Cultural Influences on Traditional and Modern Architecture in Ijebu-Ode

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue II, February 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705

Cultural Influences on Traditional and Modern Architecture in Ijebu-Ode

Kayode Olatunji Kazeem, Ayodele Emmanuel Ikudayisi, Oluwatobi Gbenga Adelakun
Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria

Abstract: Technology, available materials, economy, culture and host of other factors influence man’s dwelling and play important roles in determining the type of building he inhabits. However, little research has been carried out in order to determine the influences of culture on both traditional and modern architecture in Nigeria. The aim of this research project, therefore, is to determine and compare the influences of culture on the traditional and modern building types in Nigeria using Ijebu-Ode as a case study. Questionnaires were randomly administered both in Ita-Alapo and Obalende representing traditional and modern areas of the town respectively. Also, building typologies were randomly selected in both areas and were compared in terms of building quality, form and techniques. The results gathered were then analyzed descriptively with the use of tables and charts showing their frequencies, mean and rank. The analysis revealed that while security was the first factor that influences the types of building in the modern area (Obalende), it was the people’s family structure that determines their building type in the traditional area (Ita-Alapo). The research concluded by recommending that Nigerian architects should always endeavor to consider and incorporate the people’s culture into their designs, especially when designing where they will live.

Keywords: Architecture, Building, Culture, Modern, Traditional

I. INTRODUCTION

Man’s first house was determined by his intention to get sheltered from the inclement and dangerous conditions of his environment. Subsequently, other factors such as technology, available materials and economy also began to affect his quest for shelter. In fact, [1] concluded that in architecture, people build on the basis of four conditions:

• Climate
• Technology
• Material
• Economy

This fact tallies with the picture painted by [2] that as architecture developed, the concept of the shelter was extended from simple physical protection from cold, dampness, wind and sun toward an increasingly complex set of cultural traits centered around the growing idea of the family home. In the same vein, [3] reported that in the past, the tribal, racial and ethnic differences, distances, class borders, climate, land, religions had effects on architecture and it resulted in forming different patterns of life styles, living space, invocation buildings and also residences.

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