History
ATO Architects started out in 1987 on the back of a winning entry in a design competition for the squash court complex of one of the oldest clubs in Nigeria, Ikoyi Club 1938. The early work of the firm was geared towards satisfying the needs of new financial & banking institutions, for which the stylized neo-classical and post-modern were the vogue. The firm went on to prove herself by winning a string of other competitive bids for work including the 17 storey, 3-tower headquarter building for the Federal Inland Revenue Service at Abuja.
Technology
We deploy the latest technologies including BIM, 3D Printing technology and VR in ensuring speed, standardization, and precision for our clients. Our history is replete with a synergy of technology and reinventing standards – like we did with the cylindrical cores of 149 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi Lagos where we shunted the staircases to the perimeter of the building or when we were one of the first earliest architectural offices in Africa to adopt CAD in 1994.
Standards
In 1994, we sought to improve our design services by implementing a Total Quality Management System. In 2018, we received our ISO 9001:2015 certification from Bureau Veritas. We will consolidate on this by implementing ISO 19650:2018 standards for BIM and developing a Standards Library capable of facilitating easy workflow between our collaborators.
Sustainability
As early as 1997, while working on an office complex for Nigerian Conservation Foundation in Lekki, Lagos, we were adopting sustainability principles such as floating the building on foundation pads and introducing solar panels. This was before green architecture became mainstream. Today, two of our partners: Ekaete Bassey and Ugo Chris-Aluta have achieved LEED certification in addition to their licensed architect status.
The Company
Our vision at ATO Architects is global. With a solid operational base in Nigeria, ATO Architects is also registered to practice in the United Kingdom and in South Africa. Presently, our offices are in Lagos, Abuja and London. We have been invited to submit proposals for several key developments in Cameroun, Ghana, Liberia, South Africa and the Republic of Benin.
Subsidiaries
We operate subsidiaries integral to our core business. These subsidiaries look holistically at the entire value chain of the Built Environment industry and offer services ranging from real estate development to facilities management and from construction to training. We act as builders and land speculators who develop and sell high quality affordable housing, design and build properties, undertake the development, sale, and management of properties, including estates to sell or to lease. In other instances, we offer a range of services including: facility audit/condition survey service, maintenance and management of hard and soft services including electrical, mechanical, civil infrastructure, landscaping, grounds, support services etc.
These subsidiaries include AT & D Estates, ATO Properties, ATO Studios