Olutola Adekeye Oyebanji 

Course studying

Architecture PhD

Research area

Building the future with ancient solutions to provide houses for all in a healthy environment. My research focus is on the preservation of the cultural heritage of communities, sustainable buildings, particularly on overcoming barriers to preserving adobe traditional buildings, Passive cooling, thermal comfort, and Vernacular Architecture.

What made you want to become an architect?

While growing up I always admired beautiful buildings and I was curious to know how they were created/built. Creativity has excited me from my tender age when as a child I would use colourful books, cards, and wrappers (Textile) to demarcate tiny spaces between two chairs to imagine what it felt like building a house that I could fit and play in.

Reflecting now, I would say my greatest aspiration was birthed from the passion to learn how to create and design beautiful functional spaces and structures. At first, when I considered studying architecture I realised It was a male-dominated profession but I did not see gender as a barrier, rather I saw great potentials in architecture based on one’s performance, the values you add to the society through solving problems related to the environment such as global warming.

This effect of global warming is due to the continuous and poorly controlled emission of carbon dioxide and the excessive depletion of the ozone layer and problems relating to housing that include but are not limited to the extinction of cultural preservations of adobe buildings and environmentally friendly models leading to high energy utilization in modern buildings for cooling and heating.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Architecture encompasses a bit of everything, it involves the spirit of age, national identity, sustainability, history of art, Art, experience, and vision to mention a few.

In 5 years, I would have completed my Ph.D. program in Architecture, which I think is a fabulous program. Also, I would have deployed all the skills and knowledge acquired into practice and vision by adding values to the society through hard work, purpose, a clear rationale, direction, and a focus on impacting lives. I would also have made a difference in the world positively as my top career goal is being a strong female professional with a distinct purpose in life.

Why is Black History Month an important celebration for you? 

I am a beautiful brown skin African girl and I am proud of my identity, culture, and context and for me, Black History Month is important because Black activism throughout history has helped pave the way for other minorities to have equal opportunities across the world. Celebrating Black History Month is a time set aside annually to celebrate the sacrifices made by diverse groups of Black people around the world to ensure the end of racial biases and racism.

During this month, we recognise and remember the contributions, challenges, and successes of these pioneers and events in the history of African diaspora and the central role played by people of African origin in the Western world.

What are your experiences as a person of colour in the UK?

My skin colour is my badge of honor and that is why I enjoy speaking about African heritage and cultural identities that are effortlessly showcased in my works, particularly in my current research. Interestingly, my being in Nottingham and other parts of the UK has been great. I have had wonderful heart-warming experiences with people from different parts of the world residing in the UK and I can say that I have been surrounded by awesome people at school, church, and where I reside. I often wear African traditional outfits which makes me proud of my identity and equally makes me stand out uniquely each time when I get lots of beautiful compliments. 

The city of Nottingham is unique with a mixture of diverse cultures of friendly and welcoming people, this has made me feel very comfortable in my skin since I started my study at the University of Nottingham about a year ago. I have lovely friends from across the globe and we have lots of fun together.

Furthermore, I have been given equal opportunities in the school and I live my life in peace irrespective of my background or skin colour.

Who would you say your role model is?

I have many role models for specific areas of my life. I will start with my day to day lifestyle where people that inspire me greatly include; my husband, parents and siblings who are my top role models because they inspire me with their hard work, principles, successes, and support to mention a few.

Strong, dedicated, and powerful women that have great visions and made a difference in the architectural world by paving ways for the voices and works of young female Architects like me and have also successfully balanced their professionalism with their family lives.   

In the Architectural field, Arc. Olajumoke Adenowo is one of my role models; she is a Nigerian, an astute, female architect, and an entrepreneur. Her designs are encapsulating holistic designs that tap into African design. I love her designs and she inspires me through her expertise and the excellent ways she translates African architecture in a contemporary form of global relevance so that the world can see who we are as Africans and see our contributions to the conversation that is Architecture.

Lastly, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, a great scholar and leader who is an Educator and a Professor in English literature. He has authored and co-authored numerous books that depict the African tradition. He is well known for his excellent leadership roles in Africa and Western countries, He was the chair of African-American Studies at Western Illinois University. He is a man that impacts lives successfully and consistently contributes greatly to the Educational sector globally; this can be seen through his service, hard work, and the zeal in mentoring young African scholars to.

How do you think the faculty and University can further progress inclusion and diversity? 

The University of Nottingham is unique with the confluence of cultures of students from around the globe and I believe there are untapped potentials from this uniqueness because diversity is beautiful.

Diversity helps in promoting awesome educational experiences and in turn, the wealth of experience encourages student interactions with others from different backgrounds. Basically, projects, more research collaborations e.t.c. can aid effective communication with people of varied backgrounds and common interests. This helps to strengthen more understanding, lessen any stereotyped preconceptions within the Faculty of Engineering and further give people of colour voices to showcase their contributions confidently in their skin.