Assessing the Impact of Walling Materials Selection on Space Flexibility in the Workers Housing Estate, Laderin, Abeokuta, Ogun State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/Keywords:
Government-built estate, Materials selection factors, Space flexibility, Walling materialAbstract
Housing needs to adapt to changes over its life cycle. However, the apartment design in Nigeria public estate often restricts residents from making modifications to suit evolving needs. Existing studies on flexibility in apartment design focus on definitions and general affordability, but the specific impact of wall material selection on space flexibility remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by exploring the role of walling material selection in achieving space flexibility and affordability in Workers Housing Estate, Laderin, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review, hypotheses were formulated and tested through a structured questionnaire administered to 241 residents in the estate. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the analysis. Results revealed the significantly impact of sand-crete, brick, drywall, and glass on the partition-ability, extendibility and expandability characteristics of housing flexibility. The study concludes that Partition-ability characteristics of flexibility was the leading factor influencing walling material selection. While, Expandability was the lowest determinant in the study area. The study recommends the incorporation of partition-ability features as well as the promotion of drywall material usage in government-built estates.
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