Babatunde Adeyemi
“When I design a building, I am not just stacking concrete. I am asking: how will people feel when they walk through this door? Architecture is empathy made solid.”
Meet Babatunde. He's 41, an architect designing affordable housing in Lagos, one of the fastest-growing cities on Earth. He grew up in a Yoruba Muslim family, the call to prayer threading through the juju music on the neighbour's radio. Into modern apartment blocks he builds an old Yoruba idea — the courtyard, a shared space where families naturally gather — and he refuses to draw a building without one, because to him loneliness is a design failure. His current project will hold 2,000 families, with a marketplace, a school and a clinic. His favourite material is laterite: the red earth of Nigeria itself.
- Profession
- Architect, affordable housing
- Design philosophy
- Courtyards fight loneliness
- Material
- Laterite — Nigerian red earth
- Music
- Fela Kuti and traditional Yoruba drumming
“Africa is a country, and African cities are all the same — poor and undeveloped.”
Africa is a continent of 54 countries and over 2,000 languages. Lagos is one of the world's largest cities — its metro population is estimated at around 15–16 million (some broader estimates run higher) — with an economy larger than that of most African nations. African cities are hubs of technology, art, fashion, and finance. Nigeria's Nollywood is one of the world's largest film industries by output, producing thousands of films a year. African architecture has a millennia-long tradition, from the Great Mosque of Djenné to Great Zimbabwe to modern Lagos skyscrapers.
SourceWorld Bank urban development data; UNESCO World Heritage sites in Africa.
When you think of Africa, do you picture poverty and wildlife?
That's a common image, shaped by media that focuses on need. But Babatunde's story shows us the vibrancy, innovation, and complexity of African cities. Lagos is not a village — it's a metropolis.
Good. Now ask yourself: what other regions do you reduce to stereotypes? What vibrancy are you not seeing?
Babatunde believes loneliness is a design failure and builds courtyards to bring people together. Think about the spaces you inhabit — your home, your workplace, your city. What could be redesigned to bring people closer instead of pushing them apart?
You do not need to answer. Notice what feels familiar, what remains unfamiliar, and where your own experience differs.
Understanding does not require agreement. Sometimes paying closer attention is enough for today.
Create a gathering space today
Rearrange a space in your home or workplace to encourage conversation. Move chairs to face each other. Open a door. Set out tea. Loneliness is everyone's problem — connection is everyone's solution.
Note an act of kindness — today’s or your own. This stays on your device only; nothing is uploaded or counted publicly.
Babatunde is one life here, not the whole of Nigeria. Meet the others.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Widely cited African proverb (specific origin unverified)