REANIMATION; a case for the courtyard in Nigerian contemporary architecture

- There is a problem, an epidemic even.

Fortresses, strongholds and monoliths of blockwork and high-pitched roofs. That’s what comes to mind
on taking stock of the outward and inherent designs of residential buildings across scales and densities
and class systems. Our buildings all share a common story; tales of sick, stuffed and insufferably lit
living spaces rife across our cities, towns and by extension, little communities. A seemingly-immortal
phenomenon that sticks around even as intermittent architectural fads and trends come and go.

A heightened sense of territoriality in our living spaces has and still is playing a major role in how our
buildings are designed, constructed and dwelt, holding up quality of life in these buildings. Prophylactic
fences and burglar proofs, deficient fenestrations in these walled-in homes are some of the elements
used in defining boundaries and assert a sort of security blanket, birthing an architecture based of onion
philosophy on steroids.

What this means is that occupants of the average Nigerian home have become habituated -if not
indifferent - to the effects of user-unfriendly design so much that the decisions of their architects are
not questioned, instead the resultant poorly aired and lit spaces are not seen as a cause-effect construct
of the lines of the architect but as socio-political issues. (Cue blaming the heat on lack of electricity but
not insufficient window openings). While the socio-politics do exist – the unchecked surge of insecurity
in the 80s, a succession of perfunctory governments, etc - and duly affect the way of life of the Nigerian,
(See Koolhaas’s works on Lagos), The effecting inability of openings used in our buildings to meet
basic needs of human comfort; ventilation, lighting, thermal neutrality etcetera and the refusal of
architecture to tender solutions to these needs should be simply unacceptable.

- Not an anachronism, history has proof.

A well-designed courtyard, can be an integral organic building component to collect and redirect fresh
air, water and save energy, as it has been for ages hitherto as well as a space of community, of social
coming together and of therapeutic benefits.

The indigenous tribes of the construct of present day Nigeria have long had their architecture
synonymous with the courtyard space, as an assorted mix of shared functions, place of festivity, of
education, receiving guests, relaxation and meetings, as courts of law in palaces, settlement of strife
and receiving dignitaries, as water collecting impluvia, making craftwork, shrines amongst other
functions.

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The courtyard was more than an architectural space but requisite to the lifestyle of the people, so integral
it was usually either the most influential or the most used space of the living space, and in some cases
both, a correspondence of today’s living rooms (cue “parlour”, “sitting room”). In essence, the courtyard
existed.

- A swift, slow death and how it happened.

Enter, the colonials, with a simple singular goal to tinker the architecture to their convenience. Open
plans, large windows, french doors, pitched roofs and a lot of wood in construction as well as sheltered,
open spaces in forms of balconies and verandas that helped the white masters conquer the heat, rid the
rains and still collect enormous volumes of fresh air. Convenience? Check.

While Colonial architecture may still be one of the few positives of the British rule, (No, hand over fist
pilfering and leaving behind a deeply divided people in a plastic partition of a country does not count),
it also doubles as a ghastly first step in hindsight, the omission of the courtyard space.

The quintessential colonial had no need for it and understandably supplanted it with the veranda. A
change of functions, as expected, took place. Where the native man gathered his kin in his culture-
bespoke courtyard, the white man had little of kin in his “liberated” (see conquered) land and his doing
away with the courtyard becomes quite understandable. The few who brought family over were mostly
less belligerent administrators, clergymen and teachers; had their veranda, a place to see over
proceedings and shelter. A space for familial bonding became a duty post to watch over subjects, a
space of storytelling under the moonlight, counselling, resting after long farm hours and journeys, for
taking stock of farm happenings morphed into a place of dictatorial decision making, of receiving
instructions, a court of sometimes brute judgement. The disregard for a historical context in the
development of this new architecture spilled into the pedagogy of architectonics, from the masters to
their draughtsmen and students in workshops and universities.

As their reach spread through the country, the conquered aspired to be like them, bearing gifts of theism,
education, power and technology, the native men were of course taken by this all. A Stockholm
syndrome masterclass.

Always a reflection of times, Architecture, would not be left out, as the fad was to be like the white
man, dress like him, eat like him, pray like him, and essentially live like him. While the British certainly
didn’t pass law abolishing courtyards, they however, expediently set its exiling into motion. Come the
60’s, on handover and ‘independence’, the obtrusion on the erstwhile way of living; of building was by
now complete.

