Elements of Architectural Design and Interpretation of Buildings and Monuments in Kaduna State

Abstract

Understanding and interpretation of some features of buildings and monuments at public buildings and utilities is one of the challenges facing end-users and general public particularly the end-users and commuters across the globe. These features shape the final outlook of the buildings and monuments. Therefore, the end-users and commuters understanding on these buildings and monuments should not be ignored at both inception and completion. This is because occupants ought to know how buildings and monuments should look at completion since they will be the end-users. This study assesses elements of architectural design and interpretation of buildings and monuments at public buildings and utilities within Kaduna metropolis which was achieved through; the identification and examination of the principles of architectural intellectual appeal, determination of the current level of understanding and interpretation of buildings and monuments by end-users and general public. A total number of 150 questionnaires were distributed to public buildings and utilities users, commuters and general public within Kaduna metropolis. They were asked to demonstrate their level of understanding in interpreting of buildings and monuments at public places and utilities within Kaduna metropolis. A total of 81 questionnaires were retrieved representing 54% of valid response rate which were subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study found that the level of respondents understanding on the interpretation of buildings and monuments as average. That is attributed to the following reasons: difficulty in understanding and interpretation of some building features and some principles of architectural designs and intellectual appeal as well as lack of using strategies that will enhance the understanding of building features at project inception by designers. Again, partial and complete neglect of end-users by professionals in some projects has made it difficult for them to understanding and interpret buildings and other structures when completed. Lastly, low level of education of some end-users, commuters and general public on elements of architectural design is responsible for their inability to understanding and interpret buildings and other structures.