₦airaland Forum

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Am I the only one seeing SIMI the singer among them?

EgunMogaji:
You're delirious.

You have no worthy advice to give anyone like me.

No one on this thread has supported your assinine suggestions. You're just another frustrated and hungry artisan that can't even get by.

I have heard you. It's okay

snakebeat:
Yes Are u an architect sir?

Yes

snakebeat:
There should be a serious regulatory policy on the practice of architecture in Nigeria to be enforced by ARCON to purge the system, because the profession seems to becoming that of everyone, when we have few just few registered architects in Nigeria.

I believe that we share the same view. Thanks

oyb:
in my experience, professional architects are very organised.

so my first issue is with your barely coherent write up which has numbers repeating themselves with no proper order. the summary is -
i should be paid much more.

now to your issues:

any client will take advantage of any opportunity available to them to pay less for a service. it is not limited to architecture. every professional faces this in one way or another



that is your ego speaking. there is no way an experienced contractor will not have some level of technical knowledge. in particular, for run of the mill projects like domestic dwellings, a contractor can be engaged for design and build. the real onus is on you as the architect to demonstrate clearly to the client why you are relevant to the project. yes, nigerians have a disdain for thinking and a love for 'action'. i am an engineer, and i have heard other engineers disparage designs as mere 'drawings', project scheduling as 'playing with excel' while celebrating execution as 'the work'.







the issue is oversupply of talent and an abundance of low skill projects. You can find drafter who will push out a competent three bedroom bungalow design in an hour. there is no way to compete with that. if there are hundreds of architects available for simple jobs, then its a buyers market



once the project starts proper who does the client interact with the most? the contractor. the architect and engineers may come in once a week, but the contractor or members of his team are on site 24/7. it is inevitable that they will build their own relationship with the project owner.

as i had stated before, every client wants to reduce the cost of his build. the onus is on you to package the information on the risks in a way that will convince the client. you must also understand that the smaller the client, the more willing the client will be to bear risks. the project manager for a multinational will have to bear the management consequences of a bad decision as he is an employee. as the owner, it more or less starts and ends with you.



they are telling you the truth. what you are displaying is the typical nigerian impatience and desire for quick wealth. one of the reasons we have so many incompetent artisans and professionals today is because so many of them are in a hurry to start earning the big money of their ogas without putting in the hours and getting the requsiite expereince. they say it takes five years to become an overnight success; most nigerians want to become overnight successes in six months. unless you are a prodigy or extraordinary talent, you have to pay your dues. otherwise, all that will happen is that you will jump into a big project and mess yourself and your client up.





there is a scale of fees based on estimated project budget. however on small builds this is often not adhered to. even on big projects, the client may strong arm the consultants into lower fees

it goes both ways, clients can be overly stingy, but in the same vein too many nigerians are also greedy and have an entitlement mentality which can grate.


this. i am an electrical engineer by training, but i have taught myself how to use sketchup and autocad. i am sometimes extremely disappointed at the quality of work we get from some architects we have engaged.

when your architect is pushing out lazy 3d models that do not have your logos or which they have not localized [ i hate models with cars with American plate numbers or people who are clearly not nigerian etc.] ;

making a big deal of his poor quality models ;

displaying to you that he is not up to date [one architect i worked with was using autocad 2002 on a laptop with 2gb of ram; i had wanted to show him how to publish - plot multiple drawings at once; but i gave up immediately i saw his config].
then you have issues.

of course this is my opinion

Well,sorry,may be I am not to good in writing like a professional but trust me when I say that I have strong sense of humor and it always makes me have what to say. On a second note,please don't be to fast with conclusions. I am an architect and I have handled very huge concrete projects with some contractors. Look,they are business men who do some other things. Even,there is this one that left the site and ran away to Germany with the huge amount he was paid because of greed. The other one,anytime he sees the clients coming will always call me to quickly explain what we have done so far,so that he can claim to be directing site workers.
Please,if you read my post well,then you will realize the my attention was on the unfavorable economy of Nigeria. The will never be any harm in supporting a young person that worked under you,just because you feel that it's time to learn. Still my opinion though

EgunMogaji:
You're not serious.

