WHEN ARCHITECTS GATHERED – The Benue State Edition.

 

Recently, the agrarian state located in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria, popularly referred to as “The Food Basket of the Nation” due to its prodigious production of food crops played host to different cadres of architects from all parts the country and other neighbouring countries including the Niger Republic. And no, it wasn’t a conference to discuss food security or any such related issue! This time it was the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) which held from the 22^nd – 27^th of November in Markurdi, the state capital of Benue State.  

RAMMED EARTH ROYALTY - Traditional Architecture of the Great Benin Kingdom

Sketch of Benin City by British Officer 1897.
Image credit: www.guardian.com

Come with me on a journey down memory lane! Around 2002/2003, in post-graduate architecture school at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma - Edo State, our class was split into teams for an assignment on traditional architecture. I and my teammate (who just happens to be my life partner and husband- insert a coy smile😀) were tasked with the documentation and production of measured drawings for a building constructed with traditional building materials and techniques.

Chioma Wogu-Ogbonna: COVID-19 AND OTHER CONTAGIOUS DISEASES: FUTURE DESIGN TRENDS IN THE NIGERIAN AEC INDUSTRY

Chioma Wogu-Ogbonna FNIA writes in from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Also a qualified estate surveyor, she is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects where she currently serves a second term as its National Chair, Public Relations Committee.

In this blog's inaugural guest post, she shares her thoughts on a broad spectrum of changes one can expect in the Nigerian built environment industry post Covid-19.

Photocredit: Author

The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 was devastating leaving in its trails millions of death and a severely depressed economy worldwide. 102 years after that bad experience is the corona virus (code named COVID – 19) pandemic, presently ravaging lives and economies the world over with Nigeria’s first index case reported on 27^th of February 2020.

According to medical researchers, contamination has been ascribed to bodily contact with infected persons (symptomatic or asymptomatic) as well as the touching of infected surfaces which includes money.

THE NEXUS BETWEEN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM BENIN CITY AND THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM

“I hope there’s nothing wrong” she asked in concern from the other end of the line.

“Should there be?” I enquired in half bemusement as I silently pleaded with the female guide with my eyes for patience. 

Continuing, I responded, “Everything’s fine. I just decided it was high time I visited because it’s something I’ve been wanting to do”.

My sister let out a chuckle from the other end of the phone and went on to explain, 

“This one wey you dey visit there na im make me ask because I know say person no just dey wake up visit museum for Nigeria!”

Aha! Imagine that! A huge grin slowly enveloped my face as the realization of the cause of her question hit me.

“You know it’s the same thing I wondered” quipped the museum guide who must have gotten the gist of our conversation by the time I had exchanged pleasantries and hung up the phone. 

“Usually, most of our Nigerian visitors are those based outside the country, usually in the company of their children who are curious about their heritage”, she went on to add. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for belonging to what it seems is a league of extraordinary home-based Nigerians. (Insert smug face)!  

QUOTES CAPTURING THE TRUE ESSENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

Architecture is erroneously thought to concern only buildings but in its truest and purest sense, it is an experiential science that shapes the built environment. It has been posited that all human activity can be orchestrated by architecture and I tend to wholeheartedly concur
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There are many quotes from architects the world over but here are a curated few that hit at the core of what the true value and meaning of architecture is to the larger society.

ARCHITECTURE AS A COUNTRY'S VERITABLE PR TOOL

Ghana Freedom Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennial

The seamless integration of architecture and art, soulmates as it were, ensured that Ghana’s entrance into the biggest event in the art world created a huge buzz. The Ghana Pavilion at their first outing at the Venice Biennial draws inspiration from the Gurunsi earth houses. The Gurunsi huts are renowned for their elaborate decorations with hand painted designs and murals. The Gurunsi tribe inhabit the northern region of Ghana as well the southern part of Burkina Faso. In Ghana, their estimated population is 976, 311 while in Burkina Faso, they are up to  1,000,0000.

