Adefola Toye

I am Adefola, a fourth year PhD student studying the architecture of West African universities built in the mid-20th century. My project is a part of the AHUWA research group at the Liverpool School of Architecture.

I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees in architecture at the University of Lagos. Before starting my PhD, I was involved in architectural documentation projects like the MIT Libraries' A3-ARCHNET Collaborative. The project focused on open access digital resources on West African architecture.

Research

My research examines the architecture of the first Nigeria universities built after its independence in 1960. It looks at the design of these campuses as a product of the post second world war era where British colonial rule ended in West Africa.

Higher education was considered an important means to establish and maintain a new modern state. Heavily funded by the state and international bodies, they were architectural masterpieces that represented a nation's aspiration for its people.

The research explores how these post war events of late colonialism, nation building, and international relations impacted the architecture of universities for a young African nation. It makes a case that political history can help us better understand architecture and vice-versa.

Next steps

I am in the final year of my PhD, and I am working towards my thesis submission in 2026. I am optimistic that my research will be a springboard for more studies in the fields of architectural history and heritage.

I hope my PhD and future works can expand the curriculum of architecture schools and support heritage works. I also want to work on digital humanities projects that prioritise open access resources on architecture of West Africa. two photos of buildings on a presentation slide

My 3MT experience

My 3MT experience was both challenging and exciting. I had to share my research with an audience unfamiliar with the subject and in such little time. It made me think about the relevance of my work beyond the spheres of architectural research and practice. Entering the competition was a good decision because it made me fine-tune the major findings for my research.