Olajumoke Adenowo designs buildings for a living, but what she really wants is to put African architecture on the map.
NIGERIA, AFRICA’S LARGEST economy, needs about 17 million affordable homes to adequately meet its housing needs. With increasing urbanization, the country is expected to continue borrowing extensively from overseas to fund its housing needs.
For Olajumoke Adenowo, the picture is much grimmer than the cold statistics.
“If we do not take control of our architecture in Africa and house our people like the western world did, in the next 10 years, we will kill the planet,” she says, as we sit in her monochrome office in Lekki, a cosmopolitan metropolis in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria.
Adenowo is an award-winning architect and founder of AD Consulting, a boutique architecture and interior design firm. From office spaces and penthouses to concept stores, government buildings, healthcare facilities and financial institutions, Adenowo’s portfolio is extensive and diverse.
Her aesthetic has found its way to the spaces of brands such as Coca-Cola, L’Oréal and the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Her approach to design and architecture has won her accolades as well as established her as a favorite among Nigeria’s elite.
She however believes it is not about just design but about pushing the African architectural narrative.
This story is from the September/November 2018 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
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This story is from the September/November 2018 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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