Building materials are essential components of building construction. In urban Tanzania, sustainable building construction
process has been a problem for the low-income households for years. The trend to prioritise the desire for application of innovative
materials without a professional analysis contributes to this major setback. On the other hand, technically uninformed people with
minimum knowledge on building construction are indirectly convinced to adopt building designs and approaches which are not
sustainable, and in the long run they become economically not viable. Meanwhile, professionals dealing with housing issues are not
taking serious consideration to this trend. Construction industry experts involved in housing production process use design solutions
and building materials that are not appropriate for local use, thus, leading to an undesired situation. In view of this, there is a need for
Tanzania to consider revising different issues and factors related to sustainable building, including materials, standards and guidelines.
This paper discusses the issues on proper selection and use of building materials towards sustainable building construction in a
developing country like Tanzania.