One thing in life that I will never forget is the benefit of Architecture in our society based on beautifying our environment.
For some days now, I have been occupied with my hotel work as a front office manager. I have to take a break permission from work today to visit one of the best recreational centers there at Ihiagwa Owerri West. The recreation center is one of the best recreation centers in the whole of Imo State Nigeria.
The center is best known for its wonderful services for relaxation. People from different places in Nigeria love visiting this recreational center for leisure periods from their work. The recreational center offers craft training for the citizens of the state in sewing clothes, bags, and many other handworks. The recreation center also offers computer training for people within and outside the state.
This recreation center was built to promote and support people’s talent or skills within the state and according to its history, the center has been in existence for the past fifteen years which means that the center has trained so many people with different skill acquisition that they are all currently practicing to the general public.
This recreational center is so beautiful not minding how small the outlook of the building but the structure of the Architects and the designer of the building were perfectly made from observation. When I was looking at this center, I didn’t remember again that I am still in Nigeria thinking that I was already in a foreign country.
The space provided by the Architects for the building was perfectly considered when building by the Architects because where cars can comfortably pack by visitors of the recreation center was perfectly provided and even some trees were also planted in order to prevent the heavy breeze from affecting the building. Most times especially in Nigeria some Architects do not provide space where trees can be planted because they do not understand the value of trees surrounding a building.
Looking at the roof of the building, I will categorically tell you that this is the first public building in Owerri Imo State to carry a thatch roof because the building was designed by foreign Architects. The main reason why a thatched roof was considered by the Architects for the roofing of this building was to give it an Architectural structure and design of beauty and comfortability. The thatch roof used for this building made it look more attractive to people within and outside the state.
The other reason why the Architects also considered the thatch roof for the building was also to make the room spaces look more comfortable by reducing the heat of the sun from the roof. Though the Architects used a normal roof with wood and zinc before applying the thatch roof at the top of the roof in order to make the roof of the building last longer without being damaged by heavy breeze or wind.
One of the key things that brought out the real beauty of this building was the use of red brick blocks that were directly made locally with clay and then burned with fire before it was used for the building of houses. The brick blocks made the management of this recreation center not to be spending money on buying paints every year for the building which has definitely saved the cost of making the building dirty even in the dry or rainy seasons.
The brick blocks used for this building fit the thatch roof because both match in the building of a good house. The building is too strong from the foundation because of the brick blocks used for the house.
