Moment you are a Student of architecture, and your school (FUTA) is on Strike.

When you are an architecture student like me, and you happen to be a student of futa that is currently on Strike, is boredom that will kill you till you start playing with sand... lolz.

Well, this was what happened to me during my last weekend, don't laugh yet because a lot of practical things were learnt, which a typical architecture student or civil engineering student will understand. If on session guys would be busy doing something of this such below.

But on holidays, nothing except probably your laptop if you have one... So I was so bored, I chewed my pencils of course am on holidays so obviously no instruments to play with... looo and behold I saw laterite (clay) at my backyard and decided to have fun... to do something we call Indigenous African architecture (village huts) with of course clay but a modernized roof not palms this time.

Materials and Instruments:

• Sieved Laterite (clay),
• Pieces of vernier, 
• Broom,
• Scissors,
• Butter knife,
• Superglue and 
• A base.

Modelling process:

• Sieve your clay,
• Add little water to achieve required elasticity, 
• Prepare your base, by making it a bit moist,
• An architect must always have a plan, so sketch your plan on the base,
• Start building, ensure your foundation is strong lolz, 
• When you've achieved your required height, you need to include your fenestrations (doors and windows opening),
• You would realize your model wants to crash even without an opening, that is where the Broom is useful, of course for reinforcement,
• So you stick the brooms up in the model at the lintel level round each wall... that's the importance of a lintel, if you don't know before, know now, it helps to bind the wall together as a whole and carry the load from the roof or slab above.
• When you've done that you are free to cut open your fenestrations.

The roofing process:

• The first thing in a roof system of course is the roof trusses.
• Create a column at the middle of your model to reach a required roof height acting as your king post.
• Now your Broom acts as your rafters and purlin,
• So stick them from one side of the wall reaching the king post at the apex,
• Do that round the wall to complete your roof skeleton. 
• Cut the pieces of vernier with a scissors and glue it to the purlin as required, I used a hip roof, you could achieve the type you want.
• Insert your door and window fittings if you want one, and then your model is completed.

Lessons learnt:

• you would understand the basis of a building structure, 
• Importance of reinforcements,
• Concept behind the village hut,
• Importance of daub Or bamboo used as reinforcement in the indigenous African architecture, 
• Properties and importance of laterite (clay),
• Why clay is a sustainable material,
• Why the African Indigenous architecture lacks a bit of modernization, 
• And above all why our Indigenous African architecture is highly sustainable, increase the life span of human and create engagement with your nearest environment.

So anyone who read this through would realize I didn't only have fun, I did a lot of learning too... lolz. Learning should always be accompanied with fun and relaxation. 

Architects around the world do it in style, so as futarians. I remain my humble self, Adelaja Fawaz, a proud student of architecture. 

So in summary, this was my journey this weekend... do I deserve kudos, only one who understands my rubbish would tell, if any questions or comments you need place, do that below and I would gladly reply. Thanks.