Oyepeju Fatuyi is a senior facility manager with Broll Property Service Limited. Fatuyi is indeed a multi- talented young woman with a background in architecture and energy management. Speaking in an interview with NGOZI OKAPLAKUNNE, Fatuyi spoke on the factors responsible for increased cases of building collapse in the country and how it can be checked. Fatuyi, who is also a certified energy manager, stressed the need for Nigeria to improve its usage of clean energy in cities and rural areas. Excerpts:
How does it feel being in a male-dominated field like architecture?
As a child growing up, my parents always encourage and made me understand that there is no limit to what a boy can do or what a girl can do. So, they always advise us to do our best at all times and with my interest in mathematics, it was very easy for me to consider an engineering-related course like architecture but, also attention to the ability to create a space influenced how we interacted with that space and related with it, which is exactly what architecture is all about.
While studying architecture in the University of Lagos, it was obvious that it is a male-dominated area with a very few females in the class even in relating, you will realise that as a woman within the class, you should show that you could even do well.
And while in the field, one should put the necessary work in place to make sure one is proving one’s value and bringing in the necessary worth in the profession.
In practising architecture, you work as part of a team, you position yourself properly in the construction industry because you are dealing with different types of engineers and builders, you are working with contractors, laborers among others.
Having been into practice for over a decade, do you think Nigerians involve architects in their building and construction works? If they don’t; what is the implication?
Majority of people don’t involve architects in their building and construction works. l will say it is mainly due to ignorance because many people who want to build houses think they can merely contact anyone that builds houses.
Most people don’t look for a professional, they probably ask a friend even from the point of buying a land, they supposed to consult a land surveyor and get information about the land.
Sometimes, you find people buying land based on referrers, they might even buy a bad piece of land, because they don’t have the professional competence to know which land is swampy, which land is water logged and which land is hard ground, the peculiar challenges with such lands.
When it comes to building, they rely more on friends or a family member that has built a house. That is not how to go about it, not even the best way, so l blame it on ignorance, even the educated people that you expect to know better, they still go about asking a friend and for them the motivation in that regard is that they are managing resources.
But, if you look at it in the long run, it does not pay, because you have gotten someone who is not a professional to develop your house or property, you have started on a wrong note.
If professionals are expensive, there is room for negotiation and you cannot quantify the fact that if you are using someone that is not a professional at the end you are going to pay for it, sometimes all through the life span of that building, you are not going to enjoy it, you may be probably afraid that one day government is going to come and it is so painful when the government steps in to ask of the approval document to know who did the property and they are coming to demolish the building because it is not in compliance with the state regulations.
Read also: Lagos Govt: Way out of building collapse challenge
It really does not make sense, and one should realise that professionals are willing to give the service, you need to pay them what is reasonable but beyond the fees, you also need to appreciate that with a professional you are getting a property that will stand well. Such professional will also consider the environment so that you will be comfortable leaving in the space, you will not be in the state that air is not flowing, or there is no cross ventilation.
So, if you look at all these, when you do a good building it will last about twenty years or more, how much are going to pay an architect that will feed him for such number of years?
Renting accommodation particularly in Nigeria cities is becoming more expensive. What do you think is the way out?
We do not have structures in place that make it easy for people to own houses in this country, there has been efforts by mortgage organisations, but that is not enough because if you look at developed climes, governments are planning and thinking about how somebody that has come out of school will start off life, become a family person and eventually a house owner.
In the United States, you have social housing, in Singapore you have the government that is doing different types of houses so that people could pay mortgage and then are able to own houses as they are earning salaries, we need structures in place in Nigeria. It is not everybody that can build a house from the scratch. Take for instance, Lagos has limited land space and in that land space you will see somebody building ground, first and second floor, the government can build proper communities where there are multiple floors, well planned, single bed room units and then people can rent rather than worry about how to build a house.
With a mortgage or some kind of structuring in place, one can from his earning live in a house, as he gets married and the family increases, he can then move to another kind of house and build a house when he is more comfortable.
The cases of building collapse are on the increase, what is responsible?
Apart from professionals like architects and engineers, who is training our labourers and the artisans? l have been in a school project, where we were building different hostels. We started the first hostel, l saw people carrying the head pans, mixing cement and sand, by the time we were building the second block, those that were seen carrying head pans have started laying blocks. Then the question is what experience or training have they garnered to be called brick layers?
At the sight you will see somebody that came just six months ago that was carrying head pan because he realises that the brick layer money is more, he starts to lay block, begins to bend iron.
Another thing is compromising the quality and quantity required in building, this is very dangerous.
Also, when the market is filled with substandard building materials it influences what people buy and if the standard of building is compromised due usage of substandard building materials it could lead to building collapse.
On the other hand, maintenance culture in the country is almost negative. There is need to maintain old buildings
We have buildings that are thirty to forty years in this country, government houses that were well designed and properly built; they are in a bad state now, because of lack of proper maintenance.
What is your assessment of clean energy usage in the country?
Nigeria needs to significantly improve its usage of clean energy in city centres and rural areas. This would range from using clean stoves to deploying large scale clean energy sources.
The cost of clean energy is said to be on the high side, however you need to look at the long term cost and the impact it has on the environment and chances of survival. Be that as it may, it starts with managing the resources that we have through energy efficient initiatives.
Governments globally are making efforts to push this through conferences like COP 26 and just transition. In Nigeria, certain organisations like NESP- GIZ are working with the ministry of power to promote initiatives that support energy efficient in different sectors and communities. There are also efforts geared towards developing a tariff system for alternative / solar system in the electricity grid – this could encourage private companies to build solar power stations and customers would have a choice of what energy source they can subscribe to. There’s also the need to promote and encourage developments that are energy efficient and government established the building energy efficiency code that is to be adopted as part of planning regulations in the states. Buildings in Nigeria should also aspire to achieving certifications like Edge, LEED to better position them in the market and attract tenants that are appreciative of healthy workspaces.
In addition, there has to be more training of industry professionals in the pathway to energy efficiency. Buildings that have green certifications tend to have lower operational costs and are usually more healthy for occupants.
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