Effect of Vegetation on Outdoor and Indoor Temperatures of Some Households in Benin City, Nigeria

The absence of vegetation on building site leads to increase in outdoor and indoor temperatures of buildings. This study therefore assessed the effect of vegetation on the microclimate of buildings in five zones of Benin City in Edo State, Nigeria. The objective is to identify building sites with vegetation and building sites without vegetation and measure their outdoor and indoor temperatures. 550 questionnaires were administered across the five zones in the study area, 489 completed and retrieved, giving a completion rate of approximately 89% success from the field survey. The findings of this study shows that there was a significant relationship between outdoor and indoor temperatures and presence of vegetation on building site in the study area. Nonetheless, there was no significant relationship between outdoor temperature and presence of vegetation on some building sites; the effect of evaporative cooling is not significant in some of these sites having both vegetation and concrete ground covers. This could be as a result of diffusion of cool air and hot air on these sites with both vegetative and concrete pavements ground cover. It is recommended that landscape element like trees and shrubs be planted along the concrete pavements to shade them from direct sunlight. The study also recommends that, building development approval be given only for proposed designed building’s site plans that integrate vegetation, while compliance should be monitored by respective government agency during building development stage, and existing sites without vegetation, owners, should be encouraged to plan vegetation around their buildings.