fellow Nigerians! i have come to vent here, the poor works of our so-called architects . as i would be expecting: critics,those hurt by truth and those whose are are shielded from seeing the truth. must a house be luxurious before it is befitting? why do we have almost the same squared non improving style of buildings all over Nigeria? even most houses that are 200years old in Europe are far better than our modern houses. the interiors are nothing to draw lines about let alone to write, Nigeria Architects, WHAT IS GOING ON? IS IT LACK OF THINKING? NO INNOVATION? CAN'T SOMEONE HAVE A MODERATE HOUSE WITH STUNNING INTERIOR DESIGNS AND EXTERIORS? WHAT IS REALLY THE PROBLEM? you guys are not impressing me at all!(there are a lot of people you who don't 'gbadu' the works of your profession too). even some of the luxurious houses look alike. Nigerians what are your opinions?

@ OP d idea is der but i think capital or fund is d problem. Go 2 skools or visits firms and see what architecctural student or architect are producing. Let me take 4 example in Dubai abdul dabi brodas ask people 2 bring crazy designs 4 Dem 2 fund. Who will du dat in 9ja.

I have thinking about the same thing for some time now. I am glad someone started this topic for discussion.
Nigerian Architects, this is not an opportunity to ridicule your profession but rather a call for soul- searching
and critical thinking concerning your finished products. Just like the poster stated, there is no originality, innovation
and contemporary designs to be proud of. The exterior finishing badly needs improvement in your designs.
One architect in this forum (Ihebrooke) has set himself apart with his contemporary designs. We need more Ihebrookes in nairaland and in Nigeria to compete favorably with deigns from around the world.
Civil/ building engineers and construction experts need to revolutionise and diversify building materials available to the
Nigeria market. No one will make Nigeria great except Nigerians. Let's challenge ourselves to innovate every aspect of
development with emphasis on originality.

Comparing foreign designs with Nigerian designs is like comparing foreign conditions with Nigerian conditions. They differ a lot. The processes for getting a house built here are very different form the way it is done abroad. I have seen great works done by Nigerian architects, some originality and innovation included but how many people will buy the idea or adopt the change.
Many home owners will like to build what is already popular, and when you introduce a radically different design, they tend to be cautious. Many home builders, engineers and contractors have a blame in this. Sometimes they don't take the required steps, effort, spend time to read and interpret the plans to bring it out as it is supposed to be.

Also, talking interiors, good, but how many of us can afford the cost for the finesse required to give a stunning finish. If you quote high for a superlative finish, chances are you will not get the job as some people can quote a half of what you quoted and promise heaven and earth. We know they cannot do it because quality costs money, and so we are still left with the same poor quality products we see everyday.

To get a house well finished, you must have the time, it takes a lot of time to calmly take it stage by stage, monitoring and evaluating jobs and sometimes repeating them if it does not match the target standard. Budget should be made to accommodate wastage arising from repeat jobs. Research should also continue by some of us in the field. We should think of introduction of additional add ons to make the house look unique from what was/is obtainable in other places.

spyder880: Comparing foreign designs with Nigerian designs is like comparing foreign conditions with Nigerian conditions. They differ a lot. The processes for getting a house built here are very different form the way it is done abroad. I have seen great works done by Nigerian architects, some originality and innovation included but how many people will buy the idea or adopt the change.
Many home owners will like to build what is already popular, and when you introduce a radically different design, they tend to be cautious. Many home builders, engineers and contractors have a blame in this. Sometimes they don't take the required steps, effort, spend time to read and interpret the plans to bring it out as it is supposed to be.

Also, talking interiors, good, but how many of us can afford the cost for the finesse required to give a stunning finish. If you quote high for a superlative finish, chances are you will not get the job as some people can quote a half of what you quoted and promise heaven and earth. We know they cannot do it because quality costs money, and so we are still left with the same poor quality products we see everyday.

To get a house well finished, you must have the time, it takes a lot of time to calmly take it stage by stage, monitoring and evaluating jobs and sometimes repeating them if it does not match the target standard. Budget should be made to accommodate wastage arising from repeat jobs. Research should also continue by some of us in the field. We should think of introduction of additional add ons to make the house look unique from what was/is obtainable in other places.

what do you think about thehavenhomesdotcom, I think they are the best builders in Nigeria though they are outrageously expensive. You should see theur video on youtube.

blink182: what do you think about thehavenhomesdotcom, I think they are the best builders in Nigeria though they are outrageously expensive. You should see theur video on youtube.

