Building failure or collapse happens both in the developed and developing countries but the rate of occurrence in the developing country such as Nigeria is quite alarming and therefore call concern. The menace of building collapse in Nigeria is very alarming and appalling. Building collapse in Nigeria has become the norms they are easily swept under the carpet whenever it occurs. It is rather unfortunate that both human and economic loss we record each time there is a failure or building collapse is rather humongous. There is also a lot of blame game among professional stakeholders in the industry once failure or collapse of building occur and unfortunately, there is no proper scientific investigation in most developing countries such as Nigeria to ascertain the cause of failure or collapse as the case may be in order to avoid any future occurrence. In the cause of this review, it was discovered that building materials such as reinforcing steel, cement, sand, granite, sandcrete blocks and concrete play huge important role in either the collapse or stability of buildings in Nigeria. The roles of these materials are so vital that they contribute immensely to the collapse of buildings. It was concluded that 10-25% of buildings that collapse in Nigeria are as a result of the use of poor quality building materials. The review has extensively dealt with building collapse in relation with the role of building materials during construction.

This study was carried out to review different types of available innovative construction materials. It was found that advancement in nanotechnology, use of mineral admixture, glass and plastic, biological materials, wood and other construction materials have contributed significantly to the growth of discovery and production of innovative construction materials. The implementation of some innovative construction materials, meets the requirements for sustainability, durability, reliability, safety, cost reduction, increasing quality, better mechanical and physical characteristics, flexibility in extreme conditions and locations, simple assembly and environmentally friendly. Construction materials used to carry out project consumed about 40% of the entire cost of the project in the construction industry. The success stories were recorded in the area of turning industrial and agricultural wastes to wealth. This reviewed paper will enrich the database for innovative materials entering the construction industry.