I can understand the cause of your angst. It's not the clients or fellow Architects.

Your response reeks of an unhealthy sense of entitlement.

Well,I know your type already. Many of them on Nairaland. Well,I am not going that way with you. Learn not to be aggressively rude with your analysis just because want to make a point and thinking that you are too sure of what you are saying. Take my advice,anytime you award a contract any professional,please don't focus on how much you want to save for yourself,rather allow your conscience to determine how much you pay him. I am a man of simple and common understanding. Besides,the people I am trying to relate to,are already getting my point. Just like the first person who commented.

EgunMogaji:
Define underpaying.

Is there a book of fees somewhere or each firm is free to set their own price?

Did I underpay when I refused to pay N1million for plans for a bungalow just because I wanted an internal courtyard and I'm from the US? In Ibadan?

My layman suggestion is to look within your field instead of blaming the clients.

I bought my plans on eBay for around $20, yes, it will need to be massaged to fit my local ordinance but shouldn't cost more than 2 hours @ $50 to $75 per hour.

The internet has changed the business landscape for certain professions. eLance and co has levelled the field. I got 3D of my plan done for $15. How much do you charge for 3D?

The successful Architect will have added value to his clients instead of chest thumping about years of education. What should NeuroSurgeons do then?

Definition of underpayment is measured by conscience. The payment should be based on what your conscience tells you that it justifies the Architect's effort

snakebeat:
Losing is an understatement
Architecture has lost its value
The profession is now so saturated. Sometimes i wonder of what use is ARCON & NIA

Thanks@Snakebeat,do you have more suggestions to restore our lost value?

In the building industry,Architects are the first assure the possibility of the existence of a building needed by a client. This is achieved through his technical,creative sketches and final production. The Architect of course brushed up this skills with formal education and exposure. To acquire the certification for practice is actually next to death and yet,this profession is silently facing a war which I believe was caused by Architects
I want to present the few challenges attacking the profession in form of questions.
1. Why do clients insist on under paying Architects in Nigeria?
2.Why do clients listen to the contractor who has no technical knowledge and throw away the Architect who originated the evidence showing that a particular building can exist?
3. Why do senior Architects weaken the younger ones through exploitation? No apology.
Actually,all my inspirational posts are geared towards the young struggling Architects in Nigeria.
I don't want to make this post long so let's briefly talk on each solution for each challenge.
CHALLENGES
1. Nigeria economy has made Architects to hungry that they are ready to do stressful bungalow,duplex,mansion and huge public building job for N20,000,N40,000,N75,000 and N100,000 respectively,sometimes including the stamping. When I was in school,I refused to buy our departmental T-shirt because of the inscription that said "work like a slave". Permit me to say "bullshit". I work like a king. Recreate the world,impress God who put the
creative ability in you and get the commensurate
monetary value for your effort.

2.manipulative and persuasive on the design.
2. Another challenge is that,clients to my greatest
surprise pay more attention to contractors who
are also laymen trying to make money in the
building industry.
An Architect will suggest a material for a huge
project and a contractor will want to cut his share
and end up suggesting an inferior material. Guess
who the client listens to,the almighty
layman,why?because the Architect looks cheap.
Do you know the funniest thing about this? When
contractors make their choices,clients don't feel
the negative impact until they pack into the
house. By then it must have been too late.

