What do you think about the videos below and how such construction can be adopted in Nigeria to provide low cost housing?
Nigeria is known to be richly endowed with natural resources that can cater for the whole of Africa, yet the country faces housing deficit estimated to be 17million.
This deficit is originated as a result of the following issues:
  1. Cumbersome and High cost of land authentication processes.
  2. High cost of land owing to the high cost of land authentication processes.
  3. High cost of building materials.
  4. High cost of transportation of building materials to construction site.
  5. Lengthy duration in the construction of houses.
  6. Shortage of adequate mortgage
  7. High interest rates on loans for construction of housing.
The Government has embarked on various projects to reduce the housing deficit by the construction of mass housing and empowerment of mortgage institutions but these approaches have had little effect because the problems listed above have not been addressed. Also these projects are targeted at the upper level of middle income earners, neglecting the lower level and low income earners; despite the lower middle income earners and low income earners account for about 64% of the population in Nigeria.
Accordingly, private construction companies have introduced innovations to tackle affordable housing by offering alternative building materials which will aid in cheaper and faster means of construction. Unfortunately, these alternative construction models have not been fully accepted by the government.
One of these alternative construction models is containers. This innovation is industrially produced and supplied by Tempohousing, a pioneer of ISO shipping container frames as a basis of modular homes. Tempohousing Nigeria has been incorporated to meet the demand for affordable housing in Nigeria.
Tempohousing Nigeria (THN) is a leader in alternative construction with the aim to service the student, staff and residential housing sectors.
Benefits and attributes of container housing
  • Endurance: Can withhold harsh climates
  • Best for low cost housing
  • Speed: Buildings can be delivered at a rate uncommon in Nigeria
  • Range of use: Residential, Schools, Hospitals etc.
  • Shipping containers are designed to be stacked, fully laden, up to 9 stories high, providing the structural strength
  • Enough structural stability for storm conditions that we expect from every building
  • Enough daylight access (there are minimum standards in building regulations) from windows and doors.
  • Insulated from sound transmission from the environment or other parts of the building.
  • Insulated to prevent outside cold or heat being transmitted through walls, ceiling and floor into the interior, where an ambient temperature of 21degrees Celsius is required (energy performance).
  • Adequate protection from fire coming from outside to inside or from inside going to the next floor.
  • Well ventilated to create a healthy indoor environment.
  • A safe wiring schedule, with safety breakers, convenient set of wall sockets, switches and lights.
  • The (optional) availability of a bathroom and a kitchen.
  • Sustainable use of materials: we all have the responsibility to be environmentally conscious.

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