Calabar International Convention Center

There you have it, a lovely render of a scenic view of the Calabar International Convention Center designed by the Copenhagen based architecture firm; Henning Larsen Architects. Considering that Copenhagen previously was titled the happiest city in the world - hopefully this design orginating from a happy-city based practice will have that essence?

Henning Larsen Architects say that;

"The multi-functional and flexible building will also offer the citizens of Calabar a new cultural centre that will provide the setting for concerts, film festivals and exhibitions.

The Calabar International Convention Centre consists of four adjoining, sculptural volumes. The building is situated on top of a hill and has a panoramic view from the foyer. On the one side, the location on the middle of the hill creates a natural amphitheatre with a room for several thousand people. On the other side, you have a spectacular view of the river delta.
The volumes are cast in concrete and appear as sharply cut. The main hall can be opened up towards the outdoor amphitheatre so the technical installations of the stage can also be used in connection with outdoor events. The flexible building design allows for several types of events to take place at the same time." 

Location:	Calabar, Nigeria
Client:	Cross River State
Gross floor area:	16,000 m2
Year of construction:	2011 - 2013
Type of assignment:	Winner of invited international competition

There is something very, Sydney Opera house about this, don't you think?


From the information provided on the Henning Larsen website, construction should be mid-way by now.

Information from HenningLarsen.com

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American International Hospital Calabar

"OMMA Healthcare is currently developing the new American International Hospital Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. This new US Standard acute care facility is being designed by Rees Associates. The hospital is scheduled to open in 2012 and will provide a new standard of medical care to the citizens of Nigeria." - OMMA Website

"The Government of Nigeria desires to provide quality healthcare to the people of the Calabar region as well as provide an excellent environment for persons traveling to the Calabar, Cross Rivers region to receive healthcare services The REES solution is a 200 bed, four level hospital on a complete campus offering an outpatient clinic, residential housing, retail and a hospitality hotel and conference center. Ease and quality services for patients, visitors and employees is a prime concern for the Nigerian government.

The hospital is directly linked to clinic and the outpatient services which includes a 12 exam room clinic, outpatient dialysis center, outpatient infusion center, radiation oncology and an outpatient pharmacy. Two, three-level residential buildings providing 100 living units is connected to the hospital through pedestrian walkways. Also all five, 400 square meter retail buildings are linked by a series of covered pedestrian walkways. The hospital is located at the highest point of the highest point of the site for a high profile presence to the surrounding community and travelers passing through. The exterior is simple to directly reflect the clear and functional planning of the hospital." - Rees Website

Rees is a U.S. based architectural, planning, and interior design firm - established in 1975.

It's about time I must say!

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Tubali: Hausa Architecture

Enjoy!

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Residents of Makoko made homeless

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Nigeria Adopts Global Standards for Interior Designers and Architects

'NIGERIA, yesterday, adopted the declaration of International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI), a global body that sets standards for industry operators.

Vice President Namadi Sambo, called for stronger partnership between professionals in the sector and government as he believed that it would help unlock enormous potentials in architecture and interior designs and enhancing the country’s drive towards sustainable growth.
Sambo also expressed that “a properly managed built environment would stimulate development.”

He charged the private sector to key into government’s aspiration to make housing affordable to all income earners.

IFI declaration contains a set of professional codes that architects and designers of countries subscribed to it are expected to imbibe while discharging their responsibilities. When the codes are religiously enforced, designers earn more trust from clients who are in turn compensated with improved services.

Reciting the declaration to Sambo and other participants, Caan said: “This is what we do; what we create and what we give… It is the difference we make and why we choose this noble profession.” She read the declaration, which covers expectations from designers as regards value, relevance, responsibility, culture, business, knowledge and identity before handing it over to Sambo.

Earlier, Caan, who alongside the Executive Board of IFI visited the country for the first time, lauded the Lagos State government for ongoing rehabilitation in the state. She, however, charged government to pay more attention to infrastructure and education, which she said, are critical to economic development. She also tasked local designers on originality of ideas.

Experts at the plenary called for the institution of necessary policies to deepen local content in the sector. Improved local participation, they said, would stop capital flight via importation of interior decorations, which they put at $6 billion yearly.'

Paraphrased from: The Guardian Nigeria

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Off Topic

I discovered an article where President Jonatham discusses Nigeria's future..

"Jonathan therefore announced that Nigeria’s foreign policy would henceforth be based on attracting greater foreign direct investments to accelerate domestic growth and create jobs for Nigerians."

“I am confident that by 2015, Nigeria would have witnessed transformation in all sectors to the benefit of not only its citizens, but also those who have an interest in the country,” he said.
The security challenges in the country still featured in his address, but the President declared that his administration was on top of the situation. “We are dealing with the issue decisively. It will soon be a thing of the past.”

It is the sentence, I have highlighted in bold, that seriously irritates me. I really wish that our leaders would stop trying to master the art of smooth talking and actually do things.

