Future of Bayelsa buildings worry architects

The Nigerian Institute of Architects, Bayelsa State chapter, has expressed fears over the future of buildings in the state.

The NIA said most of the buildings in the state could collapse in future because of rising population of quacks in most building sites.

Members of the NIA, led by its state chairman, Stella Raine, stated this during a courtesy visit to the Commissioner for Capital City Development, Zuwa Konugha, in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Thursday.

Raine decried the non-involvement of professional architects in most of the massive construction taking place in the state and expressed fears that the development could spell doom for most buildings and plans in the state.

She said the lifespan of most buildings in the state was uncertain, saying that most areas had been turned into squalors because architects were not involved in the planning and design of the buildings.

She said, The state may witness massive collapse of buildings in a few years time as a result of lack of patronage of architects but non-professionals that have taken over most sites.

Professional monitoring from the design stage is not there. Those not in the profession are handling the designs, a development that is dangerous for the future of buildings in the state. They do not conform to the basic professional standards in building designs and plans.

The NIA chairman said the structural failures might not be seen now, but that they would certainly occur in the future.

When such a situation occurred, people will begin to blame the professionals instead of the non-professionals that were contracted to construct the buildings, she said.

In his remarks, Konugha, who regretted the absence of architects in the ministry, said the importance of the profession in building and planning could not be overemphasised.

Originally posted here:
Future of Bayelsa buildings worry architects