3. Another challenge is that when this student or
young Architects run to their advanced senior
colleagues for a lifeline, this Architects increase
the frustration by exploiting and manipulating
them with statements like "you are still young
and this is not really the time for income rather
time to gain more experience".
As a student I did a short industrial training under
a popular Architect in Owerri. I just feel like
mentioning his name but as a matter wisdom,I
won't. But I must tell you that I spent N500 on
transport to his house which his office was,with
no launch, and that was every day for 5 months.
Do you know that I even turned to his gate man
and he wasn't even taking me to field. I was in his
office,reading some Architectural books he gave
me and also typing his documents for him. I kept
spending because I thought that he will definitely
pay me at the end of the industrial training but to
my greatest surprise,the same man that I type
N18million contracts for,told me that I should
take care,left me with no N10 for pure water.
Enough of this challenges. The question is how do
we solve this problem.
SOLUTION
My crusade is,let us call back the dignity of
Architecture. This is not to make building
construction unbearable,rather to make building
clients know the value of what we do.
1. Alright,how do we do that,up and coming
Architects should learn how to add some other
factors that generate income so as not to be
stranded and frustrated by Nigerian bad
economy.
This act will help make Architects maintain the
right prices for stressful drawings.
It will reduce our desperation towards contracts.
2. It will make clients to start listening and accepting
your judgements because as at that time,you will
become the needed and won't look cheap to
contractors any more.
3. It will make the senior Architects to stop
exploiting and wasting your ability.
Source: www.prodesigners.com.ng

Flex your life,past

That's a nice one sir

For some years now,different Architectural firms have been launching personal websites and placing their house plans on sale,online. Well,that's great but I must say that the Architects have been doing this without first of all, putting effort in sensitizing the public on what they will benefit by actually buying this drawings online, through blogging or offline seminars. Potential clients have been seeing drawings being hung all over the internet and they have been asking themselves questions like,why would I risk going online to search for a house plan,make a choice and then call a strange Architect and he will deliver,when there are many Architects within my location?some people have asked me the same question. Let me shock the Architects,you can go online and search this question on google web search,not even a single answer any where for this question,you will keep seeing drawings scattered in different websites, for who? The few that are a little close,where all posted by white guys to sensitize their clients there. I have come across comments made by Eplans.com, houzz.com clients. This guys are ready to keep visiting even for house remodelling and that's why in my personal experience,the clients that have asked me to send drawings to them are Nigerians that are living abroad.

Alright,if you have the intention to raise or remodel any building of any type and you are also asking the question "what special thing is in buying it online",here are advantages in getting your drawings online than offline:

1. Most times,many clients who meet Architects that are in their locations offline,don't usually have the priviledge to express the idea of their dream houses to the Architects,the way they should,why?because they can't use the Architect's or technical language. This makes the Architect to do the design based on the best assumptions he could make out from the unfriendly communication. Note this: when most clients then get their drawings,they only accept the design because the Architect can't redesign,but if we can be honest,the work is most times on a 60% precision level. And most times, cIients are even too busy to realize fault earlier,rather they realize it during construction or when they must have packed into the house. I remember being a co-supervisor on my uncle's construction site. In the process of construction, my uncle was frequently complaining to me that the design wasn't really what he wanted,but who is to blame?nobody, because the client gave his best expression and the Architect made his best assumptions.
2. To avoid the above stated problem, there are
many websites like nairaland,facebook,prodesigners.com.ng where
Architects generally display their already fully prepared
works. This allows a client to have time to choose
from many options what he really wants in a
house,even for remodelling like in prodesigners.com.ng,there is a section for building materials dealer where after coming interior design plan and you see specified materials,you as a client just engages the dealers in their section and it is delivered,although it is still growing but In other words,the client sees his house before he even orders for it. So there is no need to explain what he wants to anybody because he has seen it already.
3. You don’t have to live your office as the
Architectural drawing is delivered to your door
step or even emailed to you and you print.
4. It is simpler for you can invite your friends to
have a second look at your choice among other
architectural drawings before ordering for the
drawing.
5. There are many Architects but there are few
that have good taste,which is not a common
attribute. So,when many architects upload
online,then you can see who has good taste and
who does not.
6. There is room to choose the drawing with the
best or convenient price for the drawing,even before you make further negotiations and that's why in prodesigners.com.ng, Architects are encouraged to add cost to each drawing. I encourage nairaland Architects to add price tag to their designs too.
7. When you intend to hire an Architect online,
you will have the opportunity not to be
pressurized to accept a price you won’t like
8. You can pick a drawing when it is convenient
for you.
Source: www.prodesigners.com.ng/index.php?page=item&id=11

Sarah20A:
It will be very expensive

To be honest,it won't. I know about this

christm386:
the third one off course

haha!that's not true sir

faorex:
Do you think we can use block to achieve cycloid type of shape

is it to form it on the headroom? If it is on the headroom then it is everywhere sir. Let me give you a location Okigwe in the east,when I was there

wiseguy:
I am currently building something like this which will have a slab roof. My aim is to slant the slab a little that it won't be noticeable at all. I will also cover the slab with tiles. My architect and Engineer insists it won't work but I am challenging them to do it. I need the roof as a sit out and a mini garden.

