Congo/Architecture: OAC and UDSN sign partnership agreement

On April 13 in Kintélé, Antoine Béli Bokolojoué, President of the Congolese Order of Architects (OAC), signed an agreement with Prof. Ange Antoine Abena, President of the Université Denis-Sassou-N'Guesso (UDSN), to support the alma mater in reformulating its curricula and supervising students' continuing education.

For some years now, UDSN has been training young architects and urban planners through its Institut supérieur d'architecture, urbanisme, bâtiment et travaux publics (ISAUBTP), who then undertake internships in the architectural agencies, practices and design offices of OAC member architects. The President of UDSN, Pr Ange Antoine Abena, pointed out that this agreement would help this institution of higher education to review the ISAUBTP programs and create intelligent cities. He invited the OAC to play an active role in training teachers and revising curricula.

This partnership will create concrete links between OAC and UDSN. It will focus on exchanges of expertise and continuing education activities, through practical internships that will be beneficial for students.irreversibility of climate change by integrating renewable energy sources, a compulsory route in architectural and urban design. The OAC also pledged to do its utmost to ensure that UDSN diplomas are recognized throughout Africa and internationally, by contacting the world's architectural governing bodies, notably the International Union of Architects and Unesco.

OAC President Antoine Beli Bokolojoué, for his part, recalled that the act undertaken by the two parties was not a simple administrative commitment. According to him, it represents an important step in their shared desire to strengthen the links between the academic world and the requirements of professional architectural practice in the Congo. In this respect, he continued, it represents a concrete, relevant and structuring response to the major challenges facing the country, precisely in terms of employability of young people, professionalization of curricula and development of national skills.

"The action we are taking is a strategic lever in the service of public development policies, in that it fosters synergy between the academic world and organized professional bodies. In the architecture, urban planning and building sectors, which are at the heart of regional development, infrastructure modernization and the improvement of the living and built environment of our fellow citizens, this collaboration is of paramount importance. There can be no development without a university, no future without quality training, no city without architects", recalled the President of the OAC.

Making ISAUBTP a place of excellence

For him, architects symbolize the act of building, designing, renovating and developing. Hence the need for UDSN's architectural institute to be a place of excellence, where quality architectural professionals are trained. Beyond its aesthetic dimension, architecture is a cultural expression of a society in terms of space, form and historical context.It is an activity of project design, an intellectual tool forged by man to solve the problems posed by his habitat and environment.

"Architecture is therefore both an art and a science. This is why, through this agreement, we are affirming our desire to promote responsible architecture, through its profound impact on society, culture, the economy and the environment, and to encourage the professional integration of the young people who will graduate tomorrow. Today's young students are tomorrow's future. They are the ones who will shape the city of tomorrow, who will repair the city of today. As it happens, tomorrow is already today," said Antoine Beli Bokolojoué.

He also praised the UDSN president's commitment to working alongside the OAC to lay the foundations for lasting collaboration in the service of young people and the country's development. He expressed the hope that this agreement would be the starting point for edifying cooperation and fruitful collaboration between the two parties.

Pr Louis Ahouet, Director of ISAUBTP, also welcomed the signing of the agreement. "We're in our sixth year, and every year we send students to architectural firms for practical training. But we've been looking for this agreement for a long time. This time, we thought it was really time to sign the partnership protocol, because we've already finished our first master's course. Some architects have already been recruited by these firms", he explained.

Source: www.adiac-congo.com/