to plan projects are changing too. An understanding
of these changes is also crucial to deal with the challenging future. Hence, developing new tools
and focus that are required to respond to these changes is also essential.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to appreciate the Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery of
Covenant University Ota, Nigeria for the financial support.

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