Foreword: Proceedings of the West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference. 27-28 July British Council. Accra, Ghana

Foreword by Dr Samuel Laryea

Welcome to this West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) conference taking place here in Ghana. Thank you for coming and welcome to Accra. The main aims of the WABER conference are: to help young researchers and early-career scholars in West Africa to develop their research work and skills through constructive face-to-face interaction with experienced academics; to provide a platform for networking and collaborative work among senior built environment academics in West Africa; and to serve as a vehicle for developing the field of construction management and economics in Africa.

Waber 2009
The WABER event in 2009 was held at the British Council in Accra, Ghana on 2-3 June. The event was a resounding success. It attracted participation from 32 researchers, from 12 different institutions, who presented their work to an audience of approximately 100 people. Each presenter received immediate and constructive feedback from an international panel. The event was opened by Professor K.K. Adarkwa, Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, with several senior academics and researchers from universities, polytechnics, and other institutions in Ghana and Nigeria in attendance. There was also a significant level of attendance by senior construction practitioners in Ghana. Thank you to the School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, UK for funding the inaugural event in 2009. We are also grateful to all of you who helped to make the event a success and to those of you who have joined us here today to build upon the success and legacy of WABER 2009.

Waber 2010
This year, we have 60+ peer-reviewed papers and presentations on topics relating to Building services and maintenance, Construction costs, Construction design and technology, Construction education, Construction finance, Construction procurement, Contract administration, Contract management, Contractor development, Decision support systems, Dispute resolution, Economic development, Energy efficiency, Environment and sustainability, Health and safety, Human resources, Information technology, Marketing, Materials science, Organisation strategy and business performance, Productivity, Project management, Quantity surveying, Real estate and planning, Solar energy systems, Supply chain management and Urban development. We hope that these papers will generate interest among delagates and stimulate discussion here and beyond the conference into the wider community of academia and industry.

The delegates at this conference come from 10 different countries. This provides a rich international and multicultural blend and a perfect platform for networking and developing collaborations. This year we are blessed to have three high profile keynote speakers in the persons of Professor George Ofori (National University of Singapore), Dr Roine Leiringer (University of Reading, UK) and Professor Will Hughes (University of Reading, UK). We are also thankful to Dr Chris Harty (University of Reading, UK) who is facilitating the Research Skills Workshop on ‘Writing a scientific article’. Thank you to Dr Sena Agyepong of our conference organising team for her capable management of local organising arrangements. And above all, thank you to all of you for coming to this conference. Enjoy and have a safe journey back home.

Dr Samuel Laryea
School of Construction Management and Engineering
University of Reading, July 2010

Papers in Proceedings of WABER 2010 conference

The papers in this proceedings are categorized into two sections. Section 1 contains the three keynote papers and Section 2 contains the conference papers. The conference papers in Section 2 are arranged in alphabetical order according to paper title.

SECTION 1: KEYNOTE OUTLINES
Connections between built environment research, education and practice - Will Hughes 20
Built environment research and the millenium development goals - George Ofori 21
Handmaidens and ivory towers: the role and responsibility of construction management researchers as agents of change - Roine Leiringer 22

