Olufemi Samson Adetunji

Different regions around the world are experiencing climate risks, including increasing temperatures, rapid changes in rainfall patterns, loss of biodiversity and extreme weather events. Within the last decade, Nigeria has experienced a series of localised and regional drought and flooding events affecting not only arable farmlands but also cultural heritage, including heritage buildings and cultural landscapes. This study assesses climate-related risks affecting cultural heritage using the ABC risk assessment method to understand the impacts of key climate drivers. The assessment method was applied to five cultural heritage sites with different values and functions. The findings revealed that changes in precipitation and wind speed and direction induce most of the sudden-onset impacts, such as bushfires, flooding and physical collapse. A sense of community connection and attachment to the built heritage remain strong but there have been limited efforts to implement actions that address climate risks to the built heritage and its surrounding spaces. The output of the assessment contributes to risk prioritisation and informs decision making for developing the needed adaptive actions. The study demonstrates the need to leverage climate information collected by different national and international organisations not to only assess climate risks to heritage but also to improve the involvement of local communities and non-heritage professionals in developing adaptation actions for built heritage.

Purpose: A comprehensive understanding of the determining factors and implications of the frameworks for appreciating the relationships between climate risks and cultural heritage remains deficient. To address the gap, the review analysed literature on the management of climate risk in cultural heritage. The review examines the strengths and weaknesses of climate risk management (CRM) frameworks and attendant implications for the conservation of cultural heritage. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a two-phased systematic review procedure. In the first phase, the authors reviewed related publications published between 2017 and 2021 in Scopus and Google Scholar. Key reports published by organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) were identified and included in Phase Two to further understand approaches to CRM in cultural heritage. Findings: Results established the changes in trend and interactions between factors influencing the adoption of CRM frameworks, including methods and tools for CRM. There is also increasing interest in adopting quantitative and qualitative methods using highly technical equipment and software to assess climate risks to cultural heritage assets. However, climate risk information is largely collected at the national and regional levels rather than at the cultural heritage asset. Practical implications: The review establishes increasing implementation of CRM frameworks across national boundaries at place level using high-level technical skills and knowledge, which are rare amongst local organisations and professionals involved in cultural heritage management. Originality/value: The review established the need for multi-sectoral, bottom-up and place-based approaches to improve the identification of climate risks and decision-making processes for climate change adaptation.

Architectural heritage conservation in recent years has hinged on conventional methods and has failed to recognize innovative methods and emerging technologies. Consequently, in Nigeria, suboptimal conservation work results in the continual deterioration of architectural heritage, leading to the loss of heritage and its values and significance. The study, therefore, sought to examine challenges and prospects for implementing innovative techniques in the conservation of architectural heritage in Nigeria. The study examined three heritage conservation interventions in Nigeria, focusing on the applicability of innovative conservation methods for documentation, diagnosis, and treatment of deterioration of architectural heritage. Questionnaires were administered through purposive sampling to 40 heritage conservation professionals, with 31 (77.5%) completed and returned for analysis. A Cronbach’s alpha reliability test value of 0.76 established the validity of the research instrument. The findings affirmed that heritage professionals have low familiarity (mean value of 2.19) with innovative techniques for conservation of architectural heritage. Of the respondents, 41.9% had gained a minimal level of technical knowledge of how to implement innovative techniques in conservation interventions. Improving the performance of conservation interventions also ranked highly as a potential strength of implementing innovative techniques. Conclusively, there is a need to improve advocacy and training in innovative conservation techniques based on their ability to characterize architectural heritage materials and investigate their chemical composition, microstructure, and morphological features.

Protecting the built environment through reasonable incorporation of sustainable principles into the design of buildings is a vital role of architects and other built environment professionals. By so doing, the increase observed in energy demand of buildings constitutes a major challenge to the protection of and reduction of greenhouse gases produced by buildings. This constitutes a critical element in the movement towards a more sustainable future. This study examines the indispensable relevance of carrying-out energy performance analysis on a building design blueprints prior to construction. The study employs the use of Autodesk Revit 2014 as a Building Information Modeling (BIM) tool and Autodesk Green Building Studio (GBS) for energy performance analysis of an existing student housing at Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria in order to recommend energy efficient strategies that could be implemented at the design phase of the student housing. The energy-saving effects of the different building envelope were investigated and results were analyzed. The annual energy use revealed approximately 60 percent of electricity consumed from the national grid with the left-over 40 percent expelled on fuel. This result was, however, based on an assumption of a 20 hours minimum daily power supply from the national grid. The monthly heating load chart shows that heat is lost from the walls of the building. The walling material has a considerable impact on energy consumption. The simulation results of the existing student housing were compared with eight alternative designs that alter the building envelope and incorporate shading devices to reduce the carbon footprint and energy use. The best alternative design runs reduced the energy consumed yearly from 402, 168 kWh/year to 385, 318kWh/year.