UNILAG Faculty of Architecture Establishes Interior Design, Landscape Departments

 Glory Obasi, Nosiru Misturah, Adele Aderonke, and Olawunmi Kehinde

The Faculty of Architecture, University of Lagos (UNILAG), has established interior design and landscape architecture as separate academic departments, making it the first institution in Nigeria to do so.

The dean of the faculty, Professor Kayode Adebayo, disclosed this in an interview with UNILAG Sun, saying the development has strengthened the faculty’s academic structure and enhanced professional training.

According to Adebayo, separating the two disciplines allows students to receive more specialised instruction and provides clearer academic pathways within the faculty.

“With this innovation, students can complete a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and proceed to a Master’s degree in interior design or landscape architecture without leaving the faculty,” he said.

“You no longer have to go abroad to study these programmes. They are now available here.”

Adebayo said the establishment of the new departments has also led to improvements in teaching facilities, noting that the faculty’s studios have been reconfigured.

He revealed that the faculty is the first in the university to install electronic boards, a move he said supports the transition from hand-drafted designs to computer-based methods.

“This has helped us move seamlessly from manual drafting to digital design,” he said.

The dean added that students are already engaging with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven design tools as part of efforts to equip them with future-ready skills.

“We are still exploring the digital environment to better prepare and challenge our students to remain competitive,” he said.

Adebayo also highlighted the faculty’s collaboration with industry, particularly through industrial training (IT), which exposes students to real-world professional practice.

“Once students get to 300 level, the focus of the second semester is industry attachment,” he said.

“It is compulsory for all students. The last batch has just returned.”

He added that faculty members supervise students during their industrial training and receive feedback from industry partners to improve the curriculum.

“They tell us how well the students perform, where they are lacking, and how we can refine their training,” he said.

Adebayo noted that some planned innovations and developmental projects in the faculty have been slowed by limited resources, calling on alumni and other potential donors to support the faculty’s growth.