| dc.description.abstract | The idea of the existence of an African Architecture has been problematic over the years since the o
nset of
European occupation. Early scholars of non
-
Western built forms saw them as not
constituting architecture but as
shelter or mere dwellings (Oliver, 1987). Others classed these built forms as primitive or indigenou
s architecture
(Guidoni, 1987 Gardi, 1973)while others have classed built forms on the African continent as African
Archite
cture
(Kultermann, 1969).Globally, most indigenous societies build their structures using local resources
and quite often
adapted to the climate of the locality. In addition, traditional built forms tend to respect histori
cal precedents and
local customary
practices. In this regard, it can be argued that traditional architecture is green architecture with
out
the benefits of sophisticated technologies. The above notwithstanding, most Western architecture imp
orted to the
continent, had little regard for local
practices and quite often ignored local climate. In attempting to train architects
for contemporary practice, this paper argues for hybrid architecture. This is because there is no cu
rrent pure
African architecture in existence. What happened over time wa
s the Africanisation of Western and Eastern
architectural models to suit the African condition. The resultant architecture has been a hybrid of
these various
architectures, what Mazrui refers to as the Triple African Heritage. This architecture is a spatia
l counter form for
the contemporary African society and can be seen to be authentic. | |
