The challenges associated with building materials in Nigeria have been largely
blamed for the high cost of housing delivery in the country. As a result, there has been a
clarion call for the introduction of cheaper building materials into the Nigerian building
construction market. Consequently, various research and development efforts have
resulted in the introduction of alternative building materials and their associated
technologies. Building materials are expected to meet stipulated standards which will
ensure not only their aesthetics but also their appropriateness for their intended uses
including structural stability, safety and health of building occupants. A major criticism of
alternative building materials in the country has been their non- compliance to quality
management procedures in their production and use. This study explores the extent to
which quality control measures have been implemented in the production and use of
alternative building materials and challenges encountered. The study has been motivated
by series of building collapse in the country. Qualitative research method was adopted for
the study and involved interviews with purposively selected persons involved in the
production and use of alternative building materials in the Lagos area. Findings indicate a
low level adoption of quality management procedures due to insufficient training, non optimum performance of equipment, lack of manuals, time constraints, low education and
motivation of workers involved in the production and use of alternative building materials.
The paper concludes that in order for the potentials of alternative building materials to be
realized in the country, there is a dire need for quality control procedures.