Spotlight Interview: Bukola Fazaz on Detail, Design, and the Power of Curiosity

“I was always curious, taking things apart just to understand how they worked. That curiosity led me to architecture.”

Meet Bukola Fazaz; an experienced Architectural Technologist whose passion for precision and love of creative problem-solving make her a standout in the field. With a BSc (Hons) in Architectural Technology from Technological University Dublin, Bukola is fluent in CAD, Revit, and the language of technical detailing.

Born in Nigeria and raised in Drogheda, she brings a rich cultural perspective and a deep appreciation for structure, collaboration, and craft. Her journey is one of resilience, inspiration, and a lifelong curiosity about how things work.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your background, where you're from, and how you found your way into architecture.

I am Nigerian born, Irish raised. I grew up in Drogheda in a family of natural born creatives. Ranging from sound producers, film production and culinary arts. It almost felt natural to me to take some form of creativity. I was quite a curious and inquisitive child. Taking things apart to understand what was inside. Wanting to know how things “just are”. It wasn’t however, till my 3rd year of secondary school that I saw architecture as a career path I would be certain of

Was there a particular moment or influence that made you realise architecture was your path?

While flipping through the pages of our history book on this particular topic “The Renaissance“  My curiosity was driven by how detailed and precise the buildings in that era were designed. From that class I went home and continued to research Renaissance buildings and that was the moment I realised I wanted to know more about how buildings are constructed and how they could be detailed so precisely. Architectural technology suited me better because a lot of the practice is in the detail which was where my curiosity first started.

What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced on your journey so far – personally or professionally?

Architecture can be quite subjective, meaning, given it’s an art, it’s a little less structured in its marking than the likes of maths or engineering where the answers are either right or wrong. I think one of the biggest challenges in studying architecture is not knowing if your best will be good enough. What might seem great to you, another person might believe you can do better. Retrospectively this has taught me to be willing to go back-and-forth on work until you are able to satisfy both yourself and the client or lecturer. it has also taught me resilience, not taking critiques personal. Feel the emotions and continue pushing yourself. In the earlier Uni days, often after tears but ultimately we kept moving 

Have there been any key mentors, projects, or moments that deeply influenced your work?

A key moment in my career that has influenced my work is working alongside detailed oriented individuals. People who would come to me and sketch out their thought process. This helped me to “go back to the sketchbook” always drawing things on paper before going to the computer, which had always been an earlier practice. Growing in a computerised age I’m always inclined to go to the computer first but this helps me sketch out my thoughts first and remember that the computer is just a tool to assist and make my work somewhat more efficient. The real work is down to first mapping out the details.

Some of Bukola's work

Can you describe what a typical day looks like for you as a young architect?

A typical day could start with briefings in the morning on the tasks that need to be addressed first. This could be reviewing wallpaper sized drawings or a conversation recapping the last design team meeting. These conversations and reviews are then taken to the computer to be implemented. In today’s world the computer is our sketchbook. We collaborate our drawings with the engineers and landscape architects to ensure our designs work coherently and when any clash in design is identified we try to either find a resolve ourselves or call another design team meeting to come up with a compromise that still meets the design brief

Is there a strong community or network of architects locally? How do you connect or collaborate with others in the field?

Architecture is a highly collaborative industry. A lot of our work is done alongside engineers, surveyors and sub/contractors. There’s definitely a strong sense of community when your work is not just done with the people that share the same office space as yourself. We also now and again plan drinks after work with the design team at either the end stage of a project or a key moments within the project.

Are there particular trends or movements in Irish architecture right now that excite you?

What would you change about the architecture industry, if you could

One of the movements within the Irish architectural industry that I find exciting at the moment is the work that is being done to meet the demands of the housing crisis. The residential industry alongside Data Centres seems to be what’s trending.

What would you change about the architecture industry, if you could?

Currently speaking, I don’t think there’s anything that I would change in my opinion. Architecture is quite a demanding industry and it can prove to the have it’s challenges, but I personally enjoy those challenges. It drives me to think critically and creates an in-depth attention to detail

Quickfire Round!

• A building you wish you designed? The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku

• Coffee or tea while working? Coffee

• Favourite architectural style or era? The Renaissance

• Sketchbook or software? Sketchbook

• Dream collaboration? Zaha Hadid (while she was alive)