Good evening……… Thank you for granting us this interview out of your busy schedule. Now…..let us get to know the group. We want to know your names and your background
Lanre: We appreciate Chronos Studeos for this opportunity.
Lanre: My name is Timothy Olanrewaju Alao, a graduate of Architecture B.Sc and M.sc from Covenant University Ota Nigeria. I’m from Oyo state. I’m passionate about sustainable Architectural design and creating architectural movies. I love good music and playing the Guitar.
Moshood: My name is Moshood Emmanuel Mayowa, I’m fond of designing across various scales.
Olumide: I am Owoyele Olumide Daniel, a graduate in M.sc Architecture, Bells university.
Why did you enter the competition 2016?
Lanre: I love participating in design competitions and this wasn’t an exception. However, I needed a team of like minds as against a solo entry to deliver a winning entry. A notable motivation to our entry also was the intriguing nature of the design brief due to its constraints and design challenge.
I entered the competition mainly to gain exposure to different design opportunities, Network and be more creative in solving important problems of society and also to test new skills and ideas I have been mastering. Lol
Moshood: I have a flair for competitions and challenges because I see them as avenues to grow.
Olumide: I was invited by a friend and picked up interest. I immediately felt it was a good opportunity to learn on a competitive ground and also show off what I know.
Lanre: So we formed a team, leveraging on our individual strengths.
What did you think of the brief given and what were your challenges during the Competition 2016?
Olumide: The brief was very interesting as it wasn’t a regular building but one that would cater to the fast-approaching future. It as for architects so it was also supposed to be my dream workplace and my interest was bought in full. For challenges personally, it was time and some communication issues.
Lanre: The brief! Hmm…The brief was simple; A futuristic Workplace. We tried to see it from a futuristic perspective throughout our design thinking process from research to the final design. That explains the unconventional components we had to design. The challenges were; we didn’t want to over-design or under-design because no specific time of the future was stated, with the limited time for delivery, we had to stretch our capacity while working smart to deliver;
Moshood: My challenge was of the need to learn new software applications, manage it along with school work, knowing how best to collaborate and even accommodation when we were done with the semester.
What has changed about your life and design mode since winning The Competition 2016?
Olumide: It has made me more open-minded to competitions where I would normally have been sceptical. My approach to design and presentation has also greatly improved.
Lanre: Personally, my participation in The Competition 2015 and 2016 has kicked my ideas into hyperdrive so I can push my vision to the next level in this fast-developing industry. I have learnt the importance of thinking critically about every aspect of my design and presentation.
The Creative Architect’s event and award ceremony was an incredible event to meet mentors just walking the floor. I have learnt how to collaborate; valuing the inputs from each member in the team. Each member had an area of strength we leveraged on, to produce an amazing design within a short time span.
Moshood: The result of the competition showed me that the very minute things matter. Lol
How has it impacted on your attitude to life and success?
Lanre: It has helped me to always strive to be the best in my area of specialization, I have a better attitude towards preparation, discipline and strategic work. I also realize that success is ultimately God’s favour.
Olumide: It has definitely boosted my confidence to believe anything is possible if you do your best after pushing your skills and acquiring knowledge. I’m more confident in my skills.
If you had an opportunity to partake in The Competition and work on the same brief again, what would you do differently?
Moshood: I would have us work together at the same location for a longer period of time and make sure no stone is left unturned if we worked on the competition again.
Lanre: I will pay more attention to the details. We would start work together earlier and our workflow would be more fluid because of more practice and mastery of the software we used.
Olumide: Well, We’ve all learnt a lot now so we will definitely be more mature as a team.
What has been your proudest moment as an architect?
Moshood: Hearing awesome comments about a building I designed from people, especially those who didn’t even know I was the architect.
Lanre: When my team for 2015 was announced as First position winners of the 2015 competition, it boosted my confidence.
Olumide: My proud moments as an architect is when I see a project I helped develop completed and the input I made being brought to life. It’s a good feeling.
Do you have any words of advice for prospective contestants?
Lanre: Cultivate team spirit, leave your comfort zones, start early and don’t give up.
Moshood: Teamwork pays.
Olumide: Work as a team. It’s better than working alone. Three heads are better than two and two heads better than one.
We appreciate you all, for this interview. We wish you great success in all your efforts
Amen. Thank You
