CHALLENGES FACING THE BUSINESS OF ARCHITECTURE IN NIGERIA

By Arc Frank Ilo

Clients are the life-blood of any architecture business. If new clients aren’t coming in through the door, the bills won’t get paid. Unfortunately, as architects it is easy to feel like we are on the ‘client-chasing’ hamster wheel: always looking for the next job before the current one winds down. This is a terrible way to live life: preoccupied about finding more work under the constant stress of paying the bills. This worry can easily interfere with the rest of our life, stealing from us valuable time that could be spent with family and friends. After 8 years of study and professional training, an architect should be respected like a doctor and paid like a highly qualified professional.

This is seldom the case. As an advocate for architects I have studied the reasons why this is so.

Why are architects treated like commodities at times?

·         Why are architects not paid what they are worth on projects?

·         Why do architects feel they have to justify their fees?

·         Why do clients take elements of the architect’s design out to reduce the price and reduce the quality of their design work?

·         Why do builders, real estate agents and clients think that the architect will drop everything to drive across town and give advice for free in the hope he might win a deal?

·         Why do architects work so hard and get so little credit?

·         Why do owners often trust the contractors more than they trust the architect?

Something here has gone terribly awry.

For the earlier years in my career, after leaving the university, I asked myself these questions several times “is it a mistake, curse or blessing for me, choosing to study and practice architecture?” Did I choose the wrong career? Life as an architect was not just tough then but hell. To make matters worse, when I looked around my environment to pick old and experienced architects to look up to as my source of hope, encouragement or mentor, I discovered that a greater number of the senior architects are not living the enviable life that a young architect would dream to have. Many of the senior architects were also struggling to make a living, showcasing undesirable lifestyles. Only but a handful were and are really living the dream life of affluence and success.

Then, one day, the question crept into my head, “Why are the majority of architects I know struggling with their architecture business? What are really the challenges facing architecture business in Nigeria?” I went into intensive research through the internet, the public library and from personal experience I gathered over the years practicing architecture. Thus, below is what I found as been the real challenges facing the business of this great and noble profession in Nigeria.

1. INACTIVE REGULATORY BODY:

Due to the fact that the architect was not fully trained while in school to produce all drawings and documents necessary to put up the building he designs, architects thus rely on allied professionals for the production of such important documents. This trend has gradually edged him out of the dominant position that hitherto had rightfully belonged to him. It’s now a common occurrence to go to urban development boards in different states of this country and find town planners, structural engineers, and Land surveyors taking up architectural design jobs from clients. In some cases, when the architect submits his drawings to these allied professionals for their own input to the overall production, they end up duplicating the drawings, to be delivered to another client.

Quacks and draught men are not left out in this sabotage of the architecture profession. They charge anything just to make a living from the architect’s rigorous and time consuming profession and jeopardize the noble profession in the process. This is where the regulatory body comes in, to protect the welfare of its members and preserve the position of the profession as the leader of the built environment. But to this responsibility, they seem to have failed completely. They have become inactive and complacent. But they can wake up from their slumber and restore the rightful dignified and leading position of the architect in the building industry.

2. DISUNITY AMONG ARCHITECTS:

Disunity among Professional Practitioners and Associates is another challenge I discovered in the course of my research as one of the challenges bedeviling the business of architecture in Nigeria. After graduation, the candidate practices for 2 years under pupilage after which he takes a professional practice examination and is then registered to practice as a full fledged architect.                        With the present economic challenges in the country and by implication, the building industry is becoming increasingly difficult for the average graduate to secure a place for pupilage. Coupled with the slow rate of awareness of the workings of NIA procedures and requirements for the PPE, it takes more than 2 years to fully qualify to sit for the examinations.

Unfortunately, this trend has been in existence for so long that the gap between fully registered architects and those not registered will take a while to be breached. This development further aggravates the lack of cohesion among architects in general. The issue of disunity among architects lies largely within the jurisdiction of NIA. Modalities should be put in place to ensure the continuous supply of registered members. For instance, a registered member has to train or assist 10 younger architects before he can attain the position of a Fellow of the Institute etc. This will go a long way in making the profession not only thrive, but flourish in an increasingly competitive building industry and economy.

3. INADEQUACY IN ARCHITECTURAL TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY:

The advent of Computer Technology and Computer Aided Design (CAD) has opened up a new vista in drafting and presentation techniques. Even though there have been attempts to integrate CAD within the curriculum of most if not all Schools of Architecture, progress is rather slow and many graduates truly learn such techniques on their own, and usually out of school. This places them at a disadvantage in an increasingly competitive and technological world. One reason for this is the inadequate supply/ availability of computers in the Schools, with the ratio sometimes being as high as 5-10 students per system.

Pertinent to this need to increase the proficiency of graduates of Architecture in CAD, more computers need to be made available and more staff trained to augment those in place. The same methods proposed for funding of Research facilities could be employed. University Administrators, Alumni and allied professional bodies should also be encouraged to assist Schools and Departments of Architecture in developing and sustaining Computer Laboratories.

4. IGNORANCE OF CLIENTS:

According to the shocking results of a survey undertaken by architectsjournal.co.uk sometimes ago, 2,031 adults, people don’t know what architects do.

• 72% are unaware that architects apply for planning permission
• 79% don’t know architects ensure buildings comply with health and safety legislation
• 86% have no idea architects select, negotiate with, and manage contractors
• 20% are unaware architects prepare construction drawings
• 9% DO understand architects control site budgets
• 15% don’t know that architects design buildings
• 33.3% of over 55s were aware that architects prepare planning permissions, whereas: 14% of 18-24s were aware that architects prepare planning permissions
• 20% of young adults were aware that architects handle building control certificates and guarantees

If this startling statistics is tenable in the developed world, imagine what the case would be in a third world country like Nigeria. As architects we must accept the responsibility to educate our clients and once we do, we can take power back. Our weapon is education. We may not be able to educate the world but we can make sure that every person who meets with us is educated about the architect and his or her role in the project.

5. LACK OF MARKETING SKILLS:

In the school of architecture, name it; from ABU Zaria to Unilag, from UNN to FUTMinna, from Unizik to Unijos, etc, we were taught to be good designers, not the fundamentals of running an architecture business and turning it into a consistent profit. We were taught to study very hard, make good grades and end up in one architecture firm where we earn a salary for the rest of our lives. We were not taught the business side of architecture thoroughly. Architects are smart, no doubt! But we are not great marketers and therefore underpaid, which is ironic because we are pretty good communicators. We assume our clients understand the value in what we are doing. The general public does not. All the stats prove that. We need to teach them about the value in a way so simple that they can marvel at our creativity and pragmatism.

I think we (architects) get a raw deal. But this isn’t our fault. We have been sold a lie. We have been told that people recognize the value of good design; that we don’t need to market our business. Our design schools have sent us into the workforce unprepared to face the reality of dealing with a world where money is king (unfortunate, but true). Our professional organizations are more concerned with their own interests than our struggles.

We must help ourselves.

• We need to stop driving all over town doing free work.
• We need to stop cutting our fees to win deals not worth winning.
• We need to value ourselves first so others can follow.

If we do these, the plight of architects doing business in Nigeria will be ameliorated. Lawyers and doctors do not go through these plights and neither should architects.