We all know that there was a time when the question " What is your budget?" played important/ determining roles in how architects were engaged by private clients.

We will also not deny the fact that there are still architects in Nigeria today who insist on either costing to design or designing to cost when approaching a contract.

There is also no gainsaying the fact that having full knowlegde of your client's budget and the extent to which he is willing to commit financially is key to preserving your dignity and avoiding career-recking embarrassments.

Unfortunately though, there are lots of practitioners today who act with so much anxiety and haste that once a client indicates interest and issues a brief, they flush out designs without being properly engaged.

The more unfortunate thing in this case also, is that a greater percentage of the people in this group will repeatedly crawl back with lamentations of how clients have abandoned proposals with them and refused to pay.

There is another group also whose members, even in the thick of an economic hardship, insist on proper consultation and commissions, and on advising the client professionally. These, they do even before preliminary sketches are done for the proposal.

The worst that could happen to this group of professionals is having the client pull out of the contract, and this is what no reasonable client will do. But even if they do pull out, they would have saved you the stress and aweful sight of a backlog of abandoned proposals.

Most architects believe in what they do and in what they can offer. This is good. You need to see the confidence with which our young architects display their works.

What is not so good however, is that many of us are very eager and, in fact, cannot wait to impress clients with our out-of-the-world creativity, imagination and 3D Visualizations, and we do this at the expense of very critical elements of successful practice - for us and the larger profession.

You need to first ascertain whether your client is capable of financing your imagination, or if maybe he would want you to design what his pocket can absorb.
This is not even about how architects no longer write specifications or draw up estimates.

Below is a list of situations that must occur if you engage a client without a pre-discussed budget, unless of course you have a Burj Al arab -type of commission.

1. The client could get intimidated by the scope of your proposal and/or be forced into unsolicited financial pressure.
This is not good for business.

2. You run a risk of having your client abandon such proposals on your own shelves.

3. Your proposal, if accepted, may get massive alterations on site. Believe me, you don't need that in your career.

4. You may end up having the credit for a number of the abandoned projects that span your career life and which dot your cityscape.

5. You may become known as the professional who is not in touch with reality.

Being an elitist-architect is good but like peak milk, being the people's architect pays better.

6. You will box yourself into a corner and all you achieve is handing the mantle over to the client. What was supposedly a consultation becomes a dictation and the client decides whether to pay or not, and how much he will pay. You end up negotiating cost of your services against yourself just to get paid.

Visualization impresses a client but the knowledge and assurance of feasibility, cost friendliness, and profit for his pocket wins his heart.

Some of us get uncessarily worried about the secrecy with which clients guard their financial capabilities - maybe they wouldn't want to get kidnapped for ransom. This is funny.

The truth is that a client who consults you should be able to trust you with how much he can afford. You are not asking for his bank statement.

Unless you wish for frequent additions, subtractions and adjustments during design, please ask for his budget.

It is also easier if you have a catalogue or portfolio ready with samples of previous projects that match his brief. This way he gets to chose an option that best suits whatever available funds he has.

http://www.archfiler.com/forums/main-forum/how-not-to-engage-a-client/

IpobExposed:
Jim Ike is a foolish man for supporting this liepod terrorist leader.

And this is how you've dedicated your life to fighting a man and course that you know nothing about. The worst is that Kanu does not know if you exist and may never will.

Your inconsequential hate-filled ignorant life is becoming a source of nuisance to sane minds here.

[s]

klax:


Mr man stop taking govt intervention as a fear or weakness Nigeria can no longer sit back to witness another blood bath uprising. Mind you this was how boko haram were not taken seriously and it became what it's today.

This country is struggling with a lot of unexpected issues at the moment so they can not sit, fold their hands and watch another disaster breakout again. So saying weak ass army that statement is understatement if same weak ass0 can put their lives on battle front to decimated dreaded boko haram to this extent Mr man they are not weak get that fact.

I have said this so many time my people never learn from history last civil war over a million souls were lost and again still pulling the rope of another tsunami and when the explosion comes my people will start blaming the SW who seats on their right now and minding their business. You can not by means of aggression get what you people want without no heads roles in blood bath.

We have lost our place in Nigeria scheme if things by our own error and never learn attitude. The most anannying thing that boils up me up till today as per my people is the Hausa/Fulani that are our worst enemy my people are so afraid if them that they can not challenge them face to face rather they will face SW this is so annoying.

Another things that piss me off most a average igbo man is a hater so hate his fellow country men with passion and when you ask why no better answer only blablabla, then tell Okorocha , the entire imo state, Ngige, Nnamani etc to vacate apc with immediate effect Mba. Let all igbo pack all their belongings and vacate every other part of Nigeria to show seriousness of their agitation, Mba no no not possible then what the hell does you my people want

I know I have annoying them soon they will call me Afonja because to them anyone who refused to buy their hate ideas is Afonja or Malham.

[/s]

RichYoungNigga:


You're igbo ?? I'm not sure

Igbo is a language, ibo is a tribe

What did you say you were ?? Igbo ??

Igwe must hear this

Oga there is nothing like Ibo. When will you guys stop this?

The Lagos Architecture Festival (LAF), 2017, dubbed the Lagos 8.0, An Architectural Autopoiesis, has come to a conclusion.

The 3 – Day event (Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th May) was as expected, educative and fun.

There is no better way to awaken an individual’s curiosity and resolve towards success than to have him in the midst and scholarship of really impactful professionals. This was a major take away for most participants at the Lagos 8.0.

Amongst the soul – lifting speakers at the event were the following revered professionals.

