Share:


Prefiguring houses in a traditional city: a case for Benin house types and characteristics

    Eghosa Noel Ekhaese Affiliation
    ; Bayo Amole Affiliation
    ; Oladunni Izobo-Martins Affiliation

Abstract

House mean different things to different people. House could be a dwelling, home, hut, place for; entertainment, rest, sleeping, receiving guest, and a palace. The interpretation of house as shelter makes it a basic necessities of life. Thus the focus of the paper is to identify and document house types in Benin by observing the physical characteristics and type’s classification from the organization and pattern of architectural plan documented. The study explored qualitative and quantitative approach using observations, descriptive frequency, architectural sketches, photographs and interview guide. The findings revealed a cross sectional characterising and classifying houses in Benin City, Nigeria which reflect the typical cross section structure of a traditional city. The result of study would however, influence professional in built environment and policy maker decision positively.


First published online 28 December 2017

Keyword : prefiguring, traditional Nigerian city, house, types and characteristics

How to Cite
Ekhaese, E. N., Amole, B., & Izobo-Martins, O. (2018). Prefiguring houses in a traditional city: a case for Benin house types and characteristics. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 42(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3846/20297955.2014.994810
Published in Issue
May 16, 2018
Abstract Views
1214
PDF Downloads
856
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abakare, E. 2013. Benin City walls and moat outline action plan. Catech. Agbontaen, K. A.; Ogunje, A. A.; Oladipupo, A. O. 1996. The impluvium-courtyard (oto-eghodo) in indigenous Benin Architecture, Nigerian Field 61(1–2): 54–64.

Agbontaen, K. A. 1997. An assessment of four centuries (15th – 19th) of Benin art production in evaluating the role of craft guild system on Benin Polity, African Study Monographs 18(1): 45–58.

Aisien, E. 2001. The Benin City pilgrimage stations. Benin City: Aisien publishers.

Alonso, W. 1964. Location and land use. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674730854

Assari, A.; Mahesh, T. M.; Assari, E. 2012. Conservation of historic urban core in traditional islamic culture: case study of Isfahan City, Indian Journal of Science and Technology 5(1): 1970–1976.

Bertaud, A. 2004. The spatial organization of cities: deliberate outcome or unforeseen consequence? Institute of Urban and regional Development, Berkeley: University of California.

Bruekner, J. K. 2001. Urban sprawl: lessons from urban economics, in W. G. Gale, J. R. Pack (Eds.). Brookings-Wharton papers on urban affairs. Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.

Ekhaese E. N. 2011. Domestic architecture in Benin City: a study of continuity and change, an unpublished PhD Thesis Department of Architecture, School of Environmental Science, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun, Nigeria.

Ekhaese, E. N.; Amole, B. 2014a. Benin domestic architecture “a tabula rasa” for transition: from pre-independence to contemporary architecture, International Journal of Social Sciences and Entrepreneurship 1(9): 264–287.

Ekhaese, E. N.; Adeboye, A. B. 2014b. Go-ahead element of domestic architecture: socio- economic and cultural characteristics of the residents in Benin, IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Literature 2(5): 73–88.

Ju, S. R.; Kim, B. M.; Ariffin, S. I. 2015. Continuation and transformation of traditional elements in colonial vernacular houses in kampong Bharu, Malaysia, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering JAABE 14(2): 346. https://doi.org/10.3130/jaabe.14.339

Li, X. 1985. The spatial structure and land use pattern of cities in Taihu Lake, late 19th century to present em, Cheng Shi Gui Hua Hui Kan 39(1): 10.

Miao, P. 1990. Seven characteristics of traditional urban form in South East China, TDSR Journal 1(2): 35–47.

Mills, E. S. 1972. Studies in the structure of the urban economy. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins Press.

Mills, E. S; Byong-Nak, S. 1979. Urbanization and urban problems. Harvard, University Asia Center. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1tg5jv2

Muth, R. F. 1969. Cities and housing. Chicago: University of Chicago press.

Ogu, V. I. 1995. Private sector participation and municipal waste management in Benin Nigeria, Environment and Urbanization 12(2): 103–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/095624780001200209

Omoigui, I. 2005. How to improve youth development in Edo state, a key note presentation on excellence in education and culture for the new millennium, 14th Annual National Convention of the Edo National Association of USA and Canada.

On the first report of the SFHA, San Francisco Housing Association 13(1): 6.

Ramezan, S.; Hamidi, S. 2010. Privacy and Social interaction in traditional towns to contemporary urban design in Iran, American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 3(3): 501–508. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajeassp.2010.501.508

Saga, A. 2012. From the traditional city to the modern city: based on studies of urban regional societies in 19th century Osaka, Urban Scope 3: 34–54.

Stark, O.; Simon Fan, C. 2007. The analytics of seasonal migration, Economics Letters 94: 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2006.10.017

UNESCO. 2010. Preliminary report on the draft recommendation on the historic urban landscape. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Paris.