Designing for resilience: Strategies for disaster-resistant architecture in Nigeria

Introduction

Natural disasters are some of Earth’s most upsetting occurrences that appear uninvited, mostly without notice. This challenge is faced by almost every part of the world. Still, specifically in Nigeria, it is mostly associated with flooding, leading to irreparable damage to several communities and their infrastructures. Relief Web records that in 2022 alone, the impact of flooding claimed the lives of over 600 people, displacing about 2.5 million people. This trend trickled to 2023 when floods destabilised the lives of over 1 million people in Borno State and other states along the Niger Delta coastal region. These ugly reoccurrences point to the reason for urgent, resilient architectural designs built to withstand natural disasters peculiar to Nigeria’s environmental challenges.

Nigeria’s disaster landscape

Unlike other countries affected by numerous natural disasters, Nigeria is only faced with flooding. While this might be the only disaster affecting Nigerians, its severity sometimes causes heavy, devastating effects. Environmentalists confirmed that several factors, including heavy rainfall, inadequate drainage systems, and excessive water outflow from dams, propel flooding in Nigeria. The major cause for the 2022 flood in the country was traced to the water outflow from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, which disrupted human activities and rendered many homeless. Aside from flooding, hazards like windstorms, erosion, and tremors also affect Nigeria, but not to a greater extent, as they can be effectively managed, unlike the uncontrollable spread of floods.

Understanding natural disasters and their occurrences in Nigeria is crucial to knowing the importance of developing resilient architectural systems that could stand the test of time, considering the deep-seated damage they cause to humanity.

Key strategies for disaster-resistant architecture

Integrating climate-resilient materials

Building materials for disaster-resistant buildings must be attuned to several treatments and conditions, such that they promote the resolves of climate change. For instance, building to withstand floods demands that materials like wood are treated; the same goes for concrete and steel, for them to possess the ability of resilience. This treatment may take more time than usual because of the processes involved. It’s also important that materials that resist fire, like gypsum board and treated metal, are incorporated to mitigate the risk of fire. Temperature-resistant materials are also integral here, where insulating materials are utilised to regulate thermal comfort in times of extreme hot or cold seasons.

“Aside from flooding, hazards like windstorms, erosion, and tremors also affect Nigeria, but not to a greater extent, as they can be effectively managed, unlike the uncontrollable spread of floods.”

Elevated building foundations

Elevating building foundations is another architectural strategy leveraged to make buildings resistant to disasters. When foundations of buildings are raised to a platform level to prevent floodwaters from easily sweeping off a building. The platform can also prevent the penetration of water from spaces; hence, it positions buildings as a safe hub during times of floods. While raised foundations are constructed, it’s also important for effective drainage systems to be implemented alongside them so water can flow through channels to reduce the risk of inundation.

Sustainable roofing systems

Roofs are often vulnerable in the face of windstorms or heavy rainfalls; it’s on this note that roofing sheets shouldn’t just be ordinary but produced to become resistant to these issues. Roofs should be designed with aerodynamic shapes, as this helps to reduce pressure from wind during storms. Not only does this serve as a shield, but it also enhances the structural dominance of the building. Roofs can also be reinforced with trusses to strengthen the stance of a building, confidently withstanding tough winds and rains.

Passive design strategies

Implementing other passive designs in a building also forms part of the strategies for resisting disasters because of the salient but subtle function that they serve. To aid natural ventilation, strategic window placement should be considered to reduce the reliance on mechanical cooling systems, which are prone to destruction during disasters like floods.

Shading devices and buildings should be built with elements such as overhangs and louvres that serve as protection from sun, wind, or rain. These elements are also used to conserve energy and to permeate maximal comfort. In terms of temperature, the thermal mass should be utilised to absorb and conserve heat to be released at night. This helps control the indoor temperature, promoting natural air.

