Face Me, I face you: Towards an Indigenous Economy of Glass in Southern Nigerian Dwellings

Abstract

This thesis proposes the weaving together of two lost traditions - the practice of primary glassmaking in southern Nigeria and the U-shaped bungalow typology of multi-family housing - as a means to address both the qualitative and quantitative housing deficits in Port Harcourt and to support the broader requisites of macroeconomic productivity in Nigeria. The thesis frames the argument that the materiality and application of glass can reconnect the inhabitation and construction of Face Me, I Face You (FMIFY) housing to Nigerian history, culture, and identity. By charting a blueprint for localized material production and engaging questions of affordability, cost structure, and financing, this work positions design as a technical solution and an act of cultural authorship. As an architect, builder, and member of the community, I advocate for a new practice in which the bond between local craftsmanship and housing development is re-established - through material choices, construction systems, economic benchmarking and spatial design strategies. This body of work braids together three interconnected narratives: First, it traces the historical evolution of the U shaped bungalow typology, revealing its roots as a colonial adaptation of the rural compound house, the economic conditions that have led to its physical obsolescence yet sustained market relevance and examining how its cultural significance was gradually diluted through climate-insensitive design and the introduction of imported materials. Second, this body of work rediscovers Nigeria’s precolonial glassmaking traditions, with a focus on artisanal production methods that offer environmental efficiency, energy intelligence, and deep cultural resonance - qualities in stark contrast to the high-energy, standardized imported glass that dominates today’s housing. Third, it integrates these two recoveries through built interventions: redesigning roof structures to support artisanal glass rondels, optimizing daylighting, ventilation, and thermal comfort, and reorganizing courtyards to revive their role as culturally vibrant, socially essential spaces. By leveraging indigenous glassmaking practices and small-batch production models, this thesis advocates for the creation of a circular economy, generating local employment, reducing embodied energy, and restoring cultural resilience - while delivering environmentally sensitive and economically viable housing solutions that demonstrate comparable return on costs for their owners. Foregrounding opacity as a design value, the project seeks to balance communal life with cultural and spatial notions of privacy, challenging the hegemony of imported transparency. Through the strategic curation of apertures, the careful modulation of light and shadow, and the integration of locally crafted glass rondels, the thesis re-envisions the Face Me I Face You typology. Ultimately, this work positions artisanal glass not only as a building material, but as a medium for recalibrating housing production in southern Nigeria toward systemic resilience and self-determination.