Architecture can be viewed as a life form. It is birthed, lives for a period of time, experiences revitalisation through maintenance, and then dies. Some buildings move on to the next stage and experience reincarnation where they come back to life, this could happen in a number of ways. Sometimes, only a few building elements make it into this new life but more often than not, buildings are rebirthed into a structure with a completely different use than it was originally intended for. This is known as adaptive re-use, and alongside rehabilitation it has become a popular method of building ‘reincarnation’ pleasing both preservationists and architects.
Although architecture in Nigeria is not immune to the life cycle of buildings, it can be noted that whereas in other parts of the world, structures are undergoing the process of recycling after their first life, Nigerian structures are mostly permitted to survive only one life. This study seeks to investigate adaptive reuse and recycling of architecture within the context of the Nigerian building Industry.
Nigerian architecture and its rocky relationship with preservation have been studied from different angles. Some approaches have advocated for the conservation of Nigerian heritage through the preservation of historic buildings (Akinbamijo & Alakinde, 2013), while others have considered the environmental factors that threatened historic buildings (Sodangi, et al., 2011). This study delves into the perspective of preservation though rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of Nigerian structures.
As the continued disregard of old and historic buildings as well as lower quality construction in the country continues to be on the rise, a study such as this is of utmost importance in order to check the effects and explore the possibility of considering a range of options when faced with the need to create new spaces. This study also strives to continue the conversation on the importance of preservation in Nigerian architecture as well as open up a fresh debate about the need for serious environmental and historical consideration in choosing the path which a new project will follow as this affects how an area, city and country will evolve over time, and the visual quality of architecture which would be available for many years to come.
This research conducts a comparative analysis between the past and current architectural practices of the Nigerian building industry today which support the apparent lack of conservation culture and considers the plausibility of adaptive reuse as a practice to recycle architecture. The use of research papers containing information about Nigerian.
Masters Student
Department of Architecture
University of Lincoln