Architects tasked on raising professional competence for competitiveness
Nigerian architects have been tasked on the need to raise their professional competence in order to be competitive and deliver more value to their clients.
Ayoola Onajide, Principal Partner, ATO Architects, who gave this task at the second edition of the annual ATO Lecture in Lagos recently, also advised the architects to design themselves out of where they are in order to collectively propel the architecture profession to a higher level.
In his keynote address at the lecture, Olusegun Ladega, highlighted the attributes of the architecture profession, pointing out that architecture had never been known to be retrogressive being an expression of life, the times, the aspirations and the society as a whole.
“Architecture of any age has always reflected the limits of engineering and scientific know-how of the time”, he said, adding that architecture practice is gradually imbibing the ‘aso-ebi’ (sameness) syndrome, in which buildings are indistinguishable one from another.
According to him, an architectural work becomes commoditized when one offering is nearly indistinguishable from another, pointing out that as a result of technological innovation, broad-based education and frequent iteration, goods and services become commoditized and therefore widely accessible.
The renowned architect who spoke on ‘Architecture: Substance and Shadows, Random Musings from over Three Decades of Practice’, pegged his lecture on broad-based sub-themes, including commoditization of architecture; the place of beauty in architecture; architecture and identity; and the Nigerian character.
“Many architects describe themselves as building designers or administrators of the building construction contract. This inaccurate and deceptive definition of the profession has not only led to a belittling of the architect but has also grossly undermined the architect’s professional fees and remuneration,” Ladega said, adding that the other challenge the practice was facing was the value that Nigeria places on intellectual property saying there is total disregard for intellectual property rights.
The annual lecture is aimed at raising the bar of architecture practice in the country and in so doing, helping to impact positively on the practitioners. The maiden edition had John Godwin, a professor, who delivered a paper on ‘The Wow Factor as a Metaphor for Excellence’ in which he highlighted the diminishing prominence of the architectural profession in favour of glossy and shallow ‘Do It Yourself’ alternatives by non-professionals. The trend, he noted, was resulting in buildings that are unresponsive to the environment, non-functional and fiscally unsustainable.
Speaking on the essence of the lecture series, Onajide said that current practitioners were caught up in a dilemma, explaining that the architect wants to be an artist and a professional, but he also wants to be regarded as a businessman.
“What is important is to create opportunities for people to discuss ways to improve the practice, change the way the profession is viewed,” he said, adding that the expectation was that the lecture series would help the younger generation of architects to better understand and appreciate the beauty and essence of the profession and how best to positively impact on society.
The 2014 lecture was well attended by architects from various parts of the country. It also attracted members of the executive council of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State Chapter, as well as current and past presidents of the Association of Consulting Architects of Nigeria (ACAN),notably Tayo Babalakin and Roti Delano.
CHUKA UROKO