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International Journal of MechanicalVolume 9, Issue 13, December 201

Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/ijmet/issues.asp?JType=IJMET&VType=9&IType=13

ISSN Print: 0976-6340 and ISSN

© IAEME Publication

THE USE OF INTERMODA

UNIT (ISBU)

HABITABLE HOMES: ENA

David O. Nduka, Timothy Mosaku, Oreoluwa C. Omosa, and Owolabi D. James

Department of Building Technology, Covenant University, Ota

ABSTRACT

The use of shipping containers for housing projects have recorded successes in

different parts of the world. This is due to the increasing benefits of the obvious

availability, construction speed, adaptation in temporary shelter/housing, construction

waste reduction and utilization of off

aims at examining the reuse of shipping container in provision of habitable homes

with a view to reducing housing shortages in Nigeria. Using cross

the study used a questionnaire instrument purposively distributed to sixty

construction professional

container for the construction of building projects. Descriptive statistical tools of

frequency, percentage and mean by IBM SPSS v. 21 were used to analyze the data

collected. The study findings revealed

accommodation”, “reduction of waste” and “off

the most significant enablers to the use of shipping container in building projects

Also, the study found that “low awareness of public to the use of container as building

material”, “low acceptability”, “limitation in height and space were the most

perceived influencing challenges to the use of shipping container in Nigeria.

Implication for practice is for

construction of ISBU for it could be beneficial to the environment. In reducing

housing deficit, there is need for committed awareness drive among built environment

professional bodies and government agenci

like Nigeria.

Keywords: Construction Professionals, Habitable Home, Hous

Container.

IJMET/index.asp 340 [email protected]

Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET) 2018, pp. 340–352, Article ID: IJMET_09_13_036

http://www.iaeme.com/ijmet/issues.asp?JType=IJMET&VType=9&IType=13

ISSN Online: 0976-6359

Scopus Indexed

THE USE OF INTERMODAL STEEL BUILDING

(ISBU) FOR THE PROVISION OF

HABITABLE HOMES: ENABLERS AND

CHALLENGES




rld. This is due to the increasing benefits of the obvious


waste reduction and utilization of off-site construction technique. This study therefore

e reuse of shipping container in provision of habitable homes

with a view to reducing housing shortages in Nigeria. Using cross-sectional survey,

the study used a questionnaire instrument purposively distributed to sixty

construction professionals who have diverse experience in the use of shipping



collected. The study findings revealed that “speed in construction”, “use in

accommodation”, “reduction of waste” and “off-site and modular construction” were

the most significant enablers to the use of shipping container in building projects

“low awareness of public to the use of container as building



Implication for practice is for construction professionals to develop proficiency in the



professional bodies and government agencies towards ISBUin a developing country

Construction Professionals, Habitable Home, Housing Deficit, Shipping

[email protected]

6


L STEEL BUILDING

FOR THE PROVISION OF

BLERS AND




rld. This is due to the increasing benefits of the obvious


site construction technique. This study therefore

e reuse of shipping container in provision of habitable homes

sectional survey,

the study used a questionnaire instrument purposively distributed to sixty-five (65)

s who have diverse experience in the use of shipping



use in temporary

site and modular construction” were

the most significant enablers to the use of shipping container in building projects.

“low awareness of public to the use of container as building



ction professionals to develop proficiency in the



es towards ISBUin a developing country

ing Deficit, Shipping

David O. Nduka, Timothy Mosaku, Oreoluwa C. Omosa and Owolabi D. James

http://www.iaeme.com/ IJMET/index.asp 341 [email protected]

Cite this Article: David O. Nduka, Timothy Mosaku, Oreoluwa C. Omosa and

Owolabi D. James, The Use of Intermodal Steel Building Unit (ISBU) For The

Provision of Habitable Homes: Enablers and Challenges, International Journal of

Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 9(13), 2018, pp. 340–352.


1. INTRODUCTION

Housing deficit has received a lot of attention globally and in particular in a developing

country like Nigeria. For instance, Olarenwaju, Anarhe and Hai (2016) estimate housing

deficit and housing ownership strength in Nigeria to be about 30million and 20% respectively.

