Titilayo Adeleye is an entrepreneur, and seasoned architect with over 32 years of experience in the field, a life and etiquette coach, where she applies to propagating moral values and good conduct. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of Eden Group, Lagos. In this interview with Geraldine Akutu, she shares her love for architecture and other sundry issues.

How would you assess your profession?
Architecture, for me, has been a fulfilling and exciting journey, yes, there have been challenges but in all, the opportunity to conceive projects in one’s mind and see them become reality will always remain exhilarating.

Why private practice instead of seeking employment in public service?
Upon graduation, I was actually looking at getting a job with a parastatal but in the process of doing that, I got a job in a good private firm and that formed the trajectory for my path in the profession, ever since. I must say, my practice went on to do a lot of work with government parastatals, thereafter.

Architecture is often seen as male-dominated. What stands you out in this profession?
In my opinion, architecture is no longer really a male-dominated profession. All over the world, and in Nigeria, especially, quite a number of women are making their mark. What has worked for me in my professional journey is to make excellence my watchword on every project whether small or big. When a job is well done, it becomes immaterial whether a man or a woman did it. It is worthy of note that female architects do add a lot of value because we have a natural eye for detail and for aesthetics.

In this harsh economy, what will keep one moving in the architectural practice?
The current atmosphere cuts across all businesses. Business owners must be able to keep their business thriving in both good times and the not so good times. Business owners must ensure that their overheads are not unnecessarily high. They must also save and invest in the business when the going is good. It is important that they carry their staff along in whatever plans and changes they make in running their organisation and must remain flexible in their modes of operation to accommodate changing business climates in this new normal.

What are the challenges you have encountered so far?
As a woman operating within the African setting, you sometimes, need to do much more than your male counterparts to prove your mettle. Also, we currently have a lot of unqualified quacks operating within the profession and they are unfortunately being enabled and patronised by clients who are either ignorant or not willing to pay industry recommended remuneration for architectural services rendered by qualified architects. This has led to an increase in the number of substandard and defective buildings in the society and is also portraying qualified architects in bad light. The body of architects is doing a lot of advocacy in this regard and we implore government complement our efforts by passing legislation that will discourage this unwholesome practice, and thereby, safeguard lives and property of Nigerians.

How do you bridge the gap between when the business is thriving and when it is low?
Like I said before, in my practice we have ensured that we remain flexible in our operations to accommodate the changing business climate. We also have also explored affiliated streams of income within the construction industry.

Looking back, what are the things you felt should have been done better?
If I had opportunity to do things differently, I will begin to invest in my company as an entity very early. I will also engage in more collaboration with other professionals and ensure that I put in place more structures that will position my company to run independently of my person.

What will you tell aspiring architects?
I advise aspiring architects to ensure that they go through a period of formal or informal mentoring or tutelage after graduation to further learn the ropes of practice properly. They must also keep developing themselves and ensure that they develop their entrepreneurial skills alongside their skills as architects. They must ensure they are knowledgeable in the principles of design and not just artistic presentations so they are able to produce buildings and spaces that are not only beautiful but also functional. It is also very important to have a good grasp of corporate governance and international best practices.