2018 TOP BUILT ENVIRONMENT DESIGN TRENDS IN NIGERIA

We are in the early stages of the year with most of our sights firmly set on ‘smashing’ those New Year goals (as if the goals dey follow us fight sef). While on the goal smashing quest, here are some top design trends in the Nigerian built environment to watch out for in the course of the year.

NIGERIAN PRIVATE SCHOOLS, DESIGN AND THE REST OF US

A private school in Nigeria

“I no blame dem”, I muttered under my breath in annoyance. “Wetin concern me with dem before?" I asked no one in particular as I gunned the engine of the car and zoomed off to my next destination. I was at my wits end. “Who be the ‘dem" you ask?  Well, ‘dem’ happened to be some private elementary schools visited in the course of my search for a suitable school for my ward, a search I had grossly underestimated. Going by their signboards, there is an ‘international’ private school in every neighbourhood; in fact my residence is situated adjacent to one.

DONALD TRUMP AND WETIN NAIJA ARCHITECTS DEY DO SEF?!

1. President - elect Donald Trump and his opponent, Hilary Clinton during the first Presidential Debate

The highly anticipated election for the 45th President of the United States of America has finally been dispensed with. Phew! We no see or hear word that period! Preceded by a contentious, acrimonious and no holds barred contest, the emergence of Donald Trump as the President- elect over the preferred candidate, Hillary Clinton sent shock waves across the world. In Nigeria, we went to sleep with Hillary in an early lead but woke up on the 9^th of November 2016 with the unlikely and underrated Donald Trump getting the required number of Electoral College votes to win. What a red letter day!!

 

 

One of the many campaign policies of President-elect Trump was the commitment of at least $ 500 billion to infrastructural spending over a five year period. The spending is required to fix America’s ageing and decaying infrastructure – airports, schools, hospitals, bridges, and train stations. From all indications, American architects will be very busy!  It was against the backdrop of this campaign policy that the executives of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the umbrella body for registered architects in the United States, pledged its commitment to working with President-elect Trump in the strengthening of the nation’s ageing and decaying public infrastructure. The outrage and backlash from the architectural community was fierce and immediate forcing the AIA executives
to publicly apologize for what it termed “a hasty and tone deaf post – election message”.

BRT BUSES, AKARA, BRAZILIAN HAIR AND RIO 2016!!!

Team Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Photocredit: Getty Images

Firstly, belatedly though, let me join the teeming number of proud Nigerians in saluting our contingent to the Rio 2016 Paralympics where Team Nigeria with her stellar performance shone like a million stars with a formidable medal haul comprising of twelve medals.

Asides the 2016 Olympics and of course the ubiquitous Brazilian weaves (which we cannot get enough of); Brazil occupies a key position in West African history for both good and bad reasons. Brazil accounted for roughly forty percent of the African slaves brought to the Americas during the Atlantic slave trade with most of them processed at Bahia before being sent off to plantations across the country. Centuries after the slave trade, the Yoruba influence is still heavily felt in Bahia where their dialect is a blend of Portuguese and Yoruba. Deities such as Orunmila, Obatala, Ogun, Sango, Obatala, etcetera are also worshipped. Babalawos nko? Dem dey there too!! Even local delicacies are well represented, take for instance the utterly scrumptious fried bean cakes called ‘akara’ here, in Bahia, ask for acaraje instead!  

WORLD ARCHITECTURE DAY 2016

Photocredit: www.uia.archi

The 3^rd of October, 2016 was World Architecture Day. Every first Monday in October has been set aside annually to celebrate architecture and its practitioners. World Architecture Day which also coincides with the World Habitat Day of the United Nations was created in 1985 by the International Union of Architects (UIA), a global federation of national associations of architects that represents over 1.3 million architects in 124 countries and territories.

