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Subtle Shifts, Visible Impact: Material Choices and The Changing Face of Post-Independence Lagos Mainland Architecture
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Architecture
Abstract
This paper explores how material choices have contributed to the transformation of Lagos Mainland?s architectural landscape in the post-independence era. Drawing on a qualitative, interpretive literature review supported by visual analysis and archival documentation, the study investigates the social, cultural, and political dimensions of material use in everyday buildings across districts such as Yaba, Surulere, and Mushin. The findings are organized around five thematic categories: Material Substitution and Aspiration, Economic Constraints and Innovation, Colonial Legacies in Material Usage, Hybrid Aesthetic Forms, and Maintenance, Durability & Temporal Adaptation. The analysis reveals that material selection in Lagos Mainland architecture is shaped not merely by functionality or cost, but by a complex interplay of modern aspirations, economic survival strategies, colonial inheritances, and aesthetic negotiation. Material decisions are shown to reflect and reinforce broader socio-spatial dynamics, with implications for identity, heritage, and urban planning. The paper concludes by recommending policy flexibility, enhanced design education, maintenance investment, and increased scholarly attention to informal practices and visual documentation. Ultimately, the study positions materiality as a critical lens for understanding postcolonial urban transformations in Africa?s largest city.
Keywords
Architecture, Colonial legacy, Material culture, Post-Independence, Urban transformation
How to cite this paper
@article{1709324,
author = {Oritsetinmeyin Igbene, Samuel Adedeji Daramola, Matthew Abiodun Dayomi, Oluwatoyin Olanrewaju Ajayi},
title = {Subtle Shifts, Visible Impact: Material Choices and The Changing Face of Post-Independence Lagos Mainland Architecture},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2025},
volume = {8},
number = {12},
pages = {1340-1349},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1709324.pdf},
abstract = {This paper explores how material choices have contributed to the transformation of Lagos Mainland?s architectural landscape in the post-independence era. Drawing on a qualitative, interpretive literature review supported by visual analysis and archival documentation, the study investigates the social, cultural, and political dimensions of material use in everyday buildings across districts such as Yaba, Surulere, and Mushin. The findings are organized around five thematic categories: Material Substitution and Aspiration, Economic Constraints and Innovation, Colonial Legacies in Material Usage, Hybrid Aesthetic Forms, and Maintenance, Durability & Temporal Adaptation. The analysis reveals that material selection in Lagos Mainland architecture is shaped not merely by functionality or cost, but by a complex interplay of modern aspirations, economic survival strategies, colonial inheritances, and aesthetic negotiation. Material decisions are shown to reflect and reinforce broader socio-spatial dynamics, with implications for identity, heritage, and urban planning. The paper concludes by recommending policy flexibility, enhanced design education, maintenance investment, and increased scholarly attention to informal practices and visual documentation. Ultimately, the study positions materiality as a critical lens for understanding postcolonial urban transformations in Africa?s largest city.},
keywords = {Architecture, Colonial legacy, Material culture, Post-Independence, Urban transformation},
month = {June},
}