SECTION 2: CONFERENCE PAPERS
A factorial study of accessibility requirements of paraplegics mobility in a built up enviroment - Festus Ashiedu and Anthony Clement Igboanugo 26
A hedonic regression analysis of urban infrastructure in commercial property values in Lagos - Funlola Famuyiwa 38
Adaptable and flexible design solutions to the spatial quality of public apartment buildings in Ghana - S. Agyefi-Mensah, J. Post, de Wilde Egmond, E. Van, P. Erkelens and E. Badu 39
An artificial neural network model for predicting construction costs of institutional building projects in Nigeria - Baba Waziri 51
An assessment of core skill and competencies of quantity surveyors in Nigeria - Joshua Dada and G.O. Jagboro 61
An assessment of the causes of foundation failure in the residential buildings of Jama’a Street in Area B.Z Ahmadu Bello University Zaria-Nigeria - Aliyu Shika and Nkeleme Ifeanyi 69
An assessment of the effect of community participation on sub-urban development in Akure, Nigeria - Oluwatoyin Akin and Abiodun Oyetunji 76
An assessment of the effectiveness and equitability of access to federal mortgage bank of Nigeria’s finances for housing (1992 - 2008) - Musa Madawaki 90
An evaluation of physical transformation of residential buildings in government estates in south western, Nigeria - Victor Adegbehingbe 103
An exploratory study of the contextual meaning and consequences of empowerment in project teams - Martin M. Tuuli and Steve Rowlinson 117
An investigation into the use of unapproved drawings in the construction industry in Ghana - Nanyi Orgen 128
Analysis of households’ travel behaviour in Lagos metropolis - Wale Alade 141
Analyzing quantitative data using factor analysis – Divine Ahadzie, David Proverbs and Nii Ankrah 151
Appraisal of factors that influence the implementation of BOT infrastructure projects in Nigeria - Alhassan Dahiru and S. Bustani 163
Assessment of governmental intervention towards tourism development of Idanre hills, Ondo state, Nigeria - A. Afolami and A. Taiwo 173
Building integration photovoltaic module with reference to Ghana - Emmanuel Adu Essah 174
Challenges and opportunities facing contractors in Ghana - Samuel Laryea 186
Characteristics of migrant labour in Wasimi, Irewole Local Government Area, Osun State, South-western Nigeria - M. B. Gasu and S.O. Fadare 201
Construction cash flow prediction model in Ghana - Joseph Buertey, Theophilus Adjei-Kumi and Peter Amoah 209
Construction cost data management by quantity surveying firms in Nigeria - Johnson Atinuke 220
Construction project delivery in Ghana - Collins Ameyaw and Samuel Oteng-Seifah 228
Disaster preparedness of high rise buildings in Lagos metropolitan area - I. Mshelgaru and O. Olowoyeye 238
Effects of flooding on the built environment in Akure, Nigeria - Gabriel Fadairo and Sikiru Ganiyu 248
Emphasizing the need for estate surveyors and valuers’ capacity building in housing development in mega city - Kemiki Olurotimi 255
Environmentally responsible interior design (ERID) solutions for air-conditioned office space in Dubai - Moshood Fadeyi and Rasha Taha 261
Ethics of sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa - Sam During 274
Evaluating the characteristics of whole life-cycle cost data in the Nigerian construction industry - Aliyu Ibrahim, Kabir Bala, Yahaya Ibrahim and Ahmad Doko Ibrahim 275
Evoking the green-shift in the building industry for sustainable development in Nigeria - Dodo Aminu, Mohd Kandar and Dilshan Remaz Ossen 286
How and to what extent do construction project features contribute to accident causation? - Patrick Manu, Nii Ankrah, David Proverbs, Subashini Suresh and Divine Ahadzie 297
How do clients influence innovations in construction professional services firms? - John Kissi, Robert Payne, Sam Luke, Andrew Dainty and Anita Liu 307
Impervious building (coating) materials’ workability in southwest Nigeria - Clement Folorunso 318
Introduction of Build- Operate -Transfer (BOT) model into main stream funding of infrastructural projects in Ghana - Kwaku Owusu 326
Investigations into the pozzolanic activities of volcanic deposits from the Jos plateau - D. Dadu, M. Garba, I. Zubairu and S. Bustani 336
Land and housing values and their effect on housing delivery in Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, Ghana - P Yalley, J Cobbinah and P Kwaw 344
Management of water distribution infrastructure with GIS in the Niger delta region of Nigeria - Henry Audu and Godwin Ovuworie 353
Multi-criteria decision making model for contractor selection in construction projects in Nigeria - Oluwaseyi Ajayi 362
People’s attitude toward property tax payment in Minna - Ayoola Babatunde 374
Pre-construction information implementation in Ghana using UK’s CDM 2007 model - John Dadzie and David Coles 383
Problem of ready-mix concrete production in the construction industry in Nigeria and its cost implication - Dauda Dahiru 384
Resident’s perception of the central sewage system in the federal capital city, Abuja-Nigeria - Andrew Stanley, Afolabi Dania, Oludare Tanimowo and Oyinkansola Audu 397
Risk and uncertainties in construction clients’ cash flow forecast - M. O. Babalola and G. K. Ojo 406
Safety on Ghanaian construction sites - B. Akomah, A. Nimo-Boakye and F. Fugar 414
Structural stability in Nigeria and worsening environmental disorder - Anthony Ede 425
Sustainability of solar home systems for a domestic power supply in Nigeria - Dalhatu Abdulsalam 435
Sustainable construction education - Solomon Ameh, Afolabi Dania, Ibrahim Zubairu and Shehu Bustani 445
The applicability of the Harvard and Warwick models in the development of human resource management policies of large construction companies in Ghana - Sena Agyepong, Frank Fugar and Martin Tuuli 460
The continuous use of asbestos in Ghana despite its hazards - P Yalley and C Ndede 471
The effects of management on productivity - Anny Aniekwu and H. Audu 482
The evolution of indigenous contractors in Ghana - Samuel Laryea and Sarfo Mensah 494
The influence of facilities on rental values and vacancy rates in high rise office rented properties in Kaduna State, Nigeria - David Ayock Ishaya and Daniel Dabo 505
The lean project delivery system (LPDS): application at the design and documentation stage of building construction projects in Ghana – Zoya Evans Kpamma and Theophilus Adjei-Kumi 513
The macroeconomic review of building and construction sector in Nigeria - Folasade Alabi 521
The role of construction education in sustainable waste material management in the construction industry - Nongiba Kheni 530
The role of organizational learning in achieving sustainable construction project delivery - Alex Opoku and Chris Fortune 542
The spatial dynamics of cement manufacturing and marketing in Nigeria - Kemiki Olurotimi 552
Towards improving procurement of built infrastructure in Nigeria - Kulomri Adogbo, Ahmed Ibrahim and Yahaya Ibrahim 553
Understanding the challenges of wood fuel usage in Sub-Saharan Africa on the environment - David Idiata, Mitchell Eboigbe and Henry Oriakhi 565
Value management: How adoptable is it in the Nigerian construction industry? - Baba Kolo and Ahmed Ibrahim 566

