SPEAKER TALKS: POLOLA OLADIPO

The Big 5 Construct Nigeria hosts Polola Oladipo as one of the event's speakers on its launch edition in Lagos. Part of a broad complimentary and CPD certified agenda dedicated to educating and empowering construction professionals in Nigeria, Ms. Polola Oladipo's workshop takes place on September 11 at 14:00-14:30 hrs.

Titled "Addressing affordable housing and architecture in Nigeria", her presentation focuses on:

• Probable solutions to Affordable Housing
• Affordable Housing types available in Nigeria
• Home Ownership and the role of Architecture in urban land development

Here's what Ms. Polola Oladipo, Creative Director at Lisa Interiors, revealed to us ahead of the workshop:

What is the current outlook for the Nigerian Affordable Housing?

Nigeria has a low home ownership rate, lower than that of Indonesia (84 percent), Kenya (73 percent), and South Africa (56 percent). Some of the major factors that affect affordable housing in Nigeria include constraints related to the high cost of securing and registering land title, low financing, slow and complex administrative processes, and then high cost of land. It is clear that the mortgage finance industry in Nigeria is still in its infancy, largely excluding middle and low-income earners and targeting primarily high income earners.

As a result , an important number of Nigerians live in rented property of which living condition varies from shacks to formal housing with highly speculated rent.

What are the top 3 design innovations you recommend implementing to achieve affordable housing?

1. Modular construction using off-site prefabricated building materials.

2. Design of smaller housing units.

3. Creative designing such as co-housing, co-living and co-working.

How can affordable housing increase in Nigeria, considering the high cost of building materials as one of the major challenges for developers seeking to build?

I call this "Embracing the New". There is a need for developers, stake holders and construction professionals to research new and promising building materials locally and globally for low-cost housing construction.

What are the top 3 solutions to reduce the cost of housing construction?

1. Innovative financing such as crowd funding and pubic-private partnerships.

2. Use of technology and value engineering.

3. Employing the use of sustainable building materials.

​What will industry professionals learn by attending your presentation at The Big 5 Construct Nigeria?

By attending my presentation, industry professionals will learn to adopt a holistic approach to housing affordability, implying community thinking and adequate infrastructure (physical and non-physical) rather than from a stand-alone basis, taking into account economic, social, environmental and cultural sustainability. This strategic thinking needs to be championed by construction leaders who engage all stakeholders to be part of the affordable housing solution.
​ 

^{About Polola Oladipo -}

^{Polola Oladipo, is an interior design professional with extensive experience in exploring the relationship between architecture and the built environment, through the discourse of design. She has over eight years of experience in retail and commercial interiors, with five as creative director of her own firm, Lisa Interiors. Polola is passionate about designing solutions that match her clients’ needs and believes your brand should reflect who you are through its color, flow, texture, and design. With an eye for quality, a superior sense of style and a client-centered approach to business, she possesses an innate desire to create and design interiors that leave a wow effect on her clients. In her previous role as Project Architect with Svengali Designs Ltd., Polola led large scale commercial projects and partnered on mid to large scale residential projects. Having proffered design solutions to clientele ranging from religious brands, corporate offices, private residences to retail spaces, she tackled her first project as Lead Architect managing the complete furniture procurement for 9mobile Office, Oriental Hotel, Lagos. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York School of Interior Design and featured as a mentee in the schools’ Atelier publication in 2016. She was a Volunteer at Africa’s culture and Design Festival Lagos 2017, EteriorsSpace Summit Lagos 2018 and Dubai Design Week 2018 – the largest design festival in the Middle East.}

For more information about The Big 5 Construct Nigeria, and to attend the event, visit www.thebig5constructnigeria.com