REFLECTIONS ON THE CURRICULUM FOR STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE IN NIGERIA

As a licensed Architect and now a lecturer, reflections on the curriculum and duration for the study of Architecture in Nigeria comes naturally to one. This is mostly necessitated by the observed deficiencies revealed through interaction with some Nigerian university graduates including Architecture graduates in the past.

As a student of Architecture, this nature of thought never crossed my heart, because all we thought about was how to become the next graduate with first class honors. However now, that we have achieved that and moreso even joined the academia as a key player (lecturer) one cant help but speak out about this.

My personal opinion is that the four year duration for the award of Bacherlors degree in Architecture (B.Sc. Architecture) is grossly insufficient; considering the volume of work required to be done. I would expansiate more on the reason for this in my next post, but suffice it to say now that; I would move for an adjustment to a total duration of five (5) years - at least.

Also, the two-year mandatory Master programme which must be done in order to qualify for licensure amongst other things is non-negotiable.

However there are suggestions from some meaningful stakeholders that the practise licensure examination which is currently taken as a seperate exam after a minimum of two years puppilage under a licensed Architect, should be integrated as part of the MSc. final exam and administered by the Architects Registration Council Of Nigeria (ARCON) at the university level.

What do you think about this? Let us discuss your opinions in the comment section below.

WE ARE IN BATTLE - WHICH SIDE ARE YOU FIGHTING?

The battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness is stiffer in our time more than ever before.

It is so stiff that the agents of the kingdom of darkness have their very existence dependent on it. They cannot rest neither can they eat, nor sleep until their mission is accomplished. They are on a ticking deadline. They have been mandated to kill, to destroy and to divert the destiny of the righteous unsuspecting ignorant careless children of God who do not know the power they carry . They have been anointed with different satanic gifts to lie, seduce, deceive, dissuade, discourage, lure, constrain, attack, disarm and  ridicule those who call themselves the children of God.

The agents of darkness have engaged the use of

FIVE REASONS TO WRITE A BOOK

1). You Know Something Enough; You feel A Need to Put it in Writing for Posterity Sake:

Here most text books and academic instructional guides fall under this category. Usually written by industry experts who lay bare hard empirical data for the readers education and enlightenment. 

2). You Have Discovered A New Idea or Invented Something Worth Sharing :

New findings in a niche can become the reason for a writer or a group of researchers to decide to publish a book. In this case the individual or the group have developed a new method of doing something that is worth sharing to the general public.

MANAGING A CREATIVE START-UP BUSINESS IN AFRICA

In Africa, the way business is conducted is quite rigorous because one is literally up against a lot. Talk about high illiteracy rates, poor infrastructure like power supply, access roads, multiple taxation, etc -  the list continues.

The mere decision to embark on a journey of entrepreneurship frightens most Africans to their bones. Parents are more often than not alarmed at a decision by their ward(s) to tow this unfamiliar and unpredictable path. It is usually a sore topic to discuss in family meetings and is a phenomenon usually associated with people who are not able to secure white collar jobs.

But where are the jobs??
Are there enough jobs in the world to go round everyone??

CLIMATE, WEATHER AND BUILDING COLLAPSE

ABSTRACT

Climate change has become a reality and so has building collapse. Global Reports have already shown serious changes in rainfall volume and timing resulting in heavier floods or in other situations more intense temperature waves.  The science that deals with understanding and employing ethical processes in our daily activities in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change caused by man's activities is referred to as Green Building or sustainable development. It is sometimes also called sustainable building/design. The idea of sustainable comes in three forms; Environmental sustainability, Economic/ Financial/cost sustainability and Social sustainability i.e. User friendliness/comfort/ health. The challenge of building collapse in  Nigeria is clearly an issue that traverses these three aspects.  This paper examines the occurrence of building collapse in Nigeria from the consultant's view point with a view to highlight the importance of adopting green building practices by Architectural Consultants as the leaders of the building team. Documented cases of building collapse in Nigeria within the past decade are reviewed, the stated causes are highlighted. Furthermore, industry bespoke practises on building collapse mitigation across the globe are studied. These include specifically America, Europe and Asia. A comparative analysis of the sustainable approaches adopted in these climes is drawn. In conclusion, it is recommended that the Nigerian Architect must imbibe these methods to see a future with less or absolutely no cases of building collapse. Keywords: climate change, building collapse, sustainable design, professional ethics, consultants' responsibilities.