Sustainability of traditional building practices in Nigeria: The case of Igala traditional architecture

Nigeria's diverse ethnic landscape is marked by distinct traditional building practices, each representing a unique cultural identity. This study delves into the architectural heritage of the Igala people of North Central Nigeria, shedding light on their sustainable building practice. Despite its profound cultural and historical significance, the Igala traditional architecture, like many others in Nigeria, faces challenges due to modernization. This trend is pervasive across Nigeria, where contemporary buildings often disregard indigenous socio-cultural, environmental, and climatic considerations in their design and construction. Consequently, modern buildings in Nigeria tend to be costly and incompatible with the local culture, environment and climate. This study explores the imperatives and values of Igala traditional housing pattern, aiming to enhance the sustainability of contemporary building practices in Nigeria. Employing a narrative approach, the study utilized archival/historical research, field surveys, and interviews with local building professionals, indigenous elders, and environmental experts to explore the Igala traditional building practice. Thematic content and descriptive analysis were used to interpret the gathered data. The study revealed intrinsic features of Igala traditional housing pattern, including the courtyard system, hierarchical spatial arrangement, organic expansion, food storage facilities and the integration of socio-economic and socio-cultural spaces. These features exemplify sustainability through values such as security, privacy, communal living, cultural identity, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, passive solar techniques and environmental conservation. The research emphasized the critical importance of these identified features and values, not only for preserving cultural heritage but also for guiding sustainable contemporary architectural practices in Nigeria.