 In the real estate industry, design and techniques are the defining factors and foundation of achieving the best construct. Whether in the real estate, oil and gas are any kind of engineering. Many industries utilize 3D modeling for a range of products. Now using 3D designs enables customers and clients to have a full idea and concept of the proposed 3D structure from start to finish. This is extremely useful for envisioning the final product during peaches or to order stakeholders. On the show today we will be focusing on the real estate sector or its specific emphasis on 3D modeling. Welcome to Business Insights and Plus TV Africa. I am Justin at Cadone. Welcome back. Three dimension modeling is a science and art of creating real life impression and presentation of development proposal. It is a way of mimicking the interpretation of brain-eye combination of human brains. It can be done as physical paper model or as a computer model. Joining us on the show today is Benedict Abey Architect, 3D interior designer and he is with AfriBeni Works Nigeria Limited. Many thanks for joining us on Business Insights on Plus TV Africa. Oh hi, pleased to meet you Justin. Let's talk about this 3D model and design a whole load has been said that to break it down to people watching what it is what is it really about? Okay what we take to site and when we start construction is 2D what we have on paper but 3D really exposes you to some things look great in our minds colors patterns and then we end up constructing them in real life and you find out not so great actually and then what 3D model what 3D models do for us is you know we can change the colors you know re-render you can change the colors the patterns whatever you want to do you can see it in 3D models before you take it to real life so it's it's less expensive you know you don't have to the opportunity cost all those costs you avoid all of them so you don't have to break things and you do it on the system before you even go any further so that's what it has done is very futuristic and it's very helpful trust you talked about futuristic meaning that is it like a novel idea as it has been practiced for quite a while now oh funny enough it has it has been around for a while it has been around for a while but in Nigeria we've slowly been adopting it actually it's a I know back in architecture school it's it's been there 3D modeling has been there in architecture school but it wasn't something that was thought in depth it was it wasn't thought rather in depth in in architecture school you you you find out the there was so much focus on 2D modeling and sketches because it takes us a little back but when you check the competition out there you find out that 3D modeling models have been around since early 2000s it has been there you know that's that's what they even take it to the next level abroad where it's not just about visuals now you you can check building credibility you can calculate the lumens of light that is smart building is supposed to use so you don't waste so much energy you know you can test it on models you can test lights you can test it's a ventilation system you know sometimes we just guess oh this place should use 1.5 horsepower AC she used 2 horsepower 1 horsepower but you know we can test that with 3D models over there you the the power your consumption your consuming so many other things they do the position of the building you can use relative to sunlight okay this particular area you using Google map you can check okay this is amount of sunlight hitting the particular building at a particular point in time how much heat the building is generating and then you can know how much power how much air conditioning how much light you know stack effects a couple of things that you can calculate with 3D modeling that's what has been happening out there but we are currently adopting now the visual parts of it and I know we're growing towards that level and I know if you're in the near future would definitely get to that level all right yeah it has a whole lot of potentials and it looks very very wonderful but in terms of cost let's talk about cost benefits analysis right now yeah in terms of cost in is it something that is readily available sometimes readily affordable for you know architecture might just be starting up okay it is readily available to for architects who these days it's there's quality there's something there's a 3D model and then there's something we call rendering rendering is where we take oh you you model something you you model a space I could model this space like this studio where we're in now we could change a couple of things in the model but rendering now takes it it makes it realistic so it goes from that cartoon looking thing and then you start to edit the materials okay how do walls react you you check this is cement it doesn't reflect you take away the reflectivity you you put the grooves in wood all of these things so that is when it gets to rendering that is where it gets heavy where you need a system that can handle it at the point in time so for a country like us I feel 3D modeling is something during the model stages you use it to gather funding you know you can use it to gather funding grow as a pro as an architect practicing in the industry you use it to gather funding but like my father used to say a workman cannot be better than these tools so as you gather funding you invest in your business and then you can get some of those systems that improve your rendering subsequently as it as it goes because those are the parts that need something expensive and then people render you know you can render 720p picture quality 1080p 3 3k 4k you know all the way to 