[1] The institute replaced the West African Building Research Institute which was established in 1952 by building professionals from Ghana and Nigeria in Accra, Ghana.
[1][3] The Ghanaian members formed the Building Research Institute of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
[4] There are four zonal offices that facilitates the institutes activities: The institute engages the Government of Nigeria on various policies that regulate and improve the quality of buildings in Nigeria.
[9] The facility was to function as research and education centre for tertiary institutions and the construction industry.
In 2009, the institutes and its Ghanaian counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding to research into building and road construction materials.