Literatures attribute this phenomenon to increasing population,(Makinde, 2014); high rate of

urbanization, high cost of building materials, aversion to modern building technology, lack of

infrastructure and stringent land acquisition processes (Ibimulua&Ibitoye, 2015). Similarly,

the occurrence of natural and manmade disaster in form of flooding, earthquake, burnfires,

violence, wars and terrorism in many climes have forced people out of their homes. UNHCR

(2017) and International Organization for Migration [IOM] (2016) report that only in 2016

over 65.6 million people were displaced from their homes globally as a result of conflict and

other related crisis. Nigerian contribution to this figure stood at 2 million in mid-year 2016

corresponding to the report. Various technical strategies and materials have been advanced in

literature and practice in ameliorating the challenges of housing and temporary shelter needs

of victims of man-made and natural disasters. One of such strategies is the reuse of shipping

container also known as Inter modal Steel Building Unit in provision of habitable homes and

temporary shelter (Peña &Schuzer, 2012; Sun, Mei & Ni, 2017 and Tanyer,

Tavukcuoglu&Bekboliev 2018). Thus, the reuse of shipping container could be a viable

option for bridging the gap of housing needs in developing and disaster distressed nations.

Shipping containers are generally used in freight exports and import business through

available transportation systems. It has helped in efficient management of supply chain,

protection of product quality and shelf-life and ensuring environmental sustainability (Islam,

Zhang, Setunge& Bhuiyan, 2016). However, problems of abandonment at the ports,

occupying of useful spaces and seemly economic gain of transporting them back to base have

challenged building practitioners into converting shipping container to innovative use.

Typical conversion of shipping containers to buildings have been witnessed in construction of

social, domestic and commercial facilities (Peña &Schuzer, 2012 and Elrayies,

2017).Shipping container housing is a form of dry construction which are modified to

accommodate house owners as against wet construction where mortar and bricks are used. It

embraces structural frame construction that adopts prefabrication and modularization

principles in meeting clientele, architectural and structural requirements in housing delivery.

Elrayies(2017)pointed out that low economies with great social needs, unskilled workers,

lack of building materials, tools and funding and land shortage can take advantage of shipping

container in providing habitable accommodation. Shipping containers are adjudged to be

economical durable, fast to erect and portable (Giriunas, Sezen, &Dupaix 2012). It is also

suitable for provision of temporary shelter and accommodation in post-disaster circumstances

[Zhang, Setunge&Elmpt, 2014 and Afolabi, 2018). Therefore, the reuse of shipping

containers would invariably contribute to cleaner, healthier environmental and coastlines that

will reduce the need of landfills.

Previous studies on reuse of shipping container in building application have been

addressed in various dimensions. Energy and thermal performances of shipping containers

have been studied by Vijayalaxmi(2010); Atmaca&Atmaca(2016);Islam, et

al.(2016);Elrayies(2017) and Tanyer, Tavukcuoglu&Bekboliev(2018) Structural limitation of

The Use of Intermodal Steel Building Unit (ISBU) For The Provision of Habitable Homes: Enablers

and Challenges


shipping container was investigated by(Giriunas, et al.2012). Potentials and drawbacks in

various climate were examined by Grant (2013); Ismail, et al.(2015) and Sun, et

al.(2017).Social suitability dimension in providing temporary housing to post-disaster victims

was examined by Zhang et al. (2014) and Hong (2017) Moreover, the feasibility on utilizing

shipping containers in addressing the housing backlogs in Africa are x-rayed by Botes(2013);

Oloto&Adebayo (2015) and Balogun (2018). The present study therefore will draw on studies

of Botes (2013), Oloto and Adebayo (2015) and Balogun (2018)on assessing the likelihood of

utilizing shipping containers in addressing housing deficits in Nigeria.