Integrating architecture with urban planning

Urban planning is crucial for preventing natural disasters and promoting community safety, environmental protection, and economic growth. Proper implementation of zoning laws, such as raising architectural foundations in flood-prone areas, can mitigate flood effects and encourage the use of green zones. These spaces not only control floods but also serve as a sustainability link, absorbing excess water and reducing urban heat.

Urban planning can improve by implementing multi-purpose buildings as safe hubs for emergencies. These buildings, designed with resilient materials, reinforced roofing sheets, and elevated floors, can provide comfort and reduce displacement during flood disasters. Implementing such buildings in affected states during 2022 and 2023 could significantly reduce the number of displaced people.

Buildings like this are a proactive step to ensure communal safety and readiness for future disasters.

Leveraging indigenous knowledge

Indigenous building techniques, which have been replaced by modern methods, offer valuable lessons for creating resilient structures. Traditional methods, such as using mud for walls and thatch for roofs, provide better temperature control and natural adaptation. Urban planners should incorporate these local elements into structures for balance and climate-hazard-free living.

In typical traditional compounds, one will realise that the architectural layouts were designed deliberately to foster communalism, inviting and bringing people together for better social cohesion. In critical times like disasters, shared spaces like that are leveraged to enable mutual support and communal harmony despite an ongoing crisis. This pattern can, however, be incorporated into modern designs to create cultural and environmental significance.

The role of technology and innovation

Technology advancements have led to the development of disaster-resistant architecture, with Building Information Modelling (BIM) being a notable technology. BIM aids in organising and managing building physical characteristics, creating disaster scenarios, and designing designs that can withstand disasters. BIM’s recommendations have led to the widespread use of self-healing concrete.

Another aspect of technology integral to disaster management is renewable energy technologies, which provide electrical power through solar panels. However, aside from its electrical innovation, renewable energy technologies can be found in building materials like thermochromic glass, which automatically adjusts its transparency based on the temperature of the glass. This glass offers an edge to making buildings resilient in harsh climate conditions.

Holistically, architects, developers, and real estate professionals should come together and proffer innovative ways to integrate traditional building techniques into modern architecture for better resilience during disasters.

Overcoming challenges

The Nigerian architectural landscape faces several challenges in the implementation of disaster-resistant architecture. Most of it is tied to financial hindrances, where investors lack the budget to incorporate the adoption of advanced building materials and technologies for projects.

Another is the non-functionality of building regulating bodies, where their lack of professional perusal often leads buildings to be disaster-prone, primarily because of a lack of supervision influenced by nepotism and corruption.

Cultural resistance to architectural technologies is also another issue, as people are unaware of the usefulness of technological building materials, hence agitating for dismissal.

Lastly, the government. The government’s non-involvement in communal planning and not being proactive in tackling disasters before they descend is a problem. It discourages passionate architects and building enthusiasts who will embark on transformational projects only to be met by erratic regulatory groups for one mishap or the other.

Addressing these challenges requires collaboration from diverse stakeholders—architects, engineers, urban planners, community leaders, and the government—to initiate mechanisms that would provide funds, awareness, active involvement, and regulatory monitoring to allow disaster-resistant practices to take centre stage.

Conclusion

Natural disasters are natural for a reason; they’re not promulgated nor designed by men; however, they can be controlled and managed by men. This is the reason why this article underscores the urgent need for sturdy architectural systems to be designed to serve resilience in the face of disasters. The multi-stakeholders associated with this course should canvass roadmaps where processes for adopting disaster-resistant architecture can be followed, including addressing the consistent financial and regulatory challenges associated with the course. The benefits of developing disaster-resistant architecture are numerous, but most importantly, lives are saved, communities are restored, and resources are preserved. This practice shouldn’t be an option; it’s a gateway to ensuring a safeguarded future.

Oluwabusuyi Adonis Fakanlu is a versatile professional, combining his talents as an author, entrepreneur, and architectural technologist with extensive experience in civil construction, building contracting, and real estate development.