A Comparative Analysis of Industrialized Building Systems (IBS) and Conventional Construction Methods (CCM) In Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

This study provides a comparative evaluation of industrialized building systems and conventional construction methods in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, emphasizing their structural components, cost frame works, time–cost efficiency and implementation challenges. A descriptive research approach was adopted, utilizing a structured questionnaire administered to professionals across both public and private construction sectors in Port Harcourt including engineers, architects, contractors, quantity surveyors, project managers and builders. The study employed both primary and secondary data sources. Out of seventy (70) distributed questionnaires, sixty (60) was duly completed and deemed valid for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation was used to analyze the data with the help of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 25.0). The findings indicate that industrialized building systems projects utilized standardized, prefabricated components such as beams, panels and slabs manufactured under controlled factory conditions, in contrast to labor intensive, on site processes characterized by conventional construction. The result further review that industrialized building systems achieve superior time-cost performance, reducing project duration approximately 40–50% compared to conventional methods. Nevertheless, the wide spread adoption of industrialized building systems in port Harcourt is hindered by factors such as insufficient technical expertise, high initial set up costs, weak government policy support, poor infrastructure for transporting prefabricated components and cultural resistance for to modern construction system. The study concludes by recommending that construction stakeholders should adopt a hybrid strategy that merges the efficiency of prefabrication with the adaptability of conventional methods, while both government agencies and private developers should undertake a comprehensive cost benefit analyses prior to selecting an appropriate construction approach.