April 21, 2018

Mr Festus Fawohunre, says architects are the best professionals and  suitable to supervise construction projects.

Fawohunre, a principal partner with Facon Consult Nigeria and an architect,  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that involving architects in construction works  would help stem incidences of building collapse.

He spoke on the sideline of the 2017/2018 Town and Gown Interaction, organised by the Department of Architecture at Caleb University, Imola near Ikorodu, in  Lagos State.

The theme of the interaction is: “Finding Your Place in Architecture’’.

He said the supervision of construction sites by architects was very crucial as 90 per cent of designs before the construction begins were based on assumption.

Fawohunre said that while designing the building, the architect would  only work with a survey plan.

The architect would not have an idea of how  the soil on which the building would be erected, would look like, he said.

“Just like in the automobiles, the best person to assemble a vehicle is the designer because he is the man who conceives the idea.

“I am not saying that the architect is the only person that can supervise the building, but he is the best person.

“It may not be the same architect who designed the drawing of such a building , another architect can supervise.

“It is possible that underneath the site, there may be water in the soil when the design was made with the survey plan, based on assumption.

“There will be the  need for an adjustment when the architect gets to the site and finds  out the realty on ground.

“That is why the architect must be on  ground at the construction site,’’ he said.

Fawohunre said the practice of architecture has three stages – the conception  to the  final architectural sketch, the contract stage and the supervision stage.

He advised the Federal Government to legislate a law to empower only the Architecture Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) to approve building drawings .

“This will enhance more professional architectural works.’’

According to him, there is a workable example by the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SUCON) that operates on the computerised beacon.

“No surveyor can have a beacon plan without buying a beacon machine from SUCON.

“Government should do the  same for architects by providing an enabling law for ARCON to issue drawing numbers for building plans,’’ he said.

Earlier in the interaction, Fawohunre canvassed  mentorship that would entail pupil-architects understudying their experienced colleagues on the job.

He noted that such mentorship could be in a ratio of  one architect to three graduates.

He said that such mentoring would enable the young graduates to have access to opportunities in the building industry.

“ARCON and the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA) should embrace the mentorship idea as a means to absorb graduate architects into practice rather than labelling them ‘quacks’.

“This is not to compromise he standard of the  profession.

“It will allow them to have a  better understanding of the building industry.’’

Fawohunre advised fresh graduates of  architecture to endeavour to undergo mentorship from experienced colleagues before standing on their own to practice.

Dr Oladipo Abel, the Acting Dean, College of Environmental Sciences and Management, Caleb University,  explained the purpose of the event

He said the programme was organised to bring stakeholders together and share practical experiences with the students.

“We are producing students, most of whom will be working in the building industry.

“So, we have brought the experts together so that they can tell the students how to relate and succeed in the outside world,’’ Abel said.