Architecture without Architects

Introduction
‘Onitsha City architecture’ is a term coined from the prevalent culture of building without architects that involved mostly Onitsha based sole proprietors and business magnets and the pattern character and style of building stock produced within the period 1975-2000 and beyond in Onitsha City and its neighborhoods.
This blog is intended to be a critique of this period and its ‘cut and paste architectural style’
The period 1975-2000 coincided roughly with the close of the Nigeria Biafra civil war. The Igbos never built on a large scale prior to the civil war since majority lived in urban centers thought the nation.
The few available accommodation served the families during their December holidays.
The exponential growth of the Igbo population after the war and the realization of the fact that many that escaped the northern pogrom never wanted a repeat experience necessitated the large scaled individual building projects across the Onitsha Cityscape.
Our Mission:
This blog shall post materials that discuss this pattern of residential development that happened within this period and subsists into the 21st century-giving rise to ‘Architecture without Architects’
In this era's project procurement method the contractor assumes the role of all building industry players and in a turn-key arrangement constructs the block of flats.
All the clients does was take the contractor to the block of flats that he (the client) fancies and the contractor finds his way of extracting the physical dimensions and 'pronto' the project takes off until completion.
The Vision:
The disturbing aspect is that this trend has been entrenched and seems to defy all solution at its eradication to the peril of all stakeholders.
In the light of the introduction of a National building code that should regulate building industry processes our sincere concern should be that implementation of the code should sweep across the whole of the building industry both public and private.
Our audience:
Welcome then to the Onitsha City Architecture Blog. The blog’s membership is for architects, civil,structural, electrical and mechanical engineers,builders, lands and quantity surveyors, Planners, developers landscape architects and interior decorators as well as the prospective client.
I enjoin you to feel free to contribute to this blog and post your comments as your fair share in transforming our building practices from an entrenched 'die hard' traditional methods to more sustainable building practices.
Ikpe  Okafor

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