Achieving a well- planned physical environment: Myth vs fact ( 2)
PERHAPS the most common myth is that an artisan with decades of experience is better than a professional when it comes to building construction. While one must admit the great potentials of some highly skilled artisans, the truth is that there is need for regular training to bring them up to speed with advances in the industry.
Professional supervision by those who know what they are doing is also essential. These are people, who by training under the whats and whys of building processes. For instance, there are different types of cement categories designed for specific purposes. One is designed for plastering and other finishing works, while another is designed strictly for setting. An artisan might not know the difference! Here, a professional should come in! He should be able to determine the best type of material needed per time.
Of course, Government, through the Ogun State Building Production Management Authority, has created a channel for interaction, training and knowledge transfer for the artisans in the State. Meanwhile, people need to be aware of the need to employ professional builders, architects, engineers and other professionals in their projects, rather than focusing on the cheaper fees that artisans purportedly agree to.
If you ask many, they will list all the ways government has failed to provide social amenities and infrastructure for the populace. Meanwhile, these same people resist Government’s attempts at ensuring sustainable development through proper planning. For instance, when a community is not properly planned out, spaces are not ear- marked for future developmental activities such as the provision of schools, hospitals, police stations and even recreational areas. This is one of the major benefits of obtaining Lay- Out plans;- to ensure that areas are properly designed towards optimal functionality, safety and aesthetics.
A building without a drainage channel will only create a nuisance to the immediate environment, or even lead to destruction of available facilities like roads and walk- paths. Individuals ought to see themselves as partners in progress with Government, treating government property within their communities with utmost respect while calling attention to the need for repairs/ intervention before such properties break down totally.
The final myth to be addressed in this article is that ‘ if other buildings can get away with not following the requirements before obtaining their permits, so should mine’. This myth is defective on various levels. First, that others are doing wrong does not mean that wrong should become the norm. Second, these so- called developments that do not follow the requirements might have obtained ‘ condonation’. What this means, is that they might have attempted to regularise their papers and have been condoned or made to pay penal fees. The implication of this is that government is aware of the existence of such buildings, but is not responsible for keeping them safe, in case of disasters or future extension of public facilities. What is more? Houses and buildings like this will not be eligible for compensation if government needs to, say, expand roads in the area, even though such have been condoned.
Buildings are essential to the quality of human lives, and quality buildings can put the mind of its inhabitants and neighbours at rest because they are sustainable, durable and functional. It is important that citizens and residents alike recognise that the regulations and extant laws that govern the built industry are meant for the protection of lives and property.
Violation of regulation on airspaces, setbacks, building on water channels or floodplains, building under high tension wires, building with substandard materials or building without professional supervision, will have its effects felt at an individual level before it is felt at governmental level. And as the catch- phrase of the National Orientation Agency’s campaign towards building the Nigeria of our dreams goes, building right “begins with you”.