8k so it depends on the kind of engine render engine or computer systems that you have but you can make money at every level you don't have to get to the point where you're rendering 4k you it's a ladder you can render at 720p for some projects you know it will come off good you can use it you know a couple of bungalows a couple of some interior spaces you know like a bedroom a somebody's asking for a living room a kitchen you can do that but you want to do a whole project a full project you want to do like a mall or something you want to do like a commercial space then you know that you have to have grown and earn money from doing a living room doing this gather money and then you get the render engine that can do those kind of commercial projects that you're probably um hunting for okay let's talk about uh you know the industry really because uh a lot of times people believe that um architecture as it says uh some brain tasking uh brainstorming kind of uh you know uh field of study you know from the university and all of that because before now we were told that uh you have to be very patient you have to be very artistic to be an architect you haven't spent um six years but again how do you see the industry in Nigeria in terms of um you know uh how things are done internationally are we really doing things the right way okay we we are doing things the right way actually I architecture I won't lie is very tasking and I'm not saying this because I'm an architect and it takes a lot of patience I remember um in my third year I when I was doing my it I was going to stop architecture for one reason I was going to stop for one reason I was doing my it I was going to stop for one reason it to be very it is a very weird reason okay I was I was working in an office here yeah and that office they were vetting shop right designs um you know those times they were designed in South Africa but you know when it comes into a new country the it has to be acclimatized the design has to be acclimatized into the rules yes to suit the rules that guide um our building sector here in Nigeria so um I had a senior architect his name is Wally at the time he was working there at the firm and he was responsible for designing the car park you know when people just come and then you see a car park you you're like yeah I didn't mean to even design you have to design a car park because oh wow if you're looking at oh this particular building is going to have like a thousand people um growing in and out at a particular point in time you now think to yourself okay it should have um how many people can be in a car maybe two to maybe four five people in a car meaning 1000 divided by five it means you should have a car park that can take 200 cars you understand yes oh wow so when you have you have to manipulate that space to suit 200 cars if not you would not get approval or something close to 200 cars you understand so um um there's your turning radius you know people don't there's a lot of calculations there's a turning radius you know that oh you must have a 90-10 meter space for you sit down you know it's like that so what made me to I found out that he had he had this designated space that he had to do so-so amount of um parking and he was working on that for about two months you know he would do the parking the turning radius then who he'll submit it and say no you know he didn't meet the requirements some of the things are wrong you have to provide for people um people who can't walk and all of that you have to create a different kind of car park you know all of those things and I now talk to myself I wake up get to work eight or nine o'clock and I'm working on a car park from then till five p.m every day for two months some people can't run mad you need you need you need a a kind of mental psyche you know to be able to monotony can kill you in architecture some projects they can give you a project and say you know that project you can be working on the same project for six months all you know that all you know is you wake up in the morning you're going to the office to do this particular thing you are seeing the same thing for six months oh so if you don't have the patience if you don't have the mental psyche to say okay this is what I want to do all you do is sleep eat you wake up you're thinking about your design you can get very out of touch so I thought to myself what is this what I want to do car park for two months you know so I was thinking I was very discouraged but you know I I can't be stubborn too and just say you know what I'm doing this and I'm here all right so that's that is um so the question the question is how are we doing in Nigeria vis-a-vis in comparison to but I think we have been doing we've been doing really nicely I don't know for some reason a lot of architects they are the names are as keeping my head right now I can name a lot of architectural firms that have been doing really good even in the international they are getting awards in the international world in West Africa in Africa and even abroad generally you know we've we've been doing well I I feel like we've gone past we had a phase of not being appreciated you know everybody just feels so I want a two bedroom we can get babahu to just cut here cut here what what is there that's the thing they do with the Nigerians the average Nigerians is average Nigerian patronizing architect to draw designs for their structures yeah yes now have we gotten to that level yes we we yes we have yes we have when like the island you know that's why a lot of people are having that urban shift to the island and parts of the mainland you know Ikeja, Magodo, Bagada a lot of those places they are really moving