Domestic Architecture in Benin City
(A Study of Continuity and Change)
By
EKHAESE Eghosa Noel CU/PG/04/062
Presented To
Department of Architecture
Abstract
The culture of people determines and shapes the domestic space in their domestic
architecture. Subsequent modifications of the idea have focused on more precise revelations
of how the spatial arrangements of material culture are culturally patterned. Through a
topological analysis of house plans and patterns, collected from the City of Benin, this study
detects a transformation in the house-type aspired and developed by people during the last
five centuries. A group of 1054 houses, located in four residential zones in Benin City, Nigeria, has been analysed by means of frequency distribution, Space Syntax categories and factor analysis.
The research is determined to find out how the use, organization and meaning of space in
Benin have changed and whether or not there are continuities over the years across the entire
City. The Space Syntax approach is used to measure the varying degree of change at each
stage of the evolution. Here, the „space-activity‟ interaction is the main idea that enables us to
see what underlies the process. As the old spaces take different names and functions in the
new design, they bring about the recombination of their activities, and when this occurs
repeatedly at each stage, it leaves behind „topological paths‟ from which the direction of the
evolution can be measured. Further examinations reveal that the space-activity interaction
arises both at each partitioned space and at the collective space that is closely related. The
analysis of the attitudes and responses of the residents using factor analysis revealed that both
socio-economic and socio-cultural factors are responsible for the change and continuity in the
domestic space.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page ----------.------------------------------------------------------.
Declaration----------------------------------------------------------------.i
Certification-------------------------------------------------------------- - ii
Dedication----------------------------------------------------------------.iii
Acknowledgements--------------------------------------------------------.iv
Table of Content----------------------------------------vi
List of Tables ---------------- - ------------------------------------------ - xi
List of Figures --------------------.------------------------------------ - ..xiv
List of Plates---------------- - ---------------------------------------- - .xviii
Abstract--------------------------------..--------------------------------.xix
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study---------------------------------------------- - .1
1.2 Statement of the Problem ------------------------------------------------..6
1.3 Research Questions------------------------------------..7
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study--------------------------------------------.7
1.5 Scope of the Study ------------------------------------------------------.8
1.6 The Context of the Study ------------------------------------------------ - .9
1.6.1 The History and People of Benin City--------------------------9
1.6.2 Historical Background-------------------------------- - ..12
1.6.3 Benin and its Surrounding Villages--------------------------..18
1.6.4 Residential Zones in Benin City----------------------------.20
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction------------------------------------------------------------24
2.2 Domestic Architecture and Culture----------------------------------------..24
2.3 Social and Cultural Change----------------------------------------------..32
2.4 Urbanization and Urban Change ------------------------------------------.46
2.5 Summary---------------------------------------- - .56
CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
3.1 Introduction----------------------------------------58
3.2 Concept of Culture---------------------------------------------------- - 58
3.3 House Form and Culture------------------..---------------------------- - .60
3.4 Traditional versus Modern Houses--.----------------------------.-------- - .63
3.5 Classification of House-types -------------------------------------- - ..66
3.6 Organization, Use and Meaning of Space---------------------------------- - 68
3.7 Household------------------------------------------------------ - 72
3.8 Summary---------------------------------------- - 75
CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction------------------------------------------------------------77
4.2 The Research Design-------------------------------------------------- - .78
4.3 Study Population--------------------------------------------------------79
4.4 Sampling Method/Procedure--------------------------------------..80
4.5 Sample Size----------------------------------------------------------. 80
4.6 Data Collection------------------------------------------------------ - ..83 TABLE OF CONTENTS
4.6.1 Design of Questionnaire ---------------------------------------------- - 84
4.6.2 Design of Interview Schedule ----------------------------------..85
4.6.3 Data Collection and Presentation----------------------------------------..86
CHAPTER 5 SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE RESIDENTS IN BENIN
5.1 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------..88
5.2 Socio-Economic Characteristics of the Residents---------------------------- - 89
5.2.1 Household Income-------------------------------------------------- - .90
5.2.2 Occupational Structure--------------------------------------------------92
5.2.3 Age and Sex ------------------------------------------------------ - 93
5.2.4 Marital Status and Household Size-------------------------------------- - 94
5.
