CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIALS

 Construction technologies and materials

Some of the building materials extensively utilized in Nigeria include:

1.   Water

2.   Sand

3.   Cement

4.   Granite

5.   Wood

6.  Glass

 

            WATER:

The importance of water as a building material can not be exaggerated. The quality and quantity of water play a strong role in the strength of a building.

Some uses of water in the construction of modern buildings include;

1. A necessary component in the mixture of concrete

2. For soakaway pit testing

Mixture of cement with water

SAND:

Nigeria uses a variety of sand types, including river, coarse, and artificial sand, for construction purposes.

Construction sand 

There are various uses of sand in the construction of buildings in Nigeria, for example;

1. Other materials like concrete, cement, and asphalt gain strength and balance from it.

Asphalt is classified as a mixture of bitumen (as binding material) and inert minerals such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone in a substantial proportion. It has a blackish-brown colour and is available as a solid at low temperatures and as a liquid at temperatures above 50°C. Vedantu (2023)

2. As a binding substance in concrete

Picture of Asphalts

CEMENT:

Cement is a powdery-kind substance that bonds various other building materials together.

Some examples of cements in Nigeria are;

Dangote cement

Ibeto cement

Ashaka cement

Cement 

GRANITE:

Granite is a type of rock called igneous Rock, it is made up of different parts for example, quartz, mica, and amphiboles.

Granite

WOOD:

Advantages of using wood as a building material;

1. Wood can withstand tension and bend without breaking because of its tensile strength.

2. Because wood has desirable acoustic qualities that enable it to absorb sound and echoes, it is a preferred material for building buildings like performance and event halls.

Wood as a construction material 

   

GLASS:

Various types of glass used in the construction of buildings include:

1. Clear glass

2. Shatterproof glass

3. Laminated glass

4. Toughened glass

5. Chromatic glass

Laminated glass

REFERENCE:

Vedantu (2023) Asphalt - types, properties, uses, and disadvantages, VEDANTU. Available at: https://www.vedantu.com/chemistry/asphalt (Accessed: 30 October 2023).