The aim of this study is to examine the reuse of shipping container in provision of

habitable homes through construction industry professional’s perspectives with a view to

reducing housing shortages in Nigeria. Objectives of the study are to identify and appraise the

enablers and challenges associated with the use of ISO shipping containers in building

projects. The study is significant as it provides current literature on enablers and challenges

confronting the use of shipping container in Nigeria. It will also give insight to government

bodies on the alternative means of reducing housing shortage while providing more job

opportunities to construction industry. The rest of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2

shows an overview of shipping container building based on material component, names and

available commercial sizes. The enablers and challenges of the use of shipping container are

also discussed in this section. The research method utilized in the paper is shown in section 4

and the results of the construction professionals perceptions survey on enablers and

challenges are discussed in section 5. The last section of this paper provides conclusion and

submission for future research.

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1.1. General Overview of Shipping Container Building

Shipping container housing (SCH) is a modern type of construction technique which utilizes

modern square boxes architecture termed “cargotecture”. SCH is made from Corten,a unique

steel alloy that is more resistant to corrosion than normal steel (Silva, 2013). ISO shipping

containers that are used for building construction purposes are termed Intermodal Steel Building Unit (ISBU). They are manufactured in two major commercial

sizes with code name: 20`-HC-6.0m and 40`-HC-12.0m. 20`and 40` represent the lengths in

feet, 6.0m and 12.0m reflects the length in meters while HC represents high cube (Islam, et al.

2016). Two most popular lengths are 6.0m and 12.0m long with 2.4m width and 2.7m height

while 3.0m and 13.5m lengths are not common (Silva, 2013) Containers consists of joint

corrugated panel members of top and bottom walls, double upright side walls and rear walls

connected at their edges. They have in-built beams, plywood flooring system and a stout. ISO

shipping containers are converted to habitable home by creating opening for doors and

windows in accordance to spatial requirements. The wooden flooring system can also be

changed. Modern construction provides for insulation, painted and prefabricated doors and

windows. In most cases, industrialized building system is applied where the components and

fixtures are produced off site with minimal onsite activities. The onsite activity may involve

connection to the foundation steel plate by rigid or flexible connections.

2.1.2. Enablers of Use of Shipping Container Housing

The rise of SCH in many countries has accounted for more building projects utilizing

shipping containers. Islam et al.(2016) assert that about 17million structural sound containers

are left at the docks globally after their useful freight life. This may have inspired the first

patent for “method of converting one or more steel shipping container into habitable home”

by American designer in 1987. This action preceded the construction of 2-storey container



building in US in 2006 by Peter DeMaria that fulfilled uniform building code requirements.

Subsequently, various applications of ISBU have been witnessed in United Kingdom-120-

bedroom Travelodge, Australia-Children activity, Amsterdam -1000units of student housing

and Egypt- military barracks and public convenience etc. (Tanyeret.al., 2018). Shipping

container housing has been largely used in post-disaster and correction homes. In Turkey

south province, according to Tanyeret al. (2018) staggering 133,913 refugees were camped in

30,898 units of ISBU. Also, in Australia it is reported that shipping containers were used in

developing low to medium prison facilities in order to cope with increasing number of

prisoners in various jurisdictions of the state (Grant 2013). Developers in Nigeria have used

shipping containers in constructing office buildings, event halls and residential and

commercial buildings (see plate 1-6 below). Additionally, Oloto and Adebayo (2015) opine

that major reuse of shipping containers in Nigeria have been seen in temporary

accommodation needs, such as storage, make-shift shops, emergency shelters and site offices.

Within the diverse use of shipping container in provision of housing needs, researches are of

the opinion that simplicity of the model, speed in construction, availability and quality,

modularity, transportability, standardization, low cost and environmental sustainability are the

major enablers of the material. Some of the enablers are discussed below.


