Roles of Individual Professionals In Building
Construction And Home Delivery.

Many a times, I have received calls from many Nigerians at home and in diaspora who finds it challenging to break down the roles of individual professionals in the built environment when it's time for them to build their dream house(s) and public facilities. Sometimes this and many more poses great threats getting them scared of when and how to start.

Building construction industry is a wide industry that encompasses many professionals (skilled labours), artisans and technicians (semi-skilled labours), and manual labours (unskilled labours) with their different scopes and job duties. Most of the building defects like cracks on walls, inadequate and non-functional facilities, flooding, dampness, poor drainage, poor safety design, poor staircases and even building collapse to mention a few could be avoided if various professionals, artisans, and technicians knows their job duties and are ready to take full responsibilities.
This comprehensive article will do justice to analysing and breaking down the different professionals in the built environment, their individual and collective roles and responsibilities in avoiding defects in building construction and drastically reducing to zero level the rate of building collapse. Questions would be welcomed, ideas shared and contributions would be accepted.

Land Surveyor
A Land Surveyor is a government endorsed/authorized specialist who is licensed to determine boundaries, determine the relative positions of places on or beneath the surface of the earth by measuring distances, directions and elevations. They are the first professionals to carry out physical work on the construction site.

Building construction is one of the fields of surveying, the preconstruction responsibilities involves identifying locations (latitude and longitude), property boundary (shape), the area of the landed property (size), and they establish the beacon on site to define boundaries. All these are represented in a plan called Cadastral Survey which is duly stamped by registered surveyor and registered at Surveyor General’s office. Only the surveys made by licensed and registered Land Surveyors are legal and tenable in courts.
In the construction phase surveying commences with correct placement of footings, foundations, piers and other items of building construction. The second essential role is establishing a level for the proposed construction and establishing a benchmark that would be used as reference point throughout the construction phase. This is mostly neglected in Nigeria and the main reason behind most flooded buildings. In Nigeria, Land surveyors also help their respective clients to confirm the authenticity and how genuine a particular piece of land is before purchased.

Geotechnical Engineer
Geotechnical Engineering is a discipline within civil engineering related to the performance of soil and rock mechanics, including their subsurface conditions, determination of the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties that will influence the project under different consideration.
A Geotechnical Engineer who might also be referred to as a civil engineer determines and designs the type of foundations, earthworks and pavement sub-grades required for the intended/proposed structure.
In developing countries like Nigeria, this role is sometimes being played by the structural engineer.

Site Visit and Investigations are needed to gain an understanding of the area in/on which the construction will take place. Investigations can include the assessment of the risk to human, property, environment and also from natural hazards such as earthquake, landslide, sinkhole, etc which rarely or do not occur in Nigeria.

Architect
An Architect is a licensed professional, trained in the art and science of building design, develops the concepts for structures (mostly building related) and turns those concepts into images and plans. Before constructing a building, an architect needs to draw a plan of the proposed building. It is very wrong to commence construction without a standard building plan, as the project would lack focus and direction. Architects create the overall aesthetics and look of buildings, but the design of a building involves far more than its appearance and functionalities. Safety, intended purpose and how economical it is (construction and maintenance cost) must also be put to consideration.

The architect provides various designs, and then prepares drawings and a report presenting ideas to the client based on his/her needs. Computer-aided design (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology has replaced traditional paper and pencil as the most common method for creating design and construction drawings.

After discussing and agreeing on the initial proposal, an architect develops final construction plans that show the building's appearance and details for its construction. The plan is then passed to the Structural Engineer for his review and own design. The role of an architect does not end in the design stage during construction (it’s not the responsibility of an architect to undertake the actual construction activities) but continual revision of plans on the basis of client’s needs, budget and other constraints not envisaged during design stage is often necessary. The architect is majorly involved in the initial stages of development and his involvement decreases as the project progresses. As construction proceeds, he visit building sites to make sure that the contractor follows the designs, adhere to the schedules, use the specified materials, and meet work quality standards. Architects are like photographers, they read your mind and draw a building plan for you according to specifications and codes.

Civil/Structural Engineer
A Structural Engineer is a Civil engineer who specialises in carrying out strength calculations, loads, forces and their interactions and effects on proposed construction and prepares drawings of structures popularly known as Structural Drawings to ensure they are strong enough to avoid collapse when loaded. Structures can include buildings, bridges, retaining walls, underground structures, footings, frameworks and space frames, including those for motor vehicles, space vehicles, ships, aero planes and cranes.

