Mrs Mobolaji Adeniyi, Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (FNIA) and Third Vice President of NIA headed the team that organised this year’s ArchiBuilt, an annual exhibition forum for innovations, technologies, systems, and policies in the construction sector. She spoke with Viewpoint Housing News at the close of the event in Abuja on Thursday saying ArchiBuilt 2018 would have recorded huge success if not for the change in its date. She insists that ArchiBuilt offers exhibitors what other exhibitions can’t afford them.
Viewpoint: How was ArchiBuilt 2018?
Adeniyi: This year, it went well. It could have been a bit better. This is one exhibition that always has that difference because of the professional input both in terms of participation and attendance. You have a lot of different exhibitions but you don’t have the real professionals in the built industry patronising them as much as ArchiBuilt.
At the opening, we had ministers and professionals — engineers, quantity surveyors all participating. We had a lot of architects coming to see the new products in the market.
We had some training sessions so they were taught the use of new materials. We had a lot of discussions — many architects giving us different views of what they see as architecture being driven by technology.
It’s been interesting but it could have been better. We had problem with time. This is the place we normally use. But they didn’t have this place available for the time we normally do it. So we had to push the event…earlier than normal.
And then it’s a little bit too close to the housing show [Abuja Housing Show held July 12-16]. Unfortunately, many of our exhibitors had been approached by the housing show. So many of them, now to come together, the same place in less than two months is too tough for them.
But by and large, our exhibitions are always with a difference. We had the student participation, we had the architects, and we had the professionals so not bad.
Viewpoint: You have had clients over the years. Some of them have exhibited with you for 20 years. What value can you say you have added to their products/services?
Adeniyi: Well, I’m sure, they’ll testify. Each time they come to ArchiBuilt, they get commissions. Here the professionals come. It’s not about my house, come and do my house. They know there’s value added to them – exposure to professionals from every part of Nigeria.
The former president of our institute is a former governor. He was here. He asked some of these exhibitors to come give him things. They met people at that level.
Viewpoint: Based on what has happened, can you say the theme has been well driven?
Adeniyi: Yes, I believe so. We’ve been able to trash it out especially with our talks. Looking at the exhibitors, technology is new every day.
Viewpoint: What do we look up to next year?
Adeniyi: Next year, we look up to have more innovations. This is what we want to promote. We don’t want to see the same things over and over again. We want to see innovations so we usually have competition among exhibitors – the best exhibition place, the best innovation over the year, more use of local materials.
Next year, we’ll focus even more on traditional materials and how technology is impacting on them in their fabrication and use.
