01
Architectural Design
Every successful building starts with a good design, and design is where most of the important decisions about cost, comfort and durability are made. Our architectural design service covers concept design, working drawings and landscaping for residential, commercial and institutional projects. We begin by listening to the client: who will use the building, how many people it must serve, what the site allows and what the budget can realistically support.
From that brief we prepare layouts and elevations that respond to the local climate. In Maiduguri and the wider North-East, that means paying attention to heat, strong sunlight, dust, seasonal rainfall and good natural ventilation, as well as to the way families and organisations in the region actually live and work. Our team uses computer-aided design tools such as AutoCAD, ArchiCAD and 3ds Max to produce clear drawings and visualisations so that clients can understand a proposal before construction begins.
The drawings we produce do not stop at the sketch stage. They are developed into coordinated sets that the builder, the structural engineer and the quantity surveyor can all work from, which reduces confusion and costly changes on site. Because architecture sits in the same firm as construction and engineering, our designers stay in touch with how things are really built.
02
Building Construction
Building construction is the core of what Fani Nigeria Limited has done since 1981. We construct residential, commercial, educational and institutional buildings, ranging from single bungalows and housing units to estates and multi-storey complexes. Our work has included housing, school buildings, university staff housing, health facility renovation, office accommodation, shopping plazas and military accommodation, built for state and federal bodies, development agencies and private clients.
We build in line with the approved drawings, the specification and applicable state and local building requirements. On site this means setting out accurately, preparing sound foundations, using good concrete and blockwork practice, curing properly, and keeping a careful record of materials delivered and work completed. Where it suits the project, we use blocks produced at our own yard, which helps us control quality and supply.
Our own plant and vehicles, including tippers, tankers and light vehicles, allow us to mobilise to site and move materials without relying only on hired transport. Whether the job is a new building, an extension or the renovation of an existing property, we agree the scope, programme and payment stages with the client in advance, supervise the works daily and finish with an inspection and the correction of any defects before the building is handed over.
03
Civil & Structural Engineering
Civil and structural engineering is about the parts of a project that carry load, move water and hold the ground together. Fani Nigeria Limited carries out roads, bridges, culverts, drainage, water supply, foundations and structural systems. These elements are often hidden once a project is complete, but they decide whether it lasts.
Good civil works begin with understanding the site. We look at the soil and the way water moves across the land, because poor drainage and weak foundations are among the most common reasons buildings crack and roads fail. Where needed, our team includes geologists and engineers who advise on ground conditions and on the foundation type that suits them, whether that is a strip foundation, a pad foundation or a raft.
In structural work we construct reinforced concrete foundations, beams, columns and slabs according to the engineer’s design, with attention to reinforcement placement, concrete quality, formwork and curing. Our civil projects have included the construction of reinforced concrete culverts and beam-and-column works. By carrying out civil, structural and building work within one company, we make sure that the person designing the structure and the person building it are talking to each other throughout.
04
Project Management
Large and complex projects fail more often from poor management than from poor materials. Our project management service covers feasibility, planning, cost control, supervision and delivery, with the aim of keeping a project on time and within budget. We can manage a project that we are also building, or support a client who has appointed other designers or contractors.
At the start we help the client define the scope and decide what is practical. We then prepare a programme showing the order of activities, the key dates and the resources required, and we agree how progress will be reported. During construction, we monitor progress against that programme, track costs against the budget, check the quality of work and materials, coordinate the different trades and deal with problems before they grow.
Clear communication is a large part of the job. We give clients plain reports on what has been completed, what remains and whether any change is likely to affect the cost or the completion date. Changes to the scope are discussed and priced before they are carried out, rather than after the fact. At the end of the project we manage inspection, the correction of defects and the hand-over of the finished works, so the client receives a building that is ready to use.
05
Electrical & Mechanical Services
A building is only useful when its services work. Our electrical and mechanical service covers the design and supervision of electrification, power, telecommunications and building services installations. This includes the layout of power distribution, lighting, cabling and earthing, as well as mechanical items such as water supply arrangements and ventilation.
Services are best planned together with the building, not added at the end. When electrical and mechanical requirements are considered during design, ducts, conduits, plant rooms and cable routes can be built into the structure, which avoids breaking finished walls and floors later. We coordinate service layouts with the architectural and structural drawings for exactly this reason.
During installation we supervise the works to make sure that materials match the specification, that cables and pipes are installed neatly and safely and that systems are tested before hand-over. Safety is central to this work: poor wiring and poorly installed equipment are a real hazard to occupants. We also take into account the reliability of power supply in the places where our clients build, and we discuss with them how a building’s electrical system can be arranged to cope with that situation in a practical and economical way.
06
Quantity Surveying
Quantity surveying is the discipline that answers the questions every client asks: how much will it cost, and how do we make sure the money is well spent? Our quantity surveying service covers project budgeting, cost and time controls, fluctuation projections and efficient resource planning.
At the planning stage we measure the quantities of materials and work from the drawings and prepare a bill of quantities and cost estimate. A bill of quantities lists every item of work in a standard way, so that contractors can price the same job on the same basis and the client can compare like with like. It also becomes the reference document for valuing the work as it progresses.
During construction we prepare valuations for stage payments, track expenditure against the budget and assess the cost effect of variations. Because material prices can change during a long project, we also look at likely price movements, known as fluctuations, so that the client is warned in good time and can plan accordingly. At the end of the project we assist with the final account, so that everyone can see what was built and what it cost.
Related
See examples on our Projects page, learn more about the company, or read our practical guides on planning and managing a building project.
