Architects, urban planners, activists, and policy stakeholders gathered in Lagos on July 18 and 19 for a two-day symposium aimed at reimagining abandoned public buildings as inclusive housing for low-income residents. The event, themed From Vacant to Vibrant, was held at the J.Randle Centre, Onikan, and jointly organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Rethinking Cities, Arctic Infrastructure, Fabulous Urban Nigeria, and the Goethe-Institut, in partnership with the Lagos State Government.

A key focus of the symposium was the Ikoyi Federal Secretariat, a multi-storey structure left unused for decades. Five multidisciplinary teams presented proposals for transforming the site into functional residential spaces for underserved populations.

The team named TIWA N TIWA was announced as the winner of the Envisioning Challenge and awarded ₦2 million. Their design proposes converting the Secretariat into a cooperative housing system modeled on lessons from informal settlements in Lagos. The plan includes expandable housing units, shared green spaces, solar energy integration, urban farming, and commercial activity, allowing residents to generate income while living in the facility.

Foluke Adeniran, an architect with the TIWA N TIWA team, said the proposal was grounded in the realities of the urban poor. "We pitched a design for housing marginalised persons, especially low-income earners in the informal sector.

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Our design was inspired by how people live in informal settlements. We reflected their way of life, but tried to improve quality of living and create housing where they can also find sustenance and a means of livelihood," she said.