Kunlé Adeyemi was born on the and is a Nigerian architect,
urbanist
Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a direct component of disciplines such as urban planning, a profession focusing on the design and management of urban a ...
and creative researcher. Adeyemi is founder and principal of
NLÉ, an architecture, design and
urbanism
Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a direct component of disciplines such as urban planning, a profession focusing on the design and management of urban ...
practice, based in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. Adeyemi studied at the
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...
in Nigeria and
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, the United States. Before starting his office in the Netherlands, he worked nearly a decade at
Office for Metropolitan Architecture
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is an international architectural firm with offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia. The firm is currently led by eight partners - Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen va ...
(OMA).
Early life
Adekunle Adeyemi was born and raised in
Kaduna
Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade center and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern state ...
, in northern
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, and studied and started his early career in
Lagos
Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
. His father was a
modernist
Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
architect and started one of the first indigenous architecture firms in North Nigeria in the 1970s.
[Lagos Insider's Guide 2011/12](_blank)
A Time Out Nigeria magazine on the 'Best of Lagos', published July 2011, containing an interview with Adeyemi. In his mid-teens, Adeyemi had the opportunity to design his first house, for a friend of his father.
Adeyemi is an alumnus of
Federal Government Academy, Suleja, Nigeria's school for the education of gifted children, where he was a member of the inaugural class that graduated in 1992. He studied architecture at the
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...
in Nigeria, and finished his Bachelor as Best Graduate.
[De Toekomst van gebouwd Afrika](_blank)
Meeting at the NAI (8 April 2011) Where Kunlé Adeyemi attended as discussion panel member. In 2005, Adeyemi received a Post-Professional degree at
Princeton University School of Architecture
The Princeton University School of Architecture is the architecture school of Princeton University. Founded in 1919, the School is a center for teaching and research in architectural design, history, and theory. The School offers an undergraduate ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
.
[Mapping Madrid (2006)](_blank)
Urban project in which Adeyemi joined as teacher. At that university, Adeyemi investigated with
Peter Eisenman
Peter David Eisenman (born August 11, 1932) is an American architect, writer, and professor. Considered one of the New York Five, Eisenman is known for his high modernist and deconstructive designs, as well as for his authorship of several archi ...
, the rapid urbanization and the role of market economies in developing cities of the Global South, focusing on Lagos.
[NLÉ](_blank)
Company website from the office NLÉ.
Early career
In his early career, Adeyemi worked on projects in Lagos,
Abuja
Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
and other parts of Nigeria.
[Delft University of Technology website](_blank)
where Adeyemi gave a Lunch Lecture at the faculty of Architecture, about Architects in Africa (25 March 2010). After that, Adeyemi joined
OMA (The Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in 2002, where he was Senior Associate and worked for about nine years alongside its award-winning founder
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theory, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Graduate School of ...
.
[Trouw](_blank)
Interview with Kunlé Adeyemi about rapidly developing cities in Africa. There, Adeyemi led the following projects, in different stages:
* Qatar Foundation Headquarters, the Central Library and the Strategic Studies Center, in the Education City in Doha
[Month of Design Conference 2008](_blank)
At which Adeyemi spoke about design interventions in Asia.
* The 4th Mainland Bridge and Master Plan in Lagos
* The
Prada Transformer
The Prada Transformer was a temporary, shape-shifting pavilion located in Seoul, South Korea. It had four different apparent shapes, depending on the function for which the pavilion is needed at the moment (ground plans: hexagon, cross, rectangle o ...
project in 2009
[OMA website](_blank)
About the Prada Transformer Project.
* New Court Rothschild Bank project in London (2006).
[OMA website](_blank)
About the Rothschild Bank Project. This bank is about to open soon
About noteworthy buildings in the UK: amongst others, the New Court Rothschild Bank.
* Master plan concept for Abuja – AIST, Nigeria in 2006 for the
African Institute of Science and Technology, Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology[OMA website](_blank)
About the Abuja master plan concept.
* Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2006,
[Press release](_blank)
About the start of the construction work for the Shenzhen Stock Exchange building.[OMA website](_blank)
About the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Project. opened in November 2007
[Article on Architectenweb](_blank)
About the opening of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Building.
* The Seoul National University Museum project in 2005
[OMA website](_blank)
About the Seoul University Museum project.
Interview documentary with Adeyemi and Koolhaas about the Seoul University Museum design.
* The S-project Masterplan for Seoul in 2004
[OMA website](_blank)
About the Seoul S-project.[Article in the New Yorker](_blank)
About Intelligent Design.
* The Leeum Museum in Seoul in 2004.
[OMA website](_blank)
About the LEUUM project.
Current work and projects
Currently, Adeyemi runs his architecture, design and urbanism practice called
NLÉ, located in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
.
NLÉ means 'at home' in
Yoruba.
