Climate-Responsive Architecture and Sustainable Housing Climate is the prevailing meteorological condition in a given region. It is a measure of the average pattern of variation in elements such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind over long periods of time. The design of pleasant buildings that ensure physiological comfort of users is achieved through an understanding of the climate and the human responsive systems. One of the greatest challenges facing human society in the 21st century is climate change. This refers to any significant change in measures of climate lasting for an extended period. Tackling climate change requires reducing carbon dioxide emissions by changing the ways in which buildings are designed, constructed, managed and used. This paper examines sustainable architecture and housing in Nigeria. It asserts the need for energy-efficient housing design strategies to achieve sustainability in housing and towards attaining of a humane and responsive environment.

Climate change and global warming- Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer). Climate change may result from human activities (through burning fossil fuels, deforestation, reforestation, urbanisation) and natural factors (changes in the sun's intensity) and processes internal to the earth (changes in ocean circulation, volcanic eruptions, desertification). Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the earth's surface which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and humaninduced. In common usage, global warming often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities. It is thus used for human causation while climate variability is used for non-human caused variations i.e. natural internal processes within the climate system and variations in natural or anthropogenic external forcing.

Sustainable architecture and housing quality- Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentallyconscious design techniques. It seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development of space. Different terms are used for sustainable design including ‘green architecture’ ‘climate-responsive architecture’, ‘high - performance architecture’. These have one key objective which is to apply sustainable principles through the entire life cycle of a building, from planning to disposal. Studies have shown the deplorable conditions of urban housing in Nigeria. Housing quality is often evaluated in terms of the quality of design, building materials, standard of construction, and the provision and performance of public amenities. The use of poor quality materials such as concrete with excessive quantities of dust and clayey matter which inhibits the production of good quality concrete is prevalent in the urban centres. The satisfaction of the user population with the housing stock and its environment, which exude a general sense of well-being, is an important determinant of housing quality. Environmental comfort and energy saving procedures constitute the indicators that can be applied in the conception, construction and use of buildings. Thus light, air, space, health and efficiency constitute structuring elements in the concept of sustainable construction. Building functionality, architectural design, accessibility, ergonomics, along with the quality of materials and constructive features, contribute decisively to the sensitive comfort of people, influencing the population’s quality of life, and the sociocultural value of the interventions. The use and organization of space can also play an important role in environmental conditions. The use of low carbon materials and low carbon construction techniques has been in practice in Nigeria for a long time. Building earth is the traditional material for construction and has been used for centuries. Extensive research has been carried out in the country and has resulted in the use of stabilized bricks for walling which could offer low carbon solutions. Stabilized earth brick houses are appropriate for a variety of climates in Nigeria and are ideally suited for passive solar heating and cooling. They are warm in cold seasons and cool in hot seasons with little or no need for auxiliary or mechanical energy. Stabilized earth brick houses require substantially less fossil fuel-derived energy to build, than the conventional sandcrete buildings commonly found in many urban centres in Nigeria. Reduced energy consumption would provide a wide range of environmental benefits particularly reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Design is the first step in achieving sustainable architecture. Energy-efficient housing design strategies include the following: passive solar design, proper insulation, day lighting, natural ventilation, landscaping, material selection and use of solar power.

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Regards
Anika Cohen
Managing Editor
Global Journal of Research and Review