From Traditional (Vernacular) to Contemporary (New) Architecture: A Lesson from Southwest Nigeria

Every cultural group in the globe has its own peculiarity of its own traditional architecture, though the approach may differ from places to places. This paper looks at the vernacular architecture of the Southwestern Nigeria as practices by the indigenous Yorubas who have a peculiar climatic and socio-cultural and religious practice. The approach to architecture by this ethnic group was looked into with the intention of finding positive values in the traditional way which can be applied to the contemporary one. It was deduced that local building materials are cheap, easily to come by and are able to meet housing needs without having negative effects on the local climate and the natural environment. It was recommended that more emphasis should be given to the use of locally sourced building materials in the building industry. The paper concluded that traditional values which apply to the cultural and climatic needs of an area should be given adequate priority when contemporary architecture is the choice in order to create an eco-friendly environment to meet the needs of man.