WHEN ARCHITECTS GATHERED IN BENIN CITY

On Thursday 4^th August 2016, the ancient city of Benin, Edo State  hosted the second edition of the Nigerian Institute of Architects Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture series which was initiated by Immediate Past National President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (2013 – 2015), Arc. Waheed Niyi Brimmoh is to enable the generality of national Architects benefit from the wealth of experience from Past Presidents.

In 2015, the maiden edition of the series held in Abuja with Chief Dr Alex Ekwueme, 2^nd President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (1967 – 1968), Past President of ARCON and first civilian Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the lecturer. Befittingly his lecture topic was “Architecture: Management & Participation of Architects In Nigeria’s Political Class”.  

ZAHA HADID - HOPE FOR HER PRESENCE AT EKO ATLANTIC CITY EVAPORATES?

When I sighted him at the Eko Atlantic City Sales Office Showroom, my heart skipped a couple of beats. The first fluttering of hope stirred in my soul. Dare I conceive the idea? Time would certainly tell I thought to myself.

You see, ‘him’ happened to be Paolo Zilli of Zaha Hadid Architects who was one of the keynote speakers at the May 2015 edition of the Lagos Architects Forum LAF, the flagship seminar of the Nigerian Institute of Architects Lagos State Chapter. The local architectural community was agog to have Zaha Hadid in our midst, albeit in the form of a representative. On my part, I hoped that perhaps some of the Zaha Hadid magic design ‘twinkle-dust’ would rub off on me! 

 

During the course of the seminar, I had enquired about his views on the Chinese government’s tough stance on the halting of what it had termed ‘weird architecture’. Surely that classification of their major projects in China was a source of worry for Zaha Hadid Architects. This was apparently a non- issue as it had been casually brushed aside as mere propaganda and grandstanding by the Chinese authorities.

Fast forward to Thursday 31^th March, 2016 when the local and international architectural design community was greeted with the shocking news of the untimely demise of famous Iraqi born British architect, Zaha Hadid from a sudden heart attack at the age of 65.

Now, to the uninitiated, Zaha Hadid is to world of architecture what Steve Jobs is to the information technology world- a revolutionary. Aside from being one of the most brilliant contemporary architects with her avant-garde and award winning designs, she was a prolific interior and product designer lending her famous design skills to a seemingly endless array of jewellery, furniture, automobiles, household accessories, footwear. Some of her product designs were showcased as recently as April 2016 at this year’s Milan Design Week and included a metal and crystal table centrepiece for famous crystal brand Swarovski for its debut home ware range.

3D-PRINTING AND THE FUTURE OF 'ASO-EBI'

It’s a Thursday evening in the year 2036. In Lagos, Ehiwenma has a society wedding to attend on Saturday. To be frank, she has thought of little else for several weeks now. Unless you lived under a rock somewhere in Mars, EVERYONE knew that “ain’t no party like a Lagos party”. Her major preoccupation is how to make a resounding fashion statement and make the occasion’s best dressed list. Her appearance in ‘AsoEbi Bella’ is already a foregone conclusion! Lagos babes certainly take no prisoners with their overall appearance at these functions. Some even do pass the bride sef!

An interesting angle to her grand fashion take-over-plan is that a key element, her dress, is not ready but she is not losing any bit of sleep over that. Smiling to herself she remembers a little over a decade ago when this would have been a prime ingredient for a major meltdown and high blood pressure to boot. Ah! Designers and tailors alike ‘showed her pepper’! But all that had been relegated to a very distant past.

Ehiwenma is in receipt of the digital file of the wedding fabric for guests (popularly known as Aso-ebi) which had been distributed to those who subscribed. She would use the design from House of Deola’s latest collection which, come to think of it, is reminiscent of their ‘Komole Kandids’ collection that was the entire rave in 2016. Fashion indeed does come full circle. Phew! Had that digital download cost a fortune or what? It was worth every single naira. As they say,“soup wey sweet, na money kill am”! According to her plans, printing of the aso-ebi outfit to her exact fit commences on Saturday evening. The embellishments to be attached to the bodice of the dress were printed a week earlier, same for the shoes and other accessories

ARCHITECTURAL LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

“Girl, there’s no acceptable substitution for your quality and performance in my specifications”

 

We firmly believe that God created architects on a Monday after a well rested Sunday! We are complete in all ramifications. Aside from being at the vanguard of the built environment, the average architect is a romantic at heart.