WABER 2010 Update (10 March 2010)

Dear All,

Greetings from WABER 2010 conference secretariat.

We trust that everyone is well and looking forward to the 2nd West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) conference which will take place on 27-28 July 2010 at the British Council in Accra, Ghana.

Best wishes in your preparations, as you look forward to another exciting conference which presents a perfect opportunity for networking, developing longer-term relationships, paper publishing, and keeping abreast with current developments in the field.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
We are lucky to have three high profile keynote speakers for this year’s conference. The speakers and their keynote topics are as follows:

Professor Will Hughes
Editor-in-chief of Construction Management and Economics journal, and Head of School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, UK
Tuesday 27 July 2010 0930-1015
Topic: "Ask not what the industry can do to support built environment education, but what the built environment can do for society"

Professor George Ofori
School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Wednesday 28 July 2010 0930-1015
Topic: “Using the Built Environment to accelerate Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa”

Dr Roine Leiringer
School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, UK
Wednesday 28 July 2010 1400-1445
Topic: “Handmaidens and ivory towers: the role and responsibility of construction management researchers as agents of change”

We trust that you will enjoy these keynote addresses.

PAPER SUBMISSION
The deadline for submitting first drafts of full papers is 15 March 2010.

We would appreciate if authors can try hard to keep to the deadline to allow for sufficient time for refereeing papers and compiling of conference proceedings. Kindly contact me if you cannot meet this deadline.

We wish to remind authors that the WABER conference aims at ensuring a high standard of papers published. Therefore, authors should endeavour to address the following key points in their papers: conceptualization and theoretical basis of the work; analytical framework and research questions/hypotheses; research design; results and discussion; and conclusions flowing from the work. The paper limit is 10 pages.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
The conference registration fee is £100. This amount covers costs of conference registration and materials, lunch and refreshments in-between sessions.

In order to have a paper included in the conference proceedings, at least one author should be registered by the deadline date of 04 June 2010. Further registration details will be supplied in the email confirming paper acceptance.

People who will not be presenting papers but wish to take advantage of opportunities presented by the conference should also try to register by 04 June 2010.

Many thanks as we look forward to receiving your full papers and seeing you at the conference in Accra in July 2010.

Best

Sam

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Dr Samuel Laryea
Lecturer, School of Construction Management & Engineering
University of Reading, P.O. Box 216, Reading, UK. RG6 6AW
Office phone: +44(0)1183788205
UK mobile: +44(0)7949668955
Ghana mobile: +233(0)244618851
Ghana address: P.O. Box ML473, Accra
Email: s.laryea@reading.ac.uk
http://samuellaryea.blogspot.com/