ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF PLANTS ON MARKET ENVIRONMENTS IN GARKI OF ABUJA AS AN AVENUE TO IMPROVE ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The quality of architectural practices in Nigeria with regards to the use of plants for landscape in market buildings is not satisfactory when it is compared with international standards and this is a problem. To reduce this problem, a market in Garki in Abuja was studied with the aim of assessing the effects of plants in its environs, in order to generate guidelines from the research feedbacks to improve architectural practices with regards to the use of plants in the design of Nigerian markets. There are seven regional built-up markets under the control of Federal Capital Territory Markets Management Committee. Out of these markets, a market in Garki was studied via purposive sampling method. The instruments used for the collection of the primary data are questionnaires, focus group discussion and observation schedule. The secondary data were obtained from the review of relevant literature. Among the research findings are: most of the market buildings have no plants for landscape architecture; the use of personal electric power generators for artificial cooling and ventilation due to inadequate circulation of fresh air from plantsin and around the market buildings causes fire outbreaks in the market. Among the generated guidelines are: it must be ensured by the Architects that all the market buildings should have plants for landscape architecture at the design stage; however, markets must have general electricity generator houses to minimise the use of personal electric power generators, in order to stop fire outbreaks as a result of their uses for artificial cooling and ventilation.