I rarely delve into politics, and that will be the same case here but let it be known, I cannot stand when leaders talk very nonchalantly about extremely serious issues.

It's the same as if a Doctor handing you a lollipop to calm down your nerves after telling you that he's found a tumour in your brain.

It's ridiculous!

We trust you to help us, not to soothe us, who cares about words, when the actions are the consequences we live with every day of our lives...

Oh Nigeria!!


Source: The Guardian Nigeria

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Fantastic Read #3 New Directions in African Architecture

Dear readers,

Firstly, many apologies for the huge hiatus in posts.

I found the following book to be extremely interesting in understanding the issues African designers face when designing architecture for their respective countries.

Author: Udo Kultermann
Title: New Directions in African Architecture
Date first published : 1969
Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Directions-African-Architecture-directions-architecture/dp/0289796741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348959803&sr=8-1

This is a very old book and it doesn't come with an attractive front cover, but it does have a lot of content which is still relevant for today.

If you're looking to read books which discuss not just issues that are specific to Nigeria, but allow you to cross reference and learn from other countries, then this book would be ideal. It's also very short.
Why is it that architecture in African countries emulates rather than evolves its own style?

If you would like to get your hand on a copy, please comment below.

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Eko Atlantic - New Visuals

Here are some new visuals for the famous Eko Atlantic project in Lagos.

Views of the Marina at West Point.

Is this Lagos or New York ? :)

 

And where are they going to find generators to light all these towers :)??

 

Source & Property of:  EkoAtlantic.com

They are lovely renders if I do say so myself!

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The Catholic Church of the Transfiguration - Lagos

London based architects DOS Architects, were appointed to design The Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Lekki, Lagos (2009).



Visually the design is very striking. I am particularly pleased to be able to share with you, the 'architect's' thoughts on his building. One thing about architecture is that there is always a thought behind it, much like art, sometimes your experience of the building/piece can be transformed by simply understand why and what was the thought behind the building.

It seems as if they were not intending on producing anything vernacular or related to the culture or traditions of the people living in Lekki, and because this is a commercial project that is a very justifiable standpoint to take. This building therefore becomes an icon or landmark rather for the church and brands the church. Since the shape is so striking, I can only imagine all the interesting descriptions people would give to describe the building perhaps to a wayfinder, perhaps it is the 'fish shaped building' or 'the building shaped like half of a traditional 'African' drum'.. I could go on (post any suggestions in the comment box below).

When asked the architect said that:

"Even though our design proposal may seem unconventional to the untrained eye, it is actually based on traditional principles of Catholic Church design: The main congregation Hall features a Latin cross above the Organ and altar; The hall has a nave and two aisles at each side which are all coincident with the main axis of the Church; we have placed a Latin Cross on the highest point of the Church’s structure, which will become an icon for the city of Lekki and Lagos as a whole."

Pictures below..

"The project consists of an organic skin which, in one single gesture, becomes the roof and external walls of the Church, enveloping and protecting the Congregation within. The main access is placed in the narrowest and lowest part of the building and leads into a spectacular entrance foyer, from which the visitor has views and clear access to both floors of the Church. The main staircase in the entrance foyer divides the Church into two halves which are visually linked by the large atrium that traverses the building. The funnel effect within the entrance foyer moreover reinforces the huge and spectacular scale of the main Congregation Hall and the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration to either side."

"The architectural concept and structural form are integral, with a series of arches of varying heights producing the sculptural form of the building as a whole. Arches are one of the oldest and most efficient forms of structure, utilizing the full height of the building to provide stiffness resulting in a relatively slender structure. Fabricated steel arches are positioned at 4m centres along the length of the building, with cold‐formed steel purlins spanning between the arches supporting the roof finishes and ceiling within. These arches are supported on each side of the building by a series of piled foundations taking vertical loads into the ground beneath. The horizontal thrust which results from the arching action is resisted by a reinforced concrete ground slab which ties the two bases of the arch together."

Pictures follow (click for larger views): 

 

 

 

 All pictures property of DOS Architects and sourced from their website

I am interested to know your thoughts about this project. I understand that visually it does not appear vernacular nor traditional, however this is a non-Nigerian firm that designed this project, and unless specified by the clients/church they had no obligation to design from a different stand poit. Do you think they have been successful, are you convinced that the design has fulfilled the brief, surely it has fulfilled the functional aspects of the brief, which is to provide a church suitable for the size of the church's congregation, however, has it convinced you that this is a great response to that, or is it simply a sore thumb in the environment for all the wrong reasons.

Comment below and I will post my opinions shortly.


Also if anyone happens to have pictures of the construction process please email them to me : tjdesignz [at] hotmail.com

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What does an Architect do?

I sometimes ask my friends, family and colleagues to tell me what they think of what an architect does, or what the job entails, so true to fashion, I ask again:

"What does an architect do?"

And if you find that hard to define, please tell me "What do you think their job entails/involves".

Much appreciated.

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