Building Failures In Nigeria: An Architect’s Perspective

Abstract

Incidents of building failure have been on the increase in Nigeria in recent times, leading to avoidable losses in human lives and property. The effects are far-reaching, encompassing emotional, psychological, economic, and environmental effects among others. This paper is a review of the stages in the building production process, highlighting the role of the architect through the stages. It addresses the issue of building failure from the perspective of the architect, who is the prime consultant charged with the conception of the design of the building. The aim of the review is to highlight the architect’s duty of care in building production, which has the likelihood of reducing incidents of building failures in Nigeria. The research methodology involved review of newspaper reports and scholarly studies on building failure. The findings of the paper show that notwithstanding other issues that may contribute to building failure in Nigeria, unprofessional administration of the building delivery process remains a key contributor to the failure of buildings in the country. The findings further show that there are well defined laws, that if adhered to by all parties concerned can address positively the issue of building failure, and that the architect has a continuing role in building production, and can work in synergy with other built environment professionals to reduce building failures to the barest minimum. The paper concludes by advocating an adherence to true professionalism by all actors involved in building production. These actors which include clients, design and construction professionals, logistics professionals, specialist consultants, building materials and equipment manufacturers, and development control agencies must function in their defined roles for there to be seamless delivery of buildings that will forestall ugly incidences of building failures.