It’s the season of love once again and Valentine’s Day is right at our doorstep. So for both the ladies and gentlemen alike, just in case you have run out of sweet words for your special someone this season, we have decided to help your love ‘ministry’. Kindly feel free to borrow from the following architectural 'sweet nothings' we came across and just had to share.

WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN ERA – CHERISHED GOLD

Cherished Gold is the Dulux 2016 Colour of the Year. According to Dulux, the choice of this colour ties with the on-going trend especially in interiors of using metallic tones in the home. Coming on the heels of the 2015 Copper Blush, Cherished Gold is a gold influenced ochre (deep yellow) which is warm and subtle.

It can be utilized as a statement colour or in combination with other hues such as fresh pastels e.g. baby pink, sky blue, mauve (pale violet) or rich jewel tones such as emerald green, coral, electric blue and magenta. Neutrals such as grey or beige work well with this colour.

Rebecca Williamson, Dulux's Senior Design and Content Manager opines that gold and tones of gold are being used everywhere in the design world. She believes that as metallics continue to add that feel good factor in our homes, this earthy gold inspired hue will offer that little touch of glamour in an authentic and personal way.

ALEJANDRO ARAVENA - 2016 PRITZKER PRIZE LAUREATE

The year certainly holds great promises for the Curator of the 2016 Venice Biennial, Alejandro Aravena who has also been announced as the 2016 winner of architecture’s most prestigious award, the Pritzker Prize.

In his citation by the Pritzker Prize jury, the 48 year old native of Santiago, Chile, is described as leading a new generation of architects that has a holistic understanding of the built environment and has clearly demonstrated the ability to connect social responsibility, economic demands, design of human habitat and the city. And in doing so, has meaningfully expanded the role of the architect.

Going further, the jury believes that what sets Aravena apart is his commitment to social housing. As the Director of ELEMENTAL, a company co-owned by three groups: the private architects who work for the company, a Catholic university, and Chile's largest oil company, Aravena and his collaborators have consistently realised works with clear social goals. Calling the company a ‘Do Thank” as opposed to the norm of a Think Tank, they have built more than 2500 units using imaginative, flexible and direct architectural solutions for low cost social housing.

LAGOS ARCHITECTS FORUM 2015- The VERVEPOINTS Perspective.

From this year's theme,  it was obvious that the sixth edition of the Lagos Architects Forum (LAF), an annual event organised by the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects was serious business! From the ease of registration to the calibre of resource persons invited, display of architects’ works and the exposition of products and services by reputable companies, this year’s programme was taken a notch higher and one can daresay that this edition was a runaway success.
 

At the programme which was held at the prestigious Expo Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites, the Association of Consulting Architects Nigeria was ably represented at the various activities lined up for the four day event from May 6^th – 9^th 2015. A major highlight of the programme was the series of workshop/ Master Classes headlined by architectural heavyweights from both within and outside the country. Expectedly, ACANigeria’s impact was felt with some of its members forming the bulk of resource persons for the seminars which spanned three days.

WEARABLE ARCHITECTURE

 

3D printing has become a useful tool in solving both complex and everyday design issues as evidenced in this shoe design from United Nude, a popular Dutch footwear brand that has carved a niche for itself with its ultra unique footwear.

One of its latest shoes named the ICE shoe comprises of a detachable upper leather strap and a white eight inch 3D printed sole made of plastic PLA filament. The white platform sole has been designed as though hewn from a block of ice. Talk about wearable architecture even if not for the faint hearted!