On Wednesday the 10th of December, 2014, ATO Architects held her 2nd Annual Lecture at the ATO Studios Library in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.  The guest speaker was Arc. O.P.A. Ladega, Principal Partner of Interstate Architects, whose paper was titled – SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE; Random Musings From Over Three Decades of Private Practice.

He said to a very captive audience that Architecture is an expression of civilization and quoting Rem Koolhaas, he pointed out that Architecture is always playing catchup with culture.  He talked about the “commoditization of Architecture” where even though architecture is a bespoke and unique product each time, it is treated as a mere commodity by the general populace, as reflected in the way architects are paid.  He talked about value, relating it to the soccer world, but also talked about the “aso ebi” or copy-cat syndrome.  To avoid the misrepresentation of the work of Architects on the pages of newspapers and other publications, Dr. Leke Akintilo of IAA, a Structural Engineer pointed out that professionals need to write technical papers on their projects.  The lecture was very well attended and a nice way to wind up the year and prepare for the end of year celebrations.