Assessment of Sustainable Construction Practices Adopted by Building Contractors in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

The adoption of sustainable construction practices is a growing imperative globally, and assessing the current level of adoption and the barriers faced by building contractors in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South South Nigeria, provides a professional baseline for improvement. This study assessed the adoption of sustainable construction practices among 50 building contractors registered with the Nigerian Institute of Building in Port Harcourt. Sustainable construction practices assessed included material efficiency, energy-efficient equipment use, construction waste minimisation, water conservation on site, pollution prevention, and sustainable procurement. A structured questionnaire measured current adoption level (on a 1 to 5 scale) and importance ranking for each practice. Barriers to adoption were ranked using the Relative Importance Index. Results showed that material efficiency practices achieved the highest mean adoption score (3.4 out of 5), driven largely by economic incentives. Construction waste minimisation had a mean adoption score of 2.8, while water conservation on site scored only 2.1. Energy-efficient equipment use was the lowest-adopted practice (mean: 1.9). The most significant adoption barrier was lack of client demand for sustainable construction (RII = 0.87), followed by higher initial cost of sustainable materials and equipment (RII = 0.83). Regulatory requirements for sustainable construction were absent in 84% of project types encountered by respondents. The study recommends green building requirements in the Rivers State Building Regulations and client education programmes led by the Nigerian Institute of Building.

Keywords: sustainable construction, contractor practices, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, barriers to adoption