and Challenges


2.1.3. Environmental Sustainability

The environmental sustainability of shipping container as a building material has been studied

in recent time. Vijayalaxmi (2010) investigated the indoor thermal performance and embodied

energy of a similar one storey architectural features and naturally ventilated ISBU and

conventional buildings. He found that the building constructed majorly with shipping

container material is not less superior to conventional building in respect to embodied energy



and thermal performance. Although, Elrayies(2017) stressed the need for thermal insulation of

a container-based building in hot and humid climates. Kaveh and Mahdavi (2014) measured

temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in internal spaces of ordinary

and container classrooms in selected schools in Austria. The results of the study infer a

slightly inferior indoor environmental performance of the container schools as compared to

ordinary schools. Islam et al.(2016) investigate the effects of carbon footprint and other life

cycle environmental impacts using life cycle assessment approach in shipping container

buildings. Their simulated result infers that the container home complied with Australian 6-

star energy rating.In the same vein, Tanyer, et al.(2018) demonstrated the relevance of

airtightness of container buildings in improving energy efficiency of internal space. Their

analyzed result showed 81% improvement in airtightness performance in controlled building

proving a reduction of 9.3% in annual energy demand. Consequently, environmental

performance of ISBUs is of great importance irrespective of the climatic condition of the

region.

2.1.4. Structural Capability of Shipping Container and Strength

The reuse of shipping container for structural elements in building application has been

unfamiliar. This unfamiliarity is largely due to undetermined structural integrity, modification

properties, foundation limits, building code regulations and reinforcing limits of the model

(Giriunaset al., 2012). To establish the structural limitations of shipping container in building

homes, Giriunaset al. (2012) provided evidence for effectiveness of container walls and roof

in resisting loads. They used finite element computer modelling in calculating the effects of

gravity and loading combinations on the shipping container elements. Bernardo, et

al.(2013) analyzed the strength of refurbished shipping containers using numerical analyses

(finite element). Their result revealed the feasibility of the use of shipping container as a

building envelope. Furthermore, Grębowski and Kałdunek(2017) opine that an ISO container

can withstand a load of 30 tons and can resist up to six units of completely laden 24 tons

stalked containers (Ismail et al., 2015). Thus, these benefits make it promising to be used for

development of multi storey buildings.

2.1.5. Modularity and Standardization

Modularity in construction refers to a technique in which the internal materials, mechanism

and services are originally constructed based on cubic unit modules in the factory (Islam et al.

2016) This type of construction method has been on the increase and has found application in

residential and commercial buildings owing to its speed and economic feasibility. Equally,

ISO shipping containers are manufactured in standard sizes with some engineered properties

which makes them an outstanding modular structural component (Islam et al., 2016).

Shipping containers can also serve as a standard unit to carry out a process. Compared with

modularization, shipping container housing method has merits of speed in construction,

simplicity, flexibility and cost effectiveness. Modularization pattern in ISBU allows for an

assembly and separation among multiple users where individual housing needs can be

achieved by diverse arrangement of various units (Hong, 2017)

2.1.6. Transportability

Regarding transportability, a number of studies Oloto and Adebayo (2015)Grebowski and

Kaldunek(2017) and Tanyeret al.(2018)have indicated that one of the cardinal reasons for the

use of shipping container in building lies in the ability to be moved from one location to

another in a shorter period. This advantage is linked to the real motive for the invention of

shipping container which is to fast track the movement of goods from one destination to

another by making it friendly with different ways of transportation schemes. Within this


and Challenges


context, shipping container building has found application majorly in site office, emergency

housing and mobile health care facilities(Tanyeret al., 2018).Grebowski and Kaldunek (2017)

heighted the transportability gains of shipping container by including US military in adopting

shipping container building in housing her personnel in Vietnam in 1970 and transporting

Iraqi prisoners during the Gulf war of 1991. They also note the utilization of IBSU in hot-

humid tropics for NGO site office and emergence shelters for natural disaster victims.

2.1.7. Availability and Lower Cost of Construction

Islam et al.(2016) note the availability of over 17 million structural sound ISO shipping

container around the world especially from the importing nations. The availability of IBSU

according to Pena and Schuzer(2012) is in respect of trade disparities, relocationcost, revenue

creation, manufacturing and leasing costs and usage inclinations. They maintained that a large

number of these containers are pile up and idle in ports around the globe resulting in taking up

of useful space at shipping docks while waiting to be loaded, movedto different location,

resold or disposed. In terms of cost Pena and Schuzer(2012) argued that ISBU can possibly

present comparatively low construction cost due to the recycling of the used material if it is

recycled to a livable building as compared to traditional building. In addition, the construction

of ISBU does not require complex foundation thus prompting the reduction in construction

cost. As a result of the availability in many nations and reduced cost, it appears compelling

and promising to convert the abundant box to innovative use in bridging housing needs.

