Nigeria
Sustainable housing - Building

Lagos’ Wooden Tower

With Lagos’ Wooden Tower, Hermann Kamte & Associates (HKA) demonstrates a new generation of building to combine the need of housing and the development of an alternative to the city's reliance on concrete buildings.

An initiative of HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates

Overview of the project

Lagos is the most populated city in Africa and represents a big deal for architects.The proposed research is focus on a Wooden Residential Tall Building to solve the urgent need of housing. The aim is to make a transformation that matter. Wood is Marketable, serviceable, biodegradable, affordable, sustainable and ecological. The studied technology is an entire wooden skeleton with the Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) system for load-bearing and a non-load bearing structure.
The old existing building is located on the highbrow Bourdillon Road with picturesque vegetation. The existing “Abebe Court” is a complex of four structures. It consists of 4 bedrooms and 3 apartments spread over 4 floors. There are amenities: swimming pools, gym, tennis courts, children’s playground, parking lots, water treatment and sewage treatment and electricity generators. The tower is organized in three blocks above an existing structure. The blocks are connected to each other by gathering space and sports or recreational activities for residents. From the bottom to the top, there are housing units with 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms.
The greenery in the space creates beauty, sensitivity, naturalness, aesthetics and comfort for the residents. With its microclimate effect, it is a giant lung in the urban space which helps to reduce the surrounding pollution. The terraces allow you to enjoy the sky and the city, the beautiful landscape. The roof is a landscaped and living space; it has a restaurant and a garden.
The envelope high lights Yoruba culture with their massive presence in the heart of Lagos. Inspiration comes from the history of Edo, Yoruba. The building envelope is as sunscreen, beyond its cultural significance.

Objective

To demonstrate an alternative to the city's reliance on concrete buildings.

Level of progress

Pilote operation, experimentation

Project timeline

8/11/2016

Quantitative results

It is important to understand that the aim of the competition ‘Plan B: The city above the city: Was to imagine how the roofs of today can be transformed into the plots of tomorrow?’ At this time, the big ideas for us, was to create a new generation of the city above the existing with a new type of building.

Qualitative results

2018 | Winner | Eurasian Prize Award l Architecture | Moscow | Russia
2018 | Finalist | The 8th Africities Summit l Creative Lab | Marrakesh | Morocco
2018 | Winner | Taipei International Design Awards | Public Space Design |Taiwan
2018 | Winner | International Award for Sustainable Architecture Award | New York
2018 | Winner | MSADA | Residential | New york | USA
2018 | Finalist | Architizer A+Awards | Unbuilt Multi Housing | New york | USA
2018 | 2nd Prize | Le Monde Smart Cities | Housing & Urban Planning | Singapore
2018 | Winner | Creative Conscience | Architecture & Interior Design | London | UK
2018 | Finalist | The Plan Award | Housing Future | Bologna | Italia
2018 | Finalist | MIPIM/AR Future Projects | Residential | Cannes | France
2018 | Finalist | Inspireli Awards 2017 | Vison | Moscow | Russia
2017 | Winner | WA Awards 26th Cycle | Designed | USA
2017 | 1st Prize Awards | WAFX Prize | Cultural Identity | Germany
2017 | Winner | American Architecture Prize | Green Architecture | New York | USA
2017 | 1st Prize Awards | Rethinking The Future Awards | New Delhi | India
2017 | Finalist | World Architecture Festival | Future Project | Berlin | Germany
2017 | Bronze | A’Design Award | Architecture, Building & Structure Design | Come | Italia

Financing

Project

About the
organisation

HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates

website
Hermann Kamte
CEO & Founder | Architect & Designer
hermann@hermann-kamte.com
237680632755

HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates is an award-winning Architecture firm based in Yaoundé, Cameroon led by Hermann Kamte. The Office provides services including Architecture, Design, Urbanism, Landscape, Education, Research and Development.The vision is to bring new dynamics into African Architecture before investigating the worldwide community. The aim is to contribute to shaping the world by giving another appreciation, approach and subtlety.

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