Our Buildings: Our Heritage

Nigeria has a distinct history. Buildings are essential to telling history. Unfortunately, only a few of our old structures remain.

The old buildings are demolished to make way for new projects, with no consideration for the heritage of the existing ones.

The environmental impact of the demolition is also ignored. Most demolition waste, particularly concrete, is not reused to its full potential; instead, it is generally disposed of rather than reused as recycled aggregates for new concrete.

Ilojo Bar, a Brazilian-styled historic structure located near Tinubu Square in Lagos Island and dating back to 1855, was demolished a few years ago to make room for new commercial development.?

Similarly, a pedestrian bridge at the VGC end of the Lagos-Epe highway was recently demolished before completion due to road expansion on the axis.

Then one wonders if there was no proper planning for the road's construction and growth in the first place. The pedestrian bridge's story demonstrates our approach to the preservation of existing structures.

The Lagos state government's initiative to rebuild the Lagos High Court, which was erected during the colonial era and burnt during the Endsars protest, is laudable; nevertheless, more must be done to conserve the environment by ensuring that our buildings/structures are not demolished for no reason. Construction professionals must play an important part in preserving the history of our buildings in this area.

To promote sustainability, we must dissuade our clients from demolishing. Unfortunately, the government, which is meant to be a key supporter of not demolishing an existing facility to build a new one, is the primary culprit.

Laws requiring the preservation of existing structures should be enacted. Future generations should have visual evidence of our history.

As much as feasible, we should encourage sustainability concepts such as reducing, reusing, and recycling wastes for the social, environmental, and economic benefits of everybody.

Existing buildings can be modified into new ones, and they can also be rebuilt without having to demolish the old ones. This will save building costs, save time, decrease waste, and earn revenue for the property's owners whilst reducing the negative impact of demolition on our environment.

Government and professionals should work to preserve our historical legacy by ensuring that historic structures, or any building, are not demolished to make way for new ones.?

Demolition should only be considered as a last option.