2.2. Challenges to the Use Shipping Container

Past studies have shown drawbacks in the use of shipping container as a building material.

These drawbacks are discussed under the following headings.

2.2.1. Low Acceptability and Awareness

Acceptability of ISBU building among the populace has been a subject of debate among

researchers. Islam et al.(2016) assert non-inclusion of ISBU in the building code in many

countries limits the reuse of shipping container in building homes. The material suffers non-

legislation in many countries contributing to its non-popularity. The use of shipping container

in providing homes may be uncommon to many. For example, Elrayies (2017) states that the

popularity of container building is rare in Egypt and constrained to military use, public

bathrooms, potable lounges and market places. He attributed this low awareness to possible

lack of knowledge and skill of the construction technique and ignorance to effectiveness of

container home on ensuring a comfortable indoor environment in warm climate. Similarly,

Balogun (2018) infers that the choice of shipping container in provision of affordable home is

largely dependent on acceptability by the populace. Botes(2013) affirms the acceptability of

container homes in informal settlement in South Africa largely to the similarity in appearance

with conventional buildings. Another acceptability issue of shipping container home lie in the

barrack-like look of the structure and awkward living space. The external appearance gives

the impression of a product with a different purpose rather than housing needs. However, the

acceptability issues can diminish where people need immediate shelter like developing

countries and disaster relief camps.

2.2.2. Possible Higher Cost

In terms of cost, Botes(2013) study revealed less feasibility of shipping container in single

storey but appears more economical when raised to three floors. Likewise, the construction

cost of ISBU can increase due to higher construction technique and skill requirements of the

model (Pena and Schuzer 2012).The operational phase life cycle cost of shipping container

modelshows an increase of about 28% over prefabricationas revealed byAtmaca and



Atmaca(2016) study on cost analysis comparison of post-disaster temporary housings of

prefabrication and shipping container. Their study notes that the steel box requires some sort

of mechanization like the use of hoisting or crane lifting. Also noted was the extra cost of

insulation installation, finishes, fittings and services that are prerequisites for improved indoor

thermal comfort in ISBUs. Furthermore, availability of cheap land and labor in many

developing countries could make the shipping container material less competitive with

traditional brick and mortar construction in terms of cost.

2.2.3. Energy and Environmental Performance

Studies of energy and environmental performance of shipping container buildings have shown

conflicting results. For instance, Atmaca and Atmaca(2016) compared the life cycle energy

and cost analysis of post-disaster temporary housings of prefabrication and shipping container

buildings in Turkey. Their findings revealed a 25% higher life cycle primary energy

consumption values of shipping container than prefabrication. Grant (2013) pointed that the

use of shipping containers as building material is environmentally in consistent from a

number of viewpoints. She opined that “when new, the embodied energy of shipping

containers is high in comparison to other building materials as they are constructed of

materials which take large amounts of energy to produce and there are CO2 emissions

associated with transport”. She further refutes the notion that the environmental justifications

frequently used for the utilization of shipping containers is the seemingreduced levels of

embodied energy when compared to other building materials. According to her, shipping

containers are disposed to interstitial and surface condensation due to resistive quality of the

material which tend to act as vapor barrier. ISBU requires external and internal ventilation in

order to reduce condensation that may have detrimental effects on the insulation. In another

case, reverberation tendencies of shipping container contribute to sound propagation within

the internal space. This is reported to be caused by the high density of the Corten steel which

promotes sound propagation easily within the internal space (Pena and Schuzer, 2012). Other

challenging attributes of shipping container are inherent harmful chemicals used in coating

the body and preserving the wooden floor for durability and infestation in ocean. These

chemicals may be harmful to inhabitants during operational phase.

