FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION OF SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PRACTICES IN CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

Purpose: The need to have a sustainable and energy efficient building cannot be overemphasized. However, there are critical factors that influence the extent of sustainability performance of institutional buildings. Hence the aim of this study is to assess the factors influencing the extent of adoption of sustainable architectural design practices in central administrative buildings in Federal Universities in Southern Nigeria with a view to improve the overall sustainability performance of central administrative buildings. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was adopted for this study. Data for the study was obtained using structured questionnaire administered randomly to 120 construction professionals working in Departments of works and physical planning units in Federal universities in Southern Nigeria. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: This study found that perceived initial high cost of sustainable practices, benefits of sustainable practices, and lack of knowledge of sustainability concept are the top three factors influencing the adoption of sustainable architectural design practices in designs of Central administrative buildings in Federal Universities in Southern Nigeria. Moreso, the study found that the construction professionals agreed that all the evaluated factors influence the extent of adoption/implementation of sustainable design practices in Central Administrative Buildings in Southern Nigeria. It was discovered that 2.32% of the factors influencing the adoption/implementation of sustainable architectural design practices had very high influence, while 97.68%) had high influence on the adoption of sustainable architectural design practices of Central Administrative Building of Federal Universities in Southern Nigeria. Practical implications: It implies that all the factors evaluated were considered to be critical. Therefore, these factors must be given adequate consideration while adopting/implementing sustainable architectural design practices in Central Administrative Building. Originality/value: It is recommended that stakeholders should create more awareness on the benefits of adopting sustainable architectural design principles in central administrative buildings so as to increase its adoption among construction stakeholders. Government, and other relevant stakeholders should reduce the initial cost of sustainable construction through financial incentives