1. Arc. Tonye Oliver Braide, FNIA, President, Nigerian Institute of Architects.

2. Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Kaduna

3. The Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos

4. Francoise Aramide Akinosho of FAA Designs (Paris, Lagos)

5. Professor (Mrs) Folasade Ogunsola. Professor of Medical Microbiology and a Consultant Clinical Microbiologist.

6. Christine Nakoka. Award winning Retail Design Strategist and co – owner of design firms Nakoka/Roberts, and J. T Nakoka Architects, Los Angeles.

7. The Commissioner for Works, Lagos State, who represented the Governor or the State.

The participation at the event, the organization and the exhibitions were all as inspiring as the lectures.

With the class of design exhibitions that graced this series from pace – setting architecture firms like Chronos Studeos, the Cmd+, the ACCL, the Studio Stone Designs, etc, getting awed was a constant for everyone throughout the event.

Speaking at the event, the NIA President, Arc, Tonye Oliver Braide, FNIA, reiterated that architecture is not just the act of drawing with pencil and paper, or designing. He lectured that architecture is what brings the whole process into existence. “There is architecture in every aspect of life”, he said.
He made participants understand that even the computers we use are products of architecture as a process, and that so also is everything else.
According to him, “we as architects have only decided to make a profession out of what has already been”.

Architecture Autopoiesis explains how architecture is related to every other aspect of life.

Also speaking at the event, Christine Nakoka explained how we as architects are part of the world. She stated that “we all have a role to play in making the world a better place”. She further advised that “we should not just live as architects but as humans who are part of making life better for one another”.

Bishop Mathew Kukah who spoke on the topic “The Son Of Man has nowhere to lay his Head”, wrapped his speech around the following sub – topics.
The architecture in governance and
The problem of homelessness as a result of the arrogance of the elite and the failure of architects in city planning.

Source: http://www.archfiler.com/lagos-architecture-festival-laf-2017-lagos-8-0-the-details/

Below are images from the Event.

IpobExposed:

[s]Good morning. Buhari

This is a good news but Liepods will not like it.

Because their mother Patience Jonathan will soon be locked up


Mummy this is your day I will buy u a new jeep. .

But Liepods and PDP instead of helping their mom will help Patience Jonathan. Rubbish.
[/s]

Get a life, boy.

It's funny how Yorubas shout One Nigeria but celebrate Awolowo the unapologetic tribalist. Such Hypocrisy.

learoce:
This is genuine, I got value for my money.

Boss you emailed me.

Truefederalism:

BTW, http://www.archfiler.com/ is a great website for Nigerian architects. Click here http://www.archfiler.com/architects-gallery/ to view really awesome designs by real professionals.

You can say that again!

Lol. That twerk was epic

Btw

See the floor plan of the BB Naija House
Architects are crazy people.


http://www.archfiler.com/bbnaija-17-how-architects-watch-tv-pg-rated/

See the floor plan of the BB Naija House
Architects are crazy people


http://www.archfiler.com/bbnaija-17-how-architects-watch-tv-pg-rated/

See the floor plan of the BB Naija House

Architects are crazy people.

http://www.archfiler.com/bbnaija-17-how-architects-watch-tv-pg-rated/

Please I want to correct something that has caused issues in the media for sometime now.
I am very close to someone who met Dino Melaye in ABU. I don't like Dino but I don't understand the game sahara reporters are playing.
Dino was said to have been a very controversial SUG leader. The problem I have with him is that Dino has probably never sat in someone's office before as per employment. Nobody I know know how and where he made his money.

Hello architectB,

Can you please do us a favor and upload your works at www.archfiler.com? We are about doing something really different with that website, for the Nigerian built environment.

Please your contribution will be appreciated.

Bros the thing did not work o. It only temporarily deleted my cursor and a number of other apps, and after I restarted the computer everything returned to status quo.

A screenshot image of the report is attached.

kometpuvo:
The author skipped Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, is easily the best school in the South East. I wouldn't know your reasons for your above opinion though.
I got my MSc in Unizik and I can assure you of its quality. Department matters however, and I believe that in such cases you should be specific.

The problem with Unizik PG at the moment is the high cost which wasn't so in 2013. They imply that it is because of the TSA regime and all that.

Please I need help.

I went online with my laptop and all my files/documents went blank and inaccessible after I logged off. My apps still open, and any new document I create remains accessible.

The problem is that all the documents I had before that day has turned to a blank white paper or turned to shortcut.

Most of these documents are very important to me. Some are even projects that I've concluded but not submitted.

I've tried Restore many times but it wouldn't complete. Please what can I do to retrieve my old files and get rid of this virus. My Avast antivirus is long expired though.

The computer model is hp620, 32bit OS.

Below are screenshot images of some sections of the computer.

Nice workshttp://www.archfiler.com/upload-a-design/
You can also post these on a more professional platform, www.archfiler.com. You stand a good chance of getting published as an inspiration to others, and to have other architects make input or appraisals.

What you need to provide;
1. Name of Architect ( do not put architect if you are not registered
2. Your practice (omit if done under a non-registered name
3. Project description
3. Location
4. Client (where necessary)
5. Total floor area
6. Floor plan (No dimensions, no details)
7. 3D images and pictures as built.

Upload via http://www.archfiler.com/upload-a-design/

Mine is still being verified though.
I understand that these guys are working with the NIA to reposition the profession. Let us encourage them.

Bigbooks:
We offer 3D Architectural design for as low as N25,000

See what you are doing to architects, yourself, and architecture. I guess this is just so that you can eat?

Nowujeda my bro. Do well to go create this same topic on the forum in www.archfiler.com. These are the kind of discussions and topics we need out there.

Check it out.
The website is for the NIGERIAN built environment.