Paper short abstract:

Regulatory codes to promote sustainable construction, introduced into Nigeria from Europe and America, are shown to be insensitive to cultural specifics. We describe some of the ongoing problems, such as the requirement to provide for electric cars, when electricity is unreliable.

Paper long abstract:

Anthropology has shown how imported ideas and beliefs merge with existing traditions to form a syncretic concept that satisfies each party while retaining enough local character to be socially acceptable. Well known examples come from the introduction of religion or technologies. An ongoing example of this process comes from Nigeria, as it struggles to come to terms with international codes for sustainable construction, developed in and for a very different context. The construction sector is a major consumer of energy, which in developed countries is targeted for reductions in carbon emissions and increases in energy efficiency. Since 1990, codes for sustainable construction have been implemented with increasing urgency in Europe (the BREEAM code) and America (LEED). In Nigeria the drive for sustainable construction is limited by the requirement to satisfy more basic needs, and yet Nigerian construction companies are encouraged to implement LEED and BREEAM to align their working practices with the global push for sustainability. Unfortunately, Euro-American regulations are in many ways unsuitable for the cultural, economic and ecological conditions in developing countries. This leads to tensions between the desire to achieve certification (to win contracts from international clients reinforcing their ecological credentials), and the requirement to tick inappropriate boxes (such as the need to provide for electric cars in countries where the supply of electricity is at best unreliable). Here we report on the Nigerian Construction Sector, and their attempts to abide by international codes for sustainable construction, with a mix of humorous, ludicrous and tragic results.