Affecting Architecture of the Yoruba

U ntil African architecture is viewed as something more than a technological response to the environmental necessity of shelter, our understanding of house building and city planning acts will remain unclear.' The construction of a building involves the implementation of an architectural philosophy as well as the rendering of architectural form. Consequently, the ideas that constitute the conceptual foundation of a building must be sought with the same rigor with which the specific techniques for shaping a mud wall or thatching a roof are pursued. We need to be aware of house types, not just houses. Our investigations of the built environment of Africa need to be directed at the intention that lies behind the material