By Sunday Ani
Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Abiodun Fatuyi, has called for compulsory engagement of professional architects in building designs and construction, stressing that it would curb the incessant building collapse across the country.
Fatuyi noted that building without engaging a professional architect is a serious crime as it endangers people’s lives, property and the environment.
He made the call at the 16th Annual Lagos Architects’ Forum (LAF 16.0) at the weekend.
“If someone has a stomach pain and someone who is not a doctor says, ‘Go and use panadol,’ and the person uses it and eventually dies; would that not be a crime?
“So, if you build a house without using an architect and other relevant professionals, it is a crime because you are endangering the lives of the people that will live in that building. When the building collapses and people die, is that not a crime?
“We shouldn’t treat these things with levity. It’s a serious crime to build without an architect’s inputs. And as architects, we are trying to stop the loss of lives and property by telling the public that they need to reach out to the relevant professionals when building their houses.
“You cannot go to a lawyer and say you have appendicitis for him to operate. You’ll go to a medical doctor. You also cannot go to a doctor and say, I want you to represent me in court. You’ll go to prison because he doesn’t know the law. It’s the same thing with building.
“When you assume you don’t need architects and you just start putting blocks, midway into construction, someone might try to cut corners or make unsafe adjustments. If that building comes down and people die, it could have been avoided if the right professionals had been involved.
“So, we will keep advocating that until we do things right, we will keep endangering our lives. We are also trying to correct the impression that architects are too expensive.
“You might find that we actually save you money. If you try to save costs by avoiding professionals, you could lose the building or worse still, loose lives. But using the right people from the start, saves you money, time and lives,” he said.
He described the event as a platform where architects in Lagos interact with manufacturers and also discuss policies that the Lagos State government can apply in building a smart Lagos.
Themed, “Digital Transformation in Architecture as it Pertains to Building Smarter Cities,” he noted that the institute’s focus is to build momentum for architects to see the importance of using digital tools and modern day design tools that can help them to be more creative, save time and make life easier for the end users, which in turn, would work with the proposal of Lagos being a smarter city.
“You can see around the town that streetlights are now powered by solar. Cameras are everywhere, picking up number plates, checking security and making Lagos a safer place because you feel that somebody is watching somewhere. You can move around freely because you know nobody can just come and do anything, and if anybody does that, you can always get the CCTV footage to see what happens.
“We carefully chose speakers that are experienced with digital tools, solar, and are using cyber-security. We even called the PPRO of Lagos Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, who spoke to us about security and the importance of architecture being a security tool in the city,” he said.
He described the three day as just a fiesta that had all cadres of architects in attendance, ranging from fellows to members, students and associate members, including friends of the building industries.
“We also had the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, who spoke grossly about innovations and technological developments in the state.
“We are equally partnering with the Office of Works, Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. They are the ones sponsoring the students’ competition, where the students are given a cash award for a design brief that is sent to the five schools of architecture in Lagos: the University of Lagos, Caleb University, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Yaba College of Technology, and Anchor University.
He, however, called on the government to engage architects in designing public schools, saying, “It is our children that attend these schools. We must protect lives by working with the right professionals for every job, so that we wouldn’t have fear of building collapses. We should move past that stage of wanting to make excess gains while endangering people’s lives.”
Also, speaking the first vice president and president elect of the Institute, Sani Saulawa, said it was a gathering of architects not only in Lagos but also all over the country. “We have exhibitors showcasing building materials, latest techniques in building construction and all that. It is an opportunity for even members of the public to interact with professionals in order to have access to realise their dreams and aspiration in building and construction industry, especially in eliminating quackery that leads to incessant building collapse in the country,” he said
He expressed satisfaction with this year’s event stating that the NIA’s message is for Nigerians to realise the need for them to work with professionals in their building projects. “Professionals are insurance against failure that will affect lives, property and even the environment,” he added.
Also, the Secretary General, NIA, Lagos Chapter, Adaku Oguamanam, commended the programme saying it was a response to the evolving world of digital technology. “We are showcasing technologies that can be imbibed in architectural designs and projects by showcasing what is available. We encourage people to get to know what is available so that we can follow the trend of what is happening elsewhere,” she said.
She assured that next year’s edition would be better. She said: “I feel happy with the turn out. This year, we had great people turn out to speak. I feel good but I know that next year’s event will be better, so watch out for that.”