This evolution spewed out a teeming young and gullible populace who now ate from cans, wore bow
ties(why?) and moved to cities, Cities which also had only recently witnessed the absorption of sizable
numbers of returning former slaves at the end of the previous century. The burgeoning population of

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former slaves meant the inflow of new money; With new money came new architecture; new lifestyles.
This population either wanted to build like the colonials or the returnees, and when they did, the
imported spaces as well as their functions inadvertently solidified their place in the subsequent
vernacular architecture of the time; up and replaced was the former centre of the home, in came the
modified dining rooms, living rooms, verandas and balconies.

The new spaces fell short of their purpose as they were items of efficiency, tailored to purpose and
specifics for the European and his lifestyle, unlike the all-encompassing, courtyard. Where the courtyard
cooed accommodation and carte blanche, the new spaces fielded restrictions and a stringency of allowed
functions where you could do this in the parlour but not in the dining room, you could do that in the
veranda but not in the living room which was becoming less well-lit and aired, had valuable bric-a-brac
and needed to be pristine for visitors etcetera. This delineation of spaces created a segregation of sorts
in the house and less social interaction as was usually the courtyard’s raison d etre.

Innate sociocultural patterns developed over hundreds of years before the adoption of the colonial style
would see its eschewing and the overbearing recall for the courtyard’s functions in the home which
were then spread thinly between the new spaces as well as the building’s surroundings. While the
veranda, living, dining rooms, kitchen and store to some extent did cater for some part of the courtyard’s
functions, their being purpose-built meant the focus and design attention shifted from the users of the
space to the function of that space.

By natural selection in the design of spaces, a triumph of the function gave rise to the optimization of
the needs of the elements inhabiting the spaces over the needs of its users. Pertinent questions like how
many people can this space house and how can enough light and air be provided them? were replaced
by statements like this is enough light to illuminate this room, this is enough window opening to get the
smoke from cooking out, a room must have a wardrobe, we cannot have two large windows on opposite
walls when we could have just one and the wardrobe on the other, etcetera.

The domination of function continued further as its inanimate elements determined how the spaces were
used, as their spaces were designed just so, In the living room, it was the presence of furniture, gadgets
and the ornamentation on the wall that dictated how much opening the space got, In the dining room, it
was the singular function of the dining table with a light usually hanging over to further highlight its
dominance. While the dining room takes the cake for the least used space for the disparity between its
function and user needs saw its function mostly transferred to other rooms where other forms of
interaction could hold concurrently. It has over the years, in many homes simply become an extra, a
neglected space of more bric-a-bracs (why not just have a larger living room?).

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 - A modernist resurgence, enter bespoke contemporary architecture

Modernism, with all its glass and openness, held great promise, of bringing the beauty of the outside
in; the surrounding landscape, freshness and light but the cues for incorporating the courtyard may just
lie in the principles of the Modernist style of Architecture and it will not be no innovation.

Before independence, the Colonial administration commissioned a slew of modernist public buildings
in schools, for administration, commerce, this continued with the subsequent self-rule who
commissioned more school buildings, factory complexes, hotels, transport hubs and more. The series
of commission led to the development of modernism tuned to our climate that was pioneered by jane
Drew and Maxwell Fry

In the early mid-70s, as Nigeria became truly rich courtesy oil money, austerity fast ran out of fashion,
some will argue that the vogue tropical modernism failed to appease to the tastes of the nouveau riche
because it did not pack enough variety to satisfy the men of the day with so by the end of the 90s it was
eroded, allowing the to rear its head and the now dreary post-modern reigned.

The aforementioned heightened sense of security and privacy has made sure the average Nigerian has
morphed the style into a sort of pseudo-modernism has seen the very basic principle of openness and
fluidity twisted so the term modernism becomes synonymous with rigidity and stoicism. Big, bold,
thickset, block forms.

In lieu of large open fenestrations, the pocket of “standardised” windows stayed. (room window larger
than 1.2 metres? so your client can be spied on? Or so their belongings can be easily burgled?).
Leaving out some beautiful, efficient tenets of modernism, such as the ribbon window was not even
given the probing light much less a tentative outing. The ribbon windows I believe could serve the
climate and our sick buildings so well.

Something profound almost always emerges when a people revisit their history and pick out the good
to navigate the present. And with modernism the courtyard space came rather easy,

While valid questions posed remain, Times are dire, the developer would certainly worry about the
footprint a courtyard would demand on basic social housing for the middle and high-density buildings,
there superficial problem of draining? The wont of architects to simply toe lines and avoid upsetting
apple cart.

