In 2011, Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi witnessed severe flooding in Lagos that reshaped the course of his career. The experience revealed to him that water would increasingly define the future of architecture and urbanism—not as an enemy to resist, but as a landscape to inhabit. This realization became the foundation for his long-term African Water Cities project, a design-led research initiative exploring nature-based climate adaptation solutions.

What began as a prototype floating school in the waterfront community of Makoko, Nigeria, has since evolved into multiple iterations across six countries and three continents. Now, with the support of the United Nations, Adeyemi is working to scale the system back in Makoko itself, transforming the lagoon into a testing ground for sustainable urban development. The aim, as he explains, is not only to respond to the threats of global warming but to seize the opportunity they present to rethink how cities can be built.

Acclaimed internationally as an architect, professor, and development strategist, Adeyemi established his Amsterdam-based practice NLÉ in 2010. Meaning “at home” in Yoruba, NLÉ focuses on the rapid urbanization of the world’s most dynamic cities, questioning prevailing models of growth while advancing innovative, climate-resilient design responses.

At In Focus: Landscapes, The World Around’s first event in Asia (December 7, 2024), Adeyemi shared how African Water Cities has progressed over the past decade—and how the next chapter is confronting the challenges still ahead.