A Structural Engineer is concerned with the research, planning, design, construction, inspection, monitoring, maintenance, rehabilitation and demolition of permanent and temporary structures, as well as structural systems and their components. He also considers the technical, economic, safety, environmental, aesthetic and social aspects of structures.

After the architectural design is completed, Structural Engineer is the next professional to work on the design. He designs the structural members (slabs, beams, columns and foundations), he designs foundations working with the Geotechnical Engineer. He determines the sizes (thickness, span and depth) of structural members and the quality, size, types, arrangement and quantity of reinforcements. Structural Engineer decides on the quality and type of materials used for structural members and the required concrete strength (grade of concrete). He also designs the roof trusses to sustain all expected loads and forces. He produces the structural drawings which is required for building construction approval.
Under the worst load the structure will be subjected to in its expected lifespan, it must be safe.
During construction he inspects materials and supervises the construction of structural members, gives approvals, conduct test on materials and structural integrity test on the structure as a whole and declares the structure safe or not. During building collapse Structural Engineers are summoned and saddled with responsibilities to carry out researches to determine the causes, effect and solution against such reoccurrences. It is a privilege to have a professional Civil Engineer design or build for you because they are saddled with many other responsibilities.

Building Service Engineers
Imagine living in a building without electricity, no functional toilet or bath, no heating or cooling system or a sky scrapper without lift definitely such is not habitable. Building Services Engineers provides all these, brings building to life by designing the mechanical and electrical systems that allow people to function within an enclosed structure.
Building services engineering is an aspect handled by Mechanical and Electrical Engineers and they are referred to as (M&E) while in some countries it’s called (MEP) engineering adding plumbing or public health. The installation of life protection systems such as fire alarms, and sprinkler systems, flame detector, burglary alarm system, CCTV and spy cam, etc. is an important responsibility as well. They design layouts and requirements for building services for residential or commercial developments which is one of the requirements for building approval. Design and development of electrical systems required based on envisaged power consumption for safety and energy sustaining operation of buildings.

Quantity Surveyor
A Quantity Surveyor is a construction industry professional who specializes in estimating the value of construction works. . This may include new buildings, renovations or maintenance work, from early design costs to final figures.
The term quantity surveyor is derived from the role taken in quantifying the various resources that it takes to construct a given project, such as labour, supervision, plant (machineries) and materials.
He estimates the project budget, analysis the effect of design changes on the budget and the most noticeable role is the preparation of Bill of Quantities-(BOQ) that assist in the tender process, produce tender document and manage the tender process, clarify and evaluate tenders, variations control, contract administration and assessment of claims, negotiate and settlement of accounts, valuing completed work, arranging for payments, etc.

The Builder
The Builders are the most monopolised professionals in the construction industry with the way things are structured as other professionals have taken up most of their responsibilities. They are unique in that they are the only professionals that work on buildings only.
A Builder (Professional Builder) is an academically trained specialist and statutorily registered professional responsible for Building Production Management, Construction and Maintenance of Buildings for the use and protection of mankind and his assets.
The Builder studies the production information that is the drawings (architectural, structural and mep drawings), schedules and specifications, they also analyse the buildability and maintainability of buildings. He writes on the construction method and program, assess the workmanship skill of artisan and suggest solution to technical problems. A builder brings to realisation the intents of the design teams and construction teams. They work based on instructions from Architects and Civil Engineers (Geotechnical & Structural Engineers).

Artisans
The Artisans are the real workmen on site. They are mostly technicians that have acquired various skills either on the job or in various skill acquisition institutes. They have improved their individual skills on the job. They work with the various professionals and carries out their duties based on instructions though imputing their own acquired skills.
There are various artisans in the building construction industry for example masons, carpenters, electricians, iron benders, tillers, and plumbers to mention a few. The success level of various building and construction project is also as a result of acquired skilled imputed or displayed during the building and construction process by artisans and technicians. Professionals with vast experience and daily exposure in the built environment would easily differentiate a very good artisan from quacks from mere handling of tools.

Unskilled Labour
There are other workers that are non-artisans, they are referred to as Unskilled Labours. The nature of their job requires little skill and they are usually non-persistence on the job. The range of their jobs includes site clearance, minor excavation, concrete mixing, and other petty site jobs. The unskilled labours are the major assistance to the main artisans and technicians as they reduce their work load.