into the appreciation of architects people don't know that oh it's one thing to just cut spaces it's another thing to know that oh your bedrooms should face the east where the sun rises because when the sun rises heat is supposed to enter your bedroom to drive you away from bed while your living room should be cool because it is facing towards the west oh wow you understand that's that's new too yeah so during sunset it has rotated towards the west and your living room is getting hot but your bedroom is cooling okay oh wow do you understand so there are a lot of things that come into architecture it is not just cutting out spaces you understand they love so people are starting to realize that and then the increase in value of land people now know that I can't just call somebody to cut spaces cut spaces when you get to Ikeja and see that some places are 600,000 per square meter you can go and throw a lobby of five or six meters in the lobby you realize that oh you have done a 30 square meter lobby at 600,000 per square meter how much have you used in the lobby so that has really pushed people to start to appreciate architects and what we're doing with the space what we're doing they need someone who understands space programming then interior design, anthropometrics, the human form in relation to his environment you know some of these things that has really pushed it it has so architecture is really improving in Nigeria it is it is improving but what more do you think the government can do in terms of maybe creating a level playing ground or in terms of you know all that is needed to make the industry move forward what more can be done can be done by the government okay there was there was something I raised which is the reason why the cost has become so bastardized is because it takes a lot to become an architect in Nigeria people don't know but it takes longer than being a medical doctor it does take it's four years BSE, two years compulsory masters and then you serve but you're not exactly earning in the society where we're in do you have children do you visualize them not earning after four years of school you understand so in in the field of architecture you're not really regarded as anything if you don't have your masters yeah they can you you might even be paid like an IT student it's even possible to be an architect without being without having a master's degree yes to an extent yeah that's that's where I'm coming to because um what was being practiced what is being practiced in America and Canada is when I finish in 400 level there's an I'm an architect to a particular kind of level in in the sense that you have approval and accreditation to I can design a bungalow I can design maybe one or two story building you understand something that falls into a category of maybe a project shouldn't be more than one million dollars or five let's just say you can't handle more than a five hundred thousand dollar project or two hundred thousand dollar project I'm an architect to that level but I can't compete for projects that are up to two million dollars because people who now have an MSc are those who are qualified you understand the governing body would not allow me who has a BSE to fight for those projects and those projects are two hundred five hundred thousand dollars people in MSc level cannot fight for those projects you know so everything everybody can make money at different levels and then you that you're a big firm you've been practicing for like 10 20 years you can fight for the governmental project worth going into billions but what is happening here is you find the people with the big firms still struggling for the bungalows and the one bedrooms and all that with the people who are down here so these people have no chance they now all have to have a paradigm shift into the big firms you understand that's that's that is the that's the frustration that is is going on so they should find a way to sectionalize this thing the way they've done it abroad of course I can't add even at 300 level or at 400 level I can't handle a project all the way yes there'll be some supervision and all that but I can't handle a project and so they should give them a chance to earn money and not be subjected to oh if I want to gather experience at a firm I should but if I want to practice I can practice to a level yes okay let's talk about you know for startups now because on the show we're trying to give advice a useful insight for people who may want to get into particular industries now I'm completely I've done with my architectural studies in school and I'm thinking I want to be on my own I don't want to start with maybe one of the big names I just want to see what I can do in my own little sphere what advice would you really give to someone who wants to be an entrepreneur in architecture with all of the technologies the 3d designs and the modeling and the rendering you're talking about what should he be looking at okay where um 3d designers also given an opportunity for employment was where I did my it initially I realized that we could be done with a design but the company we were contracting 3d's to we're not even an architectural firm yeah they were just um graphic designers oh wow 3d graphics and all that and they were eating a lot of money that was what was happening so um if you I would really employ or employ that you improve on your 3d design improve on it um you can work in those firms to gather experience because um sometimes your designs cannot be better than what you've seen you know is from there are hardly any new ideas even what we call new ideas are modified old ideas so if there are no old ideas to modify you understand so our