Pestered on all sides daily to respond to its regenerational concerns, Africa’s most populous city, Lagos must keep recreating new processes and systems in its built environment if it must attain its coveted goal of becoming a smart and resilient city where its surplus inhabitants can cohabit with less hassles.
This much will form the crux of practical discussion when architectural professionals and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s construction industry converge on Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos between 8-11, May, for the 2019 edition of the Lagos Architects Forum (LAF).
Briefing journalists on the event, Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos Chapter, Arc. Fitzgerald Umah said this year’s event with the theme: ‘LAGOS 10.0 – An Architectural Regeneration 2: The Lagos Response,’ will consolidate on the gains of the 2018 forum.
“This year marks the 10th anniversary of the increasingly popular international conference and the 3-day event will devise new ways of running practices and boosting stakeholders’ engagement and adaptation to local economies,” Umah said.
He stated that the event will mainstream issues on Lagos urban regenerational plans and new opportunities; value and positioning for architecture; rethinking going global and new directions for building materials technology among other deliverables.
Speaking on the spate of building collapse in Lagos, the NIALSC Chairman observed that most of the distressed buildings are collapsing from the base structures where the service of professionals were not engaged before raising new super-structures on them.
While calling on the Nigerian populace to engage the right building professionals in each phase of the design and construction process, he said the chapter has been working with the Lagos State government to ensure that the action documents handed to the state during past LAFs are properly adopted to stem the tide of building collapse.
Meanwhile, the relative term: ‘housing affordability’ remains the biggest puzzle to be solved among industry players to combat the rising housing deficit in the country, but Umah stated that the forum, through its ‘Lagos Home Design Competition 2019′ “will come up with prototype designs which will lead to the creation of an utopian community that will make houses to be a lot more affordable to people in different status of the society.”
Organized through a partnership between the Sterling Bank PLC and the Lagos Architects Forum, the ideas’ competition, according to General Secretary, NIA, Lagos Chapter, Arc. Abiodun Fatuyi is expected to throw up innovative designs that will drive adequate policy plans on affordable housing in Lagos.
Fatuyi noted that the competition is open to both students of accredited Nigerian tertiary institutions in Lagos State and eligible practicing professionals in the State.
“During LAF 2019, pre-registered discussants and participants will have several opportunities to interact and foster bilateral ties with stakeholders through the portal technologies we deployed for on and off site business interactions.” He said.