If they are good, I expect they must charge to cover their professional costs. I will look them up later tonight.

spyder880:

If they are good, I expect they must charge to cover their professional costs. I will look them up later tonight.

Chief they are expensive o, na politicians Ǎ̜̣̍Ϟd really high net worth individuals go patronise them.

blink182: Chief they are expensive o, na politicians Ǎ̜̣̍Ϟd really high net worth individuals go patronise them.

I visited thehavenhomes.com
That's the kind of trend I want to see in Nigeria; originality and contemporary designs.
Just like in every country in the world, there are upper, upper middle, middle, lower middle and poor classes.
I believe many Nigerians will be willing to pay extra if the are given choices.
It is not enough to ask them to choose between standard and luxury finishings.
Designers and builders should provide 3D interactive presentations/ graphics on their computers and give them options.
People will know what they are paying for and make informed decisions.

spyder880:

shey you have seen it, something I know you will do excellently for N30m, they are charging N65m.

BedLam: fellow Nigerians! i have come to vent here, the poor works of our so-called architects . as i would be expecting: critics,those hurt by truth and those whose are are shielded from seeing the truth. must a house be luxurious before it is befitting? why do we have almost the same squared non improving style of buildings all over Nigeria? even most houses that are 200years old in Europe are far better than our modern houses. the interiors are nothing to draw lines about let alone to write, Nigeria Architects, WHAT IS GOING ON? IS IT LACK OF THINKING? NO INNOVATION? CAN'T SOMEONE HAVE A MODERATE HOUSE WITH STUNNING INTERIOR DESIGNS AND EXTERIORS? WHAT IS REALLY THE PROBLEM? you guys are not impressing me at all!(there are a lot of people you who don't 'gbadu' the works of your profession too). even some of the luxurious houses look alike. Nigerians what are your opinions?

I'm an architect and i seriously agree with you. Its hard to get value for money over here in Nigeria both on home design and construction.
I'm from the school of thot that a good design and bad design can cost the same but the difference is in the creativity of who's executing the project.
Nigerian Architects and developers also concentrate all their efforts on producing housing for the 20% that can afford buying homes and neglect the remaining.

.

.

My newly created firm with a group of associates aims to be the solution to this problem.
We have developed a series of 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartment building plans that will soon be available for viewing on Nairaland. We also able to remodel existing buildings into apartment buildings.
We are experienced and have been involved in developing building proposals in Nigeria that include;
(1) Hotels
(2) A proposed "Underground shooting range".
(3) 6, 3bedroom terrace building design with 2rooms ensuite(2 large rooms and a guest room)....on a plot (You need to see the design to belive but its possible).
(4) Shopping mall.
(5) Extensive refurbishment of existing builds. ETC.
.........All at resonable costs.

are u guys kidding me? i'm a student of architecture..n let me start by saying wat we do is contemporary architecture.. most ppl here don't want 2 pay 4 a gud life doe evri1 wants a gud life.. d society blames d architects wen actually most bdgs were nt designed by architects bt by contractors n oda ppl in d constructiion industry with d claims of hiring architects being too expensive.. ppl don't even knw y dey nid architects dey believ design is jst tell d architect wat dey want n dey don't nid advices on ao 2 improve deir own knowledge bt cos my neighbour or friend has dis in his house den i must 2 nt considerin dat ppl r diff n so is our lifestyles.. n mind u all cost is very essential in design n dis goes a very long way in affectin ur design... so i believe we all knw dat our cost of livin hia is very diff 4rm dat of europe or US so u guys shd nt all go on blamin d architects n start blamin ourselves... so d truth is if u can pay 4 a gud life den u'll get gud n innovativ designs else u kip livin d normal life.. n it's nt all abt d form bt d function doubt if u do undastand doe

Your English and spellings are terrible. This is a forum.

@ba7man, Post your designs in this forum.

Check out the work of Avisual homes ltd. www.avisualhomes.com. Mistook it for a foreign company at first glance. Turns out they're a new design and building firm. ..thier interiors are extraordinary.