As think tank for urban and rural transformations, NLÉ is a global thought leader in the fields of architecture, urban theory and practice.
African Water Cities is a vivid collection of essays, research, photographs and visions of African cities and communities by waterfronts evolving through two of the most significant trends of our time: rapid urbanization and a changing climate. Coastal and waterfront cities in particular experience loss and damage due to significant increases in sea level,… Continue reading African Water Cities Book
NLÉ Works and North East Productions collaborated on a documentary research titled “Learning from Lamu: Water, Urban Transformation and African Heritage” headed by award-winning Nigerian Architect and Urban Researcher Kunlé Adeyemi (Lagos/Amsterdam) and North East Productions founder Azza Satti. As part of the research project, the documentary focuses on on the effects of the Lamu… Continue reading Learning from Lamu
MacArthur Floating School is the third generation and 5th iteration of NLÉ’s Makoko Floating School and Makoko Floating System (MFS™) – a prefabricated, ready-to-assemble, floating building product. Following its deployment in four countries in three continents, MacArthur Floating School is the first time reuse and reassembly of an existing structure previously installed in the city… Continue reading MAD Workshop MacArthur Floating School
NLÉ was thrilled to be part of the First UN-Habitat Assembly, addressing the crucial theme of “Innovation for better quality of life in cities and communities”, and to showcase a model of the Makoko Floating System (MFS™), African Water Cities project – displayed in the United Nations Office pond in Nairobi, Kenya. MFS by NLÉ… Continue reading 1st UN-Habitat Assembly
In the wake of a rising global interest for resilient cities and water management issues related to human habitat, and building on “Jean Prouvé, the better days” exhibition, atelier LUMA initiates a masterclass on floodproof and demountable architecture and self construction. The masterclass will investigate this global concern on a local level in a 6-day… Continue reading Atelier LUMA Masterclass
The resources of Durban seem to be –at first glance –mostly natural. And as it is the case for developing countries, the order of business is to have natural raw material exported, and processed product imported. But Durban seems to be trying to break this tendency by paying attention to the oportunity to develop industry… Continue reading Building Industries in African Water Cities
BUILDING INDUSTRIES IN AFRICAN WATER CITES This studio explores the city of Durban to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by the impacts of urbanization in the social, physical, and environmental context of the African continent. The aim is to build industries–to produce a series of new architectural, infrastructural, and urban solutions learning from the… Continue reading Harvard GSD Studio – Spring 2017
WATERFRONT Atlas is a collaborative knowledge platform that brings the local intelligence of aquatic communities like Makoko, Lagos to the world at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia curated by Alejandro Aravena. It aims to identify, gather and cultivate the intelligence of communities and cities by water with a motivation to… Continue reading Waterfront Atlas Exhibition
The Architecture / Landscape / Interiors Department at Otis College of Art and Design is pleased to announce the selection of architect, designer, and urban researcher, Kunlé Adeyemi as the 2018-2019 Donghia Designer-in-Residence. Adeyemi will present a public lecture on March 13, 2019, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and direct a one-week Master Class at Otis College of Art… Continue reading Otis College of Art and Design
Surging youth populations can fuel tremendous agricultural growth that will impact the global economy, but, if underemployed, they present a risk. By 2050, Africa’s population will double, with 1 billion projected to be under 18 years old, and many others regions are experiencing similar trends. How can we harness the potential of this promising demographic… Continue reading Global Food Security Symposium 2016
Florence is getting ready to host the second edition of Unity in Diversity, the mayors’ summit which gathered mayors from all over the world for the first time in November 2015. Starting from what has now become a platform subscribed by the mayors of over 60 countries, we decided to focus on Cities’ Resilience for… Continue reading Unity in Diversity Conference
One collaboration with the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago pairs three world-renowned architects with students from local architecture programs at SAIC, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The architects and students are designing three distinct vendor kiosks that will permanently stand on the Lake Michigan shoreline.… Continue reading NLÉ | SAIC Summer Workshop
The impact of rapid urbanization and economic growth of cities in Africa is now common knowledge, yet it can not be over emphasised. At the same time the impact of climate change is now day to day reality. Particularly in coastal African cities that now experience significant increases in sea level rise, rainfall and flooding.… Continue reading African Water Cities Project
2020 University of Miami 2019 University of Southern California School of Architecture, Los Angeles 2019 Princeton University, New York 2019 Donghia Designer-in-Residence, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles 2018 Atelier LUMA Masterclass, Arles, France 2018 Rivercultures, Gothenburg City Triennale 2018 Minne… Continue reading More Lectures