With his office NLÉ, Adeyemi is interested in elements that make up a city.
He focuses especially on the rapidly growing cities in
developing countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed Secondary sector of the economy, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. ...
. Adeyemi seeks the logic in systems that arise in the rapid development of those cities. He observes and questions the existing systems within these cities and creates new solutions inspired by his 'reading' of those systems.
Adeyemi is convinced that there is much to learn from the condition found in rapidly developing, energetic cities, like one of Africa's most populated cities Lagos in Nigeria.
NLÉ offers a strategy advisory service focusing on city development research, conceptualisation, creative structuring, architectural-, product- and infrastructure design, arts and urban cultural intervention.
In much of his recent work, Adeyemi is particularly interested in urbanization, climate change, and policy. Among others, Adeyemi conducted with NLÉ the following activities:
* Building prototype housing for urban tropic environment.
* ‘Queensday Lagos', to exchange the Dutch
Queensday
() or King's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 27 April (26 April if the 27th is a Sunday), the date marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander. When the Dutch monarch is female, the holiday is known ...
experience with inhabitants of
Lagos
Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
by video conferencing
[Facebook](_blank)
Grouppage of NLÉ.
*
Lagos Photo
LagosPhoto Festival is the largest international photography festival in Nigeria and attracts over 20.000 visitors annually. Founded in 2010 by Azu Nwagbogu of the African Artists Foundation, the festival spotlights emerging and established phot ...
project with the
African Artists' Foundation
The African Artists' Foundation (AAF) is a non-profit organization, based in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded in 2007 by Azu Nwagbogu, as a platform for contemporary African art and artists working across photography, fine art, video, ceramics, s ...
.
[Lagos Photo Project](_blank)
Photo exhibition in Lagos, November 2010.
*
Makoko Floating School
The Makoko Floating School was a building project of Makoko, Lagos, Nigeria which was developed in 2013. The school was abandoned in March 2016 over safety concerns and collapsed in a storm in June 2016. Subsequent iterations have been proposed.
...
(collapsed June 2016).
*MFS II and MFS III: the 2nd and 3rd iterations of his Makoko Floating School Project
Academic contribution
Adeyemi gave and gives lectures and workshops at universities and conferences in Amsterdam, Zurich, Delft, Guggenheim, and published several articles on architecture and urbanism:
* Adeyemi is 2011 Callison Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
, faculty of Architecture, teaching and researching 'The Modern City in the Age of Globalization' in
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
, together with Dr.
Vikramaditya Prakash
Vikramaditya (Sanskrit: विक्रमादित्य IAST: ') was a legendary king as mentioned in ancient Indian literature, featuring in traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi, Vetala Panchavimshati'' and ''Singhasan ...
,
following-up
Glenn Murcutt
Glenn Marcus Murcutt (born 25 July 1936) is an Australian architect and winner of the 1992 Alvar Aalto Medal, the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the 2009 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the 2021 Praemium Imperiale. Glenn ...
.
[Built Environments](_blank)
washington.edu
India Program from University of Washington's Faculty of Architecture
* At
PICNIC
A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...
2011 (yearly creative conference), Adeyemi spoke about organic urban growth versus city planning
[PICNIC](_blank)
Yearly creative event in Amsterdam.
* Adeyemi was visiting critic at the
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urba ...
in America, the
Architectural Association
The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. The AA hosts exhibitions, lectures, symposia and publications. History
The Architectura ...
in London, and the
Berlage Institute
The Berlage Institute was an independent unaccredited postgraduate school of architecture in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Netherlands, that operated from 1990 to 2012. Named after the Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the Institute had an inter ...
in Rotterdam
* Adeyemi published the article "Urban Crawl" in the LOG Journal, summer/fall 2007, about contemporary cities and the future of architecture.
[Log Journal](_blank)
Issue summer/fall 2007.
* In 2006, Adeyemi was keynote speaker at the Guggenheim Symposium "Contamination, Impure Architecture", next to
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-born British architect, artist, and designer. She is recognised as a key figure in the architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born ...
,
Sanford Kwinter, and
Alex McDowell[Guggenheim symposium in 2006](_blank)
Where Adeyemi spoke about Impure Architecture.
* Adeyemi was in 2006 a teacher at the Urban Body Studio of the
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture.
* Adeyemi joined
Architecture for Humanity as competition juror and project reviewer.
[Website Architecture for Humanity](_blank)
Where Adeyemi is former juror and project reviewer.
See also
*
List of Nigerian architects
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adeyemi, Kunle
1976 births
Living people
Architects from Amsterdam
People from Kaduna
Yoruba architects
Urban theorists
University of Lagos alumni
Princeton University School of Architecture alumni
Nigerian expatriates in the Netherlands
Urban designers
Nigerian expatriate academics in the United States
Nigerian urban planners
21st-century Nigerian architects