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This section details the procedure used in achieving the objectives of this paper.

The study embraced both desktop literature review and handing out close-ended

questionnaire. The literature helps in recognizing the variables utilized in the survey

instrument. This paper engaged quantitative research design so that the constructs generated

can be corroboration in future studies. The research instrument was externally validated by

senior researcher in construction management. The reliability of the responses of the enablers

and challenges of ISO shipping container housing was tested employing Cronbach alpha

reliability test. A value of 0.803 was obtained which is greater than the minimum value of

0.70 as proposed by Pallant, (2010). The survey instrument was given out by hand to

construction professionals in four (4) identified construction firms engaged in development of

shipping container homes in Lagos, Nigeria. Sixty-five (65) questionnaires were purposively

distributed to construction professionals who have cognate knowledge and experience in

design, production and management of shipping container project. The sampling technique

used was considered by the appropriate associated knowledge owned by the respondents

(Ojelabiet al., 2018).Fifty-four (54) questionnaires were returned as sample frame. The data

obtained were coded and analyzed using IBM SPSS v.21. Descriptive statistics of tables,

figures and mean were used in analyzing the data. The survey instrument comprises of three


and Challenges


sections. Section A inquires on personal details of the respondents. Section B and C required

the respondents to rate eleven identified enablers and ten limitations of use of shipping

container buildings respectively. The rating is based on 5 Likert scale 1-5. 1=not important,

2=less important. 3= important, 4=quite important and 5= very important.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Personal data of respondents

The personal features of the respondents are described in Table 1. 33.3% of the respondents

have between 0-5 years of construction industry experience, 44.4% have 6-10 years, 9.3% of

them have 11-15 years, 5.6% have 16-20 while 7.4% of them have 21 and above years of

construction working experience. In respect to academic qualification, 11.1% of the

respondents held Higher National Diploma (HND), 68.5% held BSc/BTech degree and 20.4%

held MSc/MTech degrees. In terms of professional background, 24.1% of the respondents are

from architectural background, 22.2% are from building background, 40.7% are from civil

engineering and 13% are from quantity surveying profession. The findings portray that the

respondents can give useful information on reuse of shipping container in building

application.

Table 1 Respondents personal data

Personal Data Characteristics Frequency (N) Percentage (%)

Years of Working Experience

0 – 5 18 33.3

6– 10 24 44.4

11 – 15 5 9.3

16 –20 3 5.6

21- above 4 7.4

Total 54 100

Academic Qualification

HND 6 11.1

BSc/BTECH 37 68.5

MSc/MTECH 11 20.4

Total 54 100

Profession Background

Architecture

13

24.1

Building 12 22.2

Civil Engineering

Quantity Surveying

22

7

40.7

13.0

Total 54 100

Enablers of the Use of Shipping Container in Building

Respondents were required to rate the of level importance of eleven identified enablers of the

use of shipping container in building projects using a 1-5 Likert scale (1= “not important”, 2 =

“less important”, 3 = “important”, 4= “quite important”, 5= “very important”). The foremost

perceived enablers were identified and ranked by the mean score (MS) of survey responses.

Table 2 presents the findings of participants perceptions towards the understood enablers of

shipping container building. Findings of the survey indicated that the major perceived

enablers of shipping container building by construction professionals were “speed of



construction” (MS=4.74), followed by “temporary accommodation” and “waste reduction”

(MS=4.61). These findings support the assertion of Hong (2017) on simplicity, flexibility,

short construction time of the use of shipping container in provision of temporary

accommodation. Other important enablers were “off-site construction” and “timely delivery

of project” (MS=4.57). Other enablers were “modular construction” (MS=4.52) and “eco-

friendly construction” (MS=4.50) and “fire-proofing” (MS=4.28). The other less recognized

enablers of containerized building were “increased profitability” (MS=4.17), “reduction in

construction cost” (MS=4.13) and “process flexibility” (MS=4.07).

