By Jude Njoku

Nigerian architects were last week, tasked to raise their game in order to be more competitive and yet deliver more value to their clients. The charge was given at the second annual ATO lecture in Lagos, by the Principal Partner, ATO Architects, Arc. Ayoola Onajide.

He advised architects to “design yourself out of where you are” in order to collectively propel the architecture profession to a higher level.

Guest speaker at the forum, Arc. Olusegun Ladega who spoke on Architecture: Substance and Shadows. Random Musings from over Three Decades of Practice, posited that architecture has never been known to be retrogressive. According to him, architecture is indeed 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.”

Ladega who is one of the leading lights of the architecture profession in the country, said the practice of architecture is gradually imbibing the aso ebi (sameness) syndrome, in which buildings are indistinguishable one from the other.

Said he: “An architectural work becomes commoditized when one offering is nearly indistinguishable from another. As a result of technological innovation, broad-based education and frequent iteration, goods and services become commoditized and therefore widely accessible,” he said.

“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.

He listed other challenges facing the practice to include the value that Nigeria places on intellectual property. “There is total disregard for intellectual property rights,” he said.

The annual lecture, which is in its second edition, is aimed at raising the bar of practice in the country and in so doing, helping to impact positively on the practitioners. The maiden edition had Prof. John Godwin who delivered a paper on The Wow Factor as a Metaphor for Excellence. 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, Arc. Onajide said that current practitioners are caught up in a dilemma: 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. He added that the expectation is that the lecture series will 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.