The Consultants
The building consultancy teams bring together project managers, building surveyors, quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, interior designers and other construction professionals, but his loyalties is with the building owner. To bridge the knowledge gap, it is important for the owner to hire a construction consultant where a big or massive project is involved. The Consultant should be engaged early in the project, so the owner can utilize the consultant's services in selecting construction professionals and contractors and also in reviewing plans and budgets. The construction consultant's role is to represent the owner and to lend practical expertise to the job. The construction consultant is simply the client representative that wants the owner to achieve what the owner has contracted for from the contractors. He is the value-for-money bargained.

The Building Contractor
Considering the numbers of professionals and artisans involved in building construction all working with a building owner who is a non-professional, this could be very challenging, money gulping and time wasting. There is a need for a firm to harness all this together and do all the jobs required. The contractor brings a team of all the required professionals together, oversees the construction and ensures that all necessary measures are taken to execute a project. A building contractor is an organisation or firm that engages in the Planning, Developing and Coordinating activities in the building of structures.
The Building Contractor draws up a plan to carry out the construction project. This extends anywhere from hiring workers to developing a step-by-step timeline that the project will follow from start to finish. The building contractor is also responsible for hiring, supervising, firing and payment of workers alongside obtaining materials for the project to precise specifications, mostly using the services of suppliers.
The Building Contractor must also do his/her background studies regarding relevant regulations and laws guiding the construction process. He or she is saddled with the responsibility of completing the project in a law abiding manner. He acquires all necessary licenses and permits from relevant entities so that the building project can begin. In Nigeria for example you need a building approval, pay development levies to mention a few before a building project can be regarded as legal.
He/she works based on agreed contract sum with building owners so, he controls budget issues, follow that budget as closely as possible though there might be slight variation at the end of the project. He/she ensures that the project is completed within the specified time frame as well as reviewing the progress and implementing any changes along the course of completion.

Note:
Generally, all of the professionals have supervisory roles on a building project most especially when a massive building project is to be put in place. When the project is in progress, all the professionals who had delivered their designs inspects the site to ensure that the designs are being realized to specifications. No professional should approve works when he is unqualified to do so. The architect for instance, should not design nor oversee the arrangement of reinforcement, no matter how straight forward it seems.
It is also important to note that we also have many other professionals in the built environment other than the ones earlier mentioned. A Lawyer for example is engaged in so many stages of construction, from the preconstruction stage(must be involved in land purchase and matter arising, documentation, agreement drafting etc.), during construction (must be involved in dispute settling and other legal matters arising), post construction (must be involved in project handing over, project delivery, payment etc.).

Thanks for following up. Let questions roll in.

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A house will be a home when it starts to feel the emotions of a family. It helps a human to complete his life cycle happily. Nowadays an average human struggles to build a home and fails to complete the rest of the cycle. Here the Easyhouz team works effectively by understanding the need of every customer by trying to provide & monitor each and every process to make experience of constructing a dream home without all the inconvenience . Easyhouz team is creating an online market platform where the customer can utilize the wide range of home designs and ask experts about developing and all other services, thereby trying to make every services available at the door step of our valuable customers on time.
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For a concise understanding of various drawings needed for building approval, follow this link:
https://www.nairaland.com/4485423/understanding-various-drawings-needed-building

You can also read about counting your cost and things needed to be known before building in Nigeria: https://www.nairaland.com/4486400/counting-cost-things-consider-before#67343892

While waiting to hear any question from you, you can also do yourself good by reading and following a new thread treating How To Calculate The Numbers Of Blocks and Cements Needed For Your Building Project : https://www.nairaland.com/4491449/how-calculate-number-blocks-cements

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easyhouz:
Online Portal For All Kind of Construction Related Works
A house will be a home when it starts to feel the emotions of a family. It helps a human to complete his life cycle happily. Nowadays an average human struggles to build a home and fails to complete the rest of the cycle. Here the Easyhouz team works effectively by understanding the need of every customer by trying to provide & monitor each and every process to make experience of constructing a dream home without all the inconvenience . Easyhouz team is creating an online market platform where the customer can utilize the wide range of home designs and ask experts about developing and all other services, thereby trying to make every services available at the door step of our valuable customers on time.
Service We Providing

easyhouz, Material Supply in kerala, Solar products in kerala, Modular Kitchen , kerala home construction , easyhouz, Carpenters in kerala, easyhouz, kerala Exterior Designing , kerala Interior Designing , kerala Plumbing work, kerala Electrical work, Vastu , Kerala home Design , Architects , easyhouz, Contractor , Dream home , Construction , Kerala House Plans, Kerala house Model

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