Do your thing sir but pay much attention to the structural work

SeniorArchitect:
We have no problem achieving Organic. We actually love the feel and thrills.

Client demand on the other hand is an issue. Personally I've become tired of clients who either invite you down the street or send you a picture and insist that you give them exactly what a friend down there'd built. They are so many.

The issue is that many Nigerians are not exposed to these things. I doubt if there is any architect who does not desire the freewill to showcase his training, skill set, level of exposure and imagination.

Architects are supposed to interprete your brief the best they can and as it suits your purpose. They are properly trained for that.

Why will you give a brief then dictate to the architect what to do in almost everything? Why limit his freewill?

By the way, organic architecture is not architecture that has the features you mentioned. Organic architecture is one that practically 'grows from the environment', retains topography and vegetation and all. Example is Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling waters.

Of all the images you posted, only the first one, and maybe the second are organic. The one you said you designed, I don't understand. I also think you should research more on the meaning of organic architecture.

Glass panels, flat roofs, landscaping (introduced), shed (lean-to) roofs are not what make buildings organic.
When you put this up as the definition and characteristics of organic architecture, you appear as someone who's not travelled within Nigeria. There are so many buildings that meet this your specification in Nigeria. See below link also.

What you have in mind sha, OP, is Green architecture.

See www.archfiler.com for really great works by Nigerian architects.

By the way, you need to work on your Revit skills.

I respect your opinion sir but I think you didn't get the point. Green is simply the use of unconventional materials that are not harmful to the environment. That almost makes it the same with organic but remember what I said,I introduced the lean to roof to solve a problem,so that we can also design organic in Nigeria. Also sir,achieving organic building based on growing from the ground is determined by topography,but with those materials,I still insist that organic buildings have the features I listed like expansive glasses but it doesn't mean that green houses can't have. Sir,we are the architects of today so we make our Architecture with references to ancient Architecture. That's how great names come up. Let's not limit ourselves but rather rebel and challenge ourselves with what we have in our today

don4real18:
It has various disadvantages

They can all be handled sir

faorex:
As an architecture student and an architect to be. All I can say not every part of the country deserve organic architecture..
1.Some Client in most regions will dictate their own type of design.
2.In Nigeria and Africa at large, we have our own type of architecture.
3.Organic architecture is not pocket friendly and even if your client is Dangote.Its hard getting builders that will achieve what you have actually visualised.

It depends on design bro. Besides,you can use same materials

carpmam:
I dnt think its obtainable here in Nigeria

exactly my point. Let us cover it with lean to roof and we will be okay

Teewhy2:
Most clients in Nigeria are security and financially conscious, they will keep telling you how armed robbers will break into the house and how it will be different from what is in the area which will make it an attraction to men of the under world , who will thinking you have to much money. They will also tell you if the price is not very cheap compared to the traditional materials, they will prefer the devil they know compared to the Angel they don't know.

Bullet proofed glasses are available. Besides,if you checkout the pictures,all the materials are the same with what we have been using

christm386:
who gave u authority to snap my house join who gave u authority to snap my house join

which one of them is your's sir?

RexEmmyGee:
So organic houses cost less or what?

yes they really do. If designed by an Architect that can handle it well.