advice oh take one year two years work with these firms go look around see a couple of places you know it to really enforce what you're doing then always always check what is going on in the outside world so you don't become a local champion then when you improve on your 3d modeling also uh don't expect that they'll start to pay you the big bucks all of a sudden put your works out there get to work for people get referrals if you keep doing more work than you are paid for at some point you start getting paid more than the work that you're doing but but uh other general terms uh yes a professional career in architecture is it rewarding is it worse the way financially yes it is yes it is um yes it is if you are patient you have to be you have to be patient especially um it's not just knowing oh i'm a professional this is what entails professionally you should uh as an architect you should be adaptable and you should know where you are at this is Nigeria okay you're not you're not some other place and all that we're still growing in our respect for professionals and it just it doesn't just deal with architects lawyers you see engineers and so many as a lawyer is it every person you meet as you do an agreement for that would pay you five or ten percent you know they negotiate a lot of these things so and if you're going to be staunch and not say you are not open minded to all of these things so at a point that would happen you have to grow you have to pay your dues you have to but you know what always have a plan um this is where i want to be in two to three years and walk towards the plan all right yeah right thank you so much and benedict for sharing this useful insight and all of the thought and uh architecture through the modeling rendering and all of that on the show do appreciate your time thank you it's it's wonderful being here all right uh it's the business insight on plus tv africa we've been speaking with uh benedict a b architect and 3d interior designer he is with afri bennie works nigeria limited now as we round off the essence of collaboration and knowledge sharing to educate and empower africans and trends and possibilities of the future of work and businesses has been brought to the fore that this was the focus at the inauguration of the knowledge digest africa conference aimed at building a continent's largest one-stop digital knowledge bank take a look africa africa's one-stop digital knowledge banking platform it has often been said that most businesses die not necessarily from lack of funds but as a result of death of fresh ideas new technologies and facts to ensure productivity it is against this backdrop that this digital knowledge bank has been put together in her keynote address commissioner for education in lego state for last a day at the fissile emphasizes the place of collaboration the founder of the digest samson olatunde who speaks about his passion for the past 15 years says the country must leverage emergent digital technology to produce employees of labor for the 21st century look at the synergy that you can get from you using mobile online platforms how many people can you teach in a class 30 40 50 how many people can you teach online millions so i think that by you know because there's a masterclass component of it and there's also the fact that there's a market component of it how many people enter a bookshop to buy a book but how many people go online to buy a book so i think it's a great initiative and i hope many people will tap into it we believe that many people are struggling with implementation because they probably expect knowledge from a developed country and then many things are structured in a developed country unlike our country that is developing an order african country so we felt why can't we look for business leaders executive career professionals who've been there for over a decade right they've gone through a lot in their country in the industry so they will be able to share experiences and help many people connect more to navigate in terms of maybe they want to start their business they want to sustain their business they want to scale up their business or most importantly they want to build a system around their business which is saving them stress time energy and money system saving stress time energy and money and the whole idea of non-digest african is going to be a collaboration with order young think guys people in different industry for medication also this is what's really important so yes how do you think everybody will resolve for other speakers share their thoughts on the need for a digital bank including the immediate past president of the chartered institute of bankers of nigeria who gives useful insight on the need to create trunk generational wells most businesses that would die die within the first uh two three four years and if you are able to sustain a business beyond 10 years then it makes sense that you try as much as possible that that business at least you ecosystem thinking means i'm not the sole provider of a solution okay i get to in touch with people who are like minds people who can actually augment whatever product that i'm developing such that it moves from being a product into a solution that way first you can reduce your cost of delivery because other people are imputing to the cost of delivery too you can have a faster route to market that way because a lot of people are bringing in expertise that you don't have on your own alone the information on the platform shows commitment towards providing digital learning in line with the digital policy of the federal government and that's the size of the show for this week i am justin see you again next time bye for now