Whither the courtyards? Understanding disappearance and transformation of courtyards in residential buildings in Akure, Nigeria

Courtyards are historically a notable part of residential buildings in South-west Nigeria and other parts of tropical Africa. They perform a range of functions – from the climatic to the socio-cultural. Presently, new residential buildings are excluding courtyards while existing courtyards within residential buildings are being altered. This paper presents a study that investigates the reasons for these in the context of Akure, a medium-sized city in South-west, Nigeria. We conducted twelve semi-structured interviews with three groups of purposively selected participants. These are: those who own and live in houses with courtyards (whether transformed or not), those living in houses without courtyards and built environment professionals (architects and planners). Factors influencing the disappearance/transformation of courtyards include increasing demand for compact and cheaper buildings, changing household lifestyle, climatic/ecological problems, insecurity. This paper proposes means through which the value of courtyards in residential buildings might not be completely lost.