Adeokun, C.O.; (2006) Consonance between lifestyle and spatial patterns in Yoruba domestic architecture. Doctoral thesis , University of London.

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Abstract

The thesis focuses on how well suited lifestyle patterns are to different spatial types currently existing in the domestic architecture of the Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria, and on meanings underlying space use, in traditional and contemporary housing. Changes in Yoruba domestic architecture are quite marked, with contemporary residences gaining new uses and losing others, due to the development of new buildings for some previously domestic activities. The contemporary condition, which is the main thrust of the research, is also typified by changes in income levels, family structure and education in post-colonial Nigeria. Although some studies have addressed these changes, the actual influence of traditional housing on new housing layouts is little researched. The hypothesis is that social changes will be manifested in transformations of the configuration of interior spaces and of space use with consequent spatial patterning that is a modification of the new within the existing. The analysis of activity and object locations proved valuable in unpacking social meanings embedded in the domestic space. A number of households were studied in four residential areas of Ile-Ife, each representative of distinct socio-economic groups and construction periods, using structured interviews, and analysis of the floor plans. The results revealed a core set of space labels specific to each spatial type, expressed in old spatial types that are absent from the new areas, in the new spatial types absent from older areas, and in the enduring spatial types found in all the areas. There was a strong correlation between house types and lifestyles, manifested via variations in income and education, and most obvious in differences in space use in the traditional orowa (central hall), and the kitchens and living rooms of new house types. Satisfaction with the domestic space was shaped by respondents' ideals, which were related to socio-economic factors. The study demonstrated a link between lifestyle and space use, and the effect of ideals on how the domestic space is perceived.

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