Green building: An antidote to sick building syndrome menace in Africa

Abstract

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the leading cause of the reduction in the building's occupancy level of satisfaction, poor indoor air quality, and other shenanigans responsible for the underperformance of building occupants and loss in property value. Thus, this study proposed adopting green building (GB) as an antidote for reducing the causes of SBS. The challenges impeding the adoption of GB as an antidote for SBS were also examined in this study. The methodology adopted in this study was broken down into three-phase, with the first phase focused on the data collection. The study adopted a random sampling in collecting data (questionnaire) from construction stakeholders within the study area. A total of one hundred and twenty (120) questionnaires were collected from the respondents within the study area. The questionnaire was analysed using SPSS V 24, adopting frequency distribution, mean score, principal component analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The causes of SBS are divided into the ambience and individual-related factors. The findings from the multiple regression analysis revealed that green building (GB) has a higher chance of functioning as an antidote for eliminating the ambiance-related factors. Unfortunately, factors such as insufficient technical knowledge of green building components, green building occupants' behaviour, and maintenance/construction cost hinder the adoption of GB as an antidote for SBS. This study contributed to creating innovative ways towards eliminating SBS in Africa. The article presented a two-way directional framework that reveals the solution and challenges for adopting green building (GB) as an antidote for sick building syndrome (SBS). Numerous articles have identified the causes of SBS, but there is a shortage in the literature regarding a suitable solution or antidote for eliminating the specific cause of SBS.