Prefabricated Housing in the Tropics

In the face of rising economic meltdown in Nigeria, alternative building materials and methods are gradually being considered to counter or supplement the rising cost of traditional buildings in the building market. In the exploration of this goal, the use of recyclable, and also locally available materials, readily comes to mind. One such alternatives is shipping containers.

Yearly, thousands of shipping containers are disposed of in Lagos (Nigeria) harbours as a case for reusable alternatives remain limited. In Ebonyi state, there is a dearth of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members' lodges. These members are constantly exposed to impropoer housing and unsafe accommodations, both structurally and socially. The major underlying problem of the construction of these lodges, outside of political factors, predominantly remains cost, speed of construction, and material availability. Prefabricated container homes with modifications for the tropical climate seeks to solve this challenge.

This paper explored the use of shipping containers in the creation of simple and efficient accommodation for NYSC members posted to Ebonyi State, with a projected turnaround time of 1 (one) year compared to 5+ years for traditional developments. This research work culminated in the proposal of an alternative housing solution that could be adopted by the municipal government in light of the housing deficit that directly affects NYSC members posted to the area. However, after extensive research, a marginal cost savings of less than 3% compared to traditional developments was achieved. This was largely as a result of import-heavy insulation materials that were required to acclimatize the shipping container units, whereas local alternative were found insufficiently adequate for an average yearly temperature of 29.34 degrees centigrade (84.81 degrees Fahrenheit).