Eddy Eguavoen Calls for Entries for Architecture Competition

Yinka Olatunbosun

Unplanned urbanisation, waste management and pollution are some of the leading challenges confronting Lagos with a population of 21.3 million.

Named as the second largest metropolitan area in Africa, after Cairo in Egypt, the recent years had been characterised by government’s efforts to tackle these issues.

In response to this environmental challenge, Architect Eddy Eguavoen Foundation has called for entries that provide architectural solutions to the problem of plastic pollution.
This year’s Voen Foundation Architecture competition is tagged Lagos: Plastic City Architecture Competition 2021.

According to a statement by the organisers, participants are expected to design creative architectural solutions to plastic pollution in Lagos. The competition is open to students, graduates and young architects around the world, allowing a group of no more than four individuals to submit projects.

“We are not going to limit the scale or type of architecture your design should represent. The only requirements are that your designs must aim to solve the issue of plastic pollution and must use Lagos, Nigeria as a context.

” Your design is a single house that makes efficient use of recycled or up-cycled plastic, a master plan for a community that engages in plastic recycling and uses it as their way of generating income or even an industrial building or master plan that presents a creative way to combat plastic pollution,” the announcement read.

In 2020, the maiden competition attracted over 100 contestants from across the world. Contestants designed floating housing solutions for communities-in-need, an idea that was inspired by the Makoko Community.

Last year, two members of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Ladi Lewis and Kayode Anibaba were on the panel of judges alongside Ladi Olatunde, Usman Mohammed, Soye Oni, Debo Adesanya and others.

The winner for first prize international was Lloyd Martins (Water No Get Enemy); first prize Nigerian went to Shola Ashogbon, Sanniramat Sodiq, Adedsokun Jamiu and Daniel Olufemi (The sea stars); second place winners include Mekemta Jodel Bismarc, Takam Kenmogne, Sidoine Constant (Bio-Shelter Floating City); while the third place winners include Masoud Abedimoghadam and Zahra Fattahi (Circles of Hope).

This year, the competition’s theme focuses on plastic pollution, which is an issue in various megacities including Lagos.

Plastic pollution has been a growing issue for decades and there have been various solutions presented by different global actors and bodies such as governments and international organisations.

“As architects and urban designers, it is important for us to be involved in this process and Lagos is a city that has seen bleak and limited amounts of solutions that respond to the context of the city.

“This is what led us to this year’s competition theme. Unlike the previous competition, Lagos: City of Water, your design does not need to have a relationship with water.

“The context can be any part of Lagos whether on land or water. It is also important for your design to engage with the local Lagos community and urban context and should not be a lone piece of architecture. The top designs will not only address plastic pollution and the point mentioned above, but also take micro plastic into account as well as the harmful fumes plastic can emit when exposed to heat,” the statement reads.

The first place winner – international contestant will receive a cash prize of fifty Euro (€500), while first place winner -Nigerian contestant will receive N300,000. Second and third place winners will get €250/ €150,000 and €150/N90,000 respectively. There will be 10 honourable mentions, 20 finalists and more.