CONFERENCE CENTER + OFFICE BUILDING
Abuja, Nigeria.
What is the true meaning of global and local architecture? There had to be a design solution that combined local and global with contemporary and traditional for a conference center and office building in Abuja, Nigeria. As a result, I considered the country’s history and culture of interwoven pottery while designing conceptually.
Back then, pottery making was the lowest in hierarchy of native handicrafts. Many of these goods were interwoven with natural materials and used to import goods or for religious ceremonies. Pottery was a women’s trade because of its raw materials, tools, and equipment were cheap. However, there is still beauty within these pots, especially when seen in their natural environment and the context of actual use.
In this scheme, I wanted to ensure that art isn’t an isolated experience. The office building and conference center will be an installation of meaningful art within the urban fabric, where individuals can experience a fusion of spatial relationships through interweaving. In order to do so, an “interweave” through architecture occurs when architecture enforces the mixing. A community is instantly created because of its interweave of function with form.
