TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND POTENTIALS - A REVIEW

Purpose: This study is a follow up from earlier research, which acknowledged the lack of sustainable curricula in some Nigerian universities and particularly for architectural education. The paradigm shift to sustainable built environment requires a prescriptive transformation of the architectural education in Nigeria. Architecture is a multifaceted discipline and so is the sustainability agenda. This study is an attempt to resound the importance of sustainable education particularly for development in the built environment. Given that, the architectural profession has a supervisory role in the construction industry and has the capacity to re-orient other professions within its sector.

Design/methodology/approach: This theoretical discourse presents; the challenges, potentials and the possible ways to advance sustainable architectural education in Nigeria. Additionally, this discourse contributes to a better understanding of integrating sustainability development into education and the treatise in itself would serve as a support document for policy formulation.

Findings: The main finding is that sustainable education is the most important medium required to transform, re-orientate and to build the capacity of future and current built environment practitioners.

Research limitations/implications: The study is limited to the Nigerian context underpinned by a theoretical discourse. Therefore, other methodologies are recommended for future studies.

Originality/value: The treatise recommends integrating sustainable education into architectural education in order to strengthen and advance the future of sustainable architectural practices amongst the future practitioners in Nigeria.