I want to introduce a style of building that is nature friendly. According to the Architect that made the term "organic Architecture" popular. Frank Lloyd Wright said that this type of house is the kind of building that marries the site it is placed on. It marries the environment and becomes unified with it in other words,an organic building should look as if it grew out from the ground due to it's unity with the ground.You can see how the first and second images grew out from the ground and pool respectively.. Modern organic buildings are already known to possess the following features,which are expansive windows,white paint,flat concrete slab roof, and sometimes grasses close to the building. Well,it is no more a surprise that this building style is seldom in Nigeria because of the this reasons
1. Glasses are good conductors of cold and heat as well.
2. It is originally covered with flat concrete roof slab which absorbs water.
3. There is so much focus on money in nigeria that Architects don't even have the mind to design what Nigerian clients don't know because they don't want any threat to their reputation
4. We have the mentality that the already existing common style is our own.
It is painful to watch how nigerian Architects are denying people the opportunity to experience the beauty of organic building just because they are afraid of the above challenges.
Please we have to stop this fears because the above listed challenges have solutions now.
For the first fear which is that glasses are good conductors of cold, Nigeria is one of the countries with the very best moderate climatic conditions ever. Yes harmattan tries to be harsh but if we should be a little more realistic,countries like south Korea,UAE and USA that beautify their environment with organic buildings have extreme weather cases compared to Nigeria but yet,they still go organic in construction and I am aware that they warm themselves with steam but I we all know that over here in Nigeria,window curtain is even enough to protect us alongside bed body covers.

For the second challenge,how come we have not asked ourselves whether those in Dubai actually battle with rainwater dropping in their houses? The answer is capital NO,they simple solution to this is to seal the top of the slab with polythene material and gluing it with coal tar paying much attention to where the slab joins with the external walls.
Another solution is covering it with aluminum and sloping it a bit for rain to run off. The third image is a modern organic building with a slab roof treated as explained above.

Alright,let me now hit you with what I have come up with on my own. I have come to realize that we can still cover an organic building with a roofing style known as "lean to" roof.
The last image which is the fourth figure is a house i designed and you can see how i covered it with red aluminum roof and it still looks fine.
I hope we now understand how beautiful this style can be.

For the third fear,I urge Nigerian Architects including me to please engage our clients with new concepts because the ball is in our court. It is what we design for them,that they will live in. You may tell me that they use to say what they want. That's why I encourage you to design even when no one has given you contract and place it in platforms like nairaland , prodesigners.com.ng, facebook.com,etc. You will make them see it and change their mind.
For the fourth fear,please let's change that idea of saying that this is our style and limiting the spirit of architecture because of money. As i always say,let's make Nigeria beautiful.
Source, http://www.prodesigners.com.ng/index.php?page=item&id=67

CaptainGOOD:
Meeh i love this girl

This woman bro

MrHistorian:
They are not only jobless.

They are;;;
IDLE
INSIGNIFICANT
IRRELEVANT
REDUNDANT
USELESS
UNPRODUCTIVE
NUGATORY
TRIVIAL
UNIMPORTANT and
WORTHLESS


How on earth do you spend your day carrying a placard to express your displeasure about a man's absence when we have acres of land screaming to get cultivated

Arrant Nonsense!

Did you say that¿I can see that you have beaten Bill Gates since you have been cultivating your's

I wonder when people will know that God created everybody beautiful in his own way. That's why beautiful lies in the eyes of the beholder. Thatz the mystery that iis more than you

AK481:
Deep down in our heart,we all know that Tboss is the face of BBN.she was normally supposed to win,she carries the message which bbn wants to pass and what bbn stands for.



But we rigged her out,simple because of her arrogance ,we wanted someone that has a common association or resemblance with us ,a humble poor guys.
At the end the poor voted to their own,the rich and middle class voted their own.

The poor won because of one man one vote .





TBOSS the BBN winner that never won.




#you go dey busy dey compose write up only to see urseft for 2nd page if u no book space with"a letter ir smiley"

No no no,wait,you just want to provoke me abi

I would have put her picture naw

He was not crying. He was just cleaning his face with handkerchief jare

Pearly255:
Badt guy waiting on Tboss to bring home d cash.




Your eyes just open after 10 years abi





I dey suspect this guy

. As in eh