Architects urged to be proactive

Architects practising in the country need to be proactive as the profession has never been known to be retrogressive, the Principal Partner, ATO Architects, Mr. Ayoola Onajide, has said.

You have to design yourself out of where you are in order to collectively propel the architecture profession to a higher level, he said.

Onajide spoke at the second annual ATO lecture held in Lagos with the theme, Architecture: Substance and Shadows; random musings from over three decades of practice.

The keynote speaker, Mr. Olusegun Ladega, also spoke on commoditisation of architecture; the place of beauty in architecture; architecture and identity; and the Nigerian character.

According to him, architecture has never been known to be retrogressive and has remained an expression of life, times, aspirations and the society as a whole.

He said, Architecture of any age has always reflected the limits of engineering and scientific knowhow of the time. Architecture practice is gradually imbibing the asoebi syndrome, in which buildings are indistinguishable.

An architectural work becomes commoditised when one offering is nearly indistinguishable from another. As a result of technological innovation, broad-based education and frequent iteration, goods and services become commoditised and therefore widely accessible. 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 architects professional fees and remuneration.

Ladega said that the other challenge the practice was facing was the value that the country placed on intellectual property. There is a total disregard for intellectual property rights, he added.

The annual lecture, in its second edition, was aimed at raising the bar of practice in the country, the organisers noted.

According to Onajide, practitioners are caught up in a dilemma where they want to be artists, professionals and also want to be regarded as businessmen.

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Architects urged to be proactive