We don’t have to look too far, we have leading lights amongst already, with constructive careful and
an inclusive and research based, double take of our architectural practices, we can break the chain of
sick buildings, the pointers are there, we only have to pick the light.

The courtyard is beginning to catch on or enjoy a resurgence with contemporary architecture, as the
boxy similar trend needs it to intervene in its tendency to be boring, there comes the courtyard, bringing

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the beauty of the outside world into the austerity. Fantastic examples across scale are, Casa kwantes by
MVRDV, VIA 57 West by BIG and the Brick City House by studio B.

The case has been made, Clients developers are the main obstacle for efficient well-thought courtyard
spaces, they rule the roost in the bigger, noticeable projects, there sure are courtyards in many
residentials, closed off to the public Posers usually sung by developers (aka hoarders of square meters)
are draining issues, overgrowth and greenery the moist brings into the building.

All which boil down to the problem of a maintenance culture. The house should be a machine for living
in, why not maintain your machine. Regular checks et al

The courtyard has always been a ubiquitous answer to these architectonic questions

it was rife in the post-modern buildings that influenced Nigerian admin and public buildings of the 50s
60s with British postmodernism which It failed cos too many post-modern building sprung up quickly
and things were copied blatantly,

I love statistics. They either break your heart or make you feel good

Deep-rooted sense of walls being a security blanket Problem of course stems from the conceptual stage,
haste makes waste. We don't cut the mustard? With climate there's a stronger argument for courtyard,
impluvium than ever what with extended rainfalls cycles, erosion. And even in the few cases where
they're done now, it’s largely perfunctory: a mere suggestion of what it really should be. So, you find
expanding families converting the space into other uses. a store for the extra stuff, bric-a-brac etc

Yes the economy has a quantum leap bond with architecture. As security fell, comfortable spaces fell,
on the outside, it needn't be so on the inside too. Not a firebrand manifesto not a light against dark
narrative. A gentle but urgent reminder of what we did in days when our buildings didn't make us sick
.asthma

With modernism it became worse. Absence of ornament meant even larger decorative windows were
put to death. Therapeutic power of courtyard gardens

Long panes of glass with shortened vertical values above eye level with shade. Brings light but not
glare. Keeps privacy. Clerestory windows

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Our architecture is still highly steeped in british modernism of those times. Trying to recreate arc of the
60s with its tendency to be dull. But if the Concrete and the reconstruction of post war Europe is any
indication, it can be done. Like Bjarke Ingels says, utopianism shouldn't be a revolt against the past but
a process of selective inclusion. All these seeming stumbling blocks can each be rather effortlessly du
by smart ideas

What’s most striking to me about modernism is its fluidity of spaces that easy transition from spaces,
not compartments to spaces. Against the territoriality of other styles,. Where they scream keep out., this
is a zone. I think modernism says come on, have a look around.

- Salvation by Behavioural mapping

The courtyard is climatically ideal for the tropics and when done right by adapting it to the needs of the
users, can play a major role in maintaining comfort in the residence; lighting, ventilation and thermal
comfort as it draws in daylight and cool air which is circulated within the interior, replacing foul air and
lessening the need for energy consuming fixtures performing the same functions.

Courtyards existed in our vernacular styles and subsequent postmodern styles with highly varied
degrees of success in their design and usage by the building’s occupants.

The people are numb, they simply do not see a way through for living healthier through design but
through the fixtures they can buy (air conditioners, cooker hoods, chandeliers etc)

ENDNOTES_______________________________________________________________________

The following works have been largely helpful in understanding the roots of the phenomena discussed
and would make for great further reading;

“The Architecture of Fear” by Tunde Agbola.

“Classification of Nigerian architecture” by Dr. Bogda Prucnal-Ogunsote.

“Review of Courtyard House in Nigeria: Definitions, History, Evolution, Typology, and Functions” by

Markus Bulus.

“Lagos, Koolhaas and Partisan Politics in Nigeria” by Laurent Fourchard

“Alien and Distant: Rem Koolhaas on Film in Lagos, Nigeria” by Joseph Godlewski

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"Lagos Wide & Close" 2004 documentary by Rem Koolhaas

Yemi Salami’s papers on the Transnational Architecture Group website.