Table 2. Enablers of use of shipping container in building

S/N Enablers Mean Std.

Deviation Rank

1. Speed of construction 4.74 0.95 1

2. Temporary accommodation 4.61 0.92 2

3. Reduction in waste 4.61 0.92 2

4. Off-site construction 4.57 0.91 4

5. Timely delivery of project 4.57 0.91 4

6. Modular construction 4.52 0.90 6

7. Eco-friendly construction 4.50 0.90 6

8. Fire proofing 4.28 0.86 8

9. Increased profitability 4.17 0.83 9

10. Reduction in construction cost 4.13 0.83 9

11. Process flexibility 4.07 0.81 10

Challenges Limiting the Use of Shipping Containers for Building Construction

The survey also asked the respondents to rate a list of challenges limiting the implementation

of the use shipping container for building projects usinga 1-5 Likert scale (1= “not

important”, 2 = “less important”, 3 = “important”, 4= “quite important”, 5= “very important”)

thereby providing a means to rank them based on average response. Survey shows that “low

awareness of public to the use of container as building material” (MS=4.43) is perceived as

the most challenging barrier to containerized building project (Table 3). The next most

challenging factors were “low acceptability” (MS=4.37), “limitation in height” (MS=4.06),

“limited space in container” (MS=3.91) and “possible emission from container” (MS=3.74).

These findings agree with the survey studies of Botes [18] and Balogun [20] who affirmed

that the use of shipping container model of construction is principally hindered by social

acceptability by the target group. The next significant barriers are lack of technical personnel

(MS=3.35), “inadequate insulation against high temperature” (MS=3.28), possible higher cost

of construction” (MS=3.28). In relation to “unknown structural strength” (MS=2.26),

“possible corrosion” (MS=2.19) and “lack of code (MS=2.15) have the least perceived

challenges to IBSU applications.


and Challenges


TABLE 3. Challenges limiting the use of shipping containers for building construction

S/N CHALLENGES Mean Std. Deviation Ranking

1. Low awareness of public to the use of containers as

building material

4.43 0.89 1

2. Low acceptability by general public 4.37 0.87 2

3. Limitation in height 4.06 0.81 3

4. Limited space in container 3.91 0.78 4

5. Possible emission from container 3.74 0.75 5

6. Lack of technical personnel 3.35 0.67 6

7. Inadequate insulation against high temperature 3.28 0.66 7

8. Possible higher cost construction 3.28 0.66 7

9. Unknown structural strength 3.26 0.65 9

10.

11.

Possible corrosion

Lack of code

2.19

2.15

0.58

0.48

10

11

5. CONCLUSION

The reuse of shipping container in provision of habitable homes in Nigeria is examined

through a field survey. It studied the enablers and the challenges confronting the application

of freight container in providing housing needs. The study surveyed construction

professionals: architects, builders, civil engineers and quantity surveyors working with

construction firms engaged in developing containerized building in Lagos, Nigeria. Eleven

enablers and drawbacks each were identified through literature review. The level of

importance of each case is appraised and calculated using mean score in IBM SPSS v.21.

Data harnessed were analyzed by descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages and mean

score and were presented in tables. The result of the survey showed that “speed in

construction”, “temporary accommodation”, “reduction of waste”, “off-site and modular

construction” were the most significant enablers to the use of shipping container in building

projects. Further enquiry revealed that “low awareness of public to use of container as

building material”, “low acceptability”, “limitation in height and space were the most

perceived influencing challenges to the use of shipping container in Nigeria. The study

recommended that construction professionals should develop competency in construction of

shipping container homes for it could be beneficial to the environment. Additionally, in

reducing housing deficit, there is need for committed awareness drive among built

environment professional bodies and government agencies towards ISBU in a developing

country like Nigeria. Future studies should be targeted on qualitative study that will focus on

maintenance challenges of shipping container houses.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors wish to thank the Covenant University Center for Research Innovation and

Development (CUCRID) for their financial support in publishing this article.



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[3] Balogun, L.A (2018). Shipping Container as an Alternative Housing Solution: Case Study

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