Intrigued by Lomé’s rich architectural landscape, Studio NEİDA is undertaking research in various stages as to the history of the city’s most striking buildings. Ultimately seeking to answer why some are left to decay and others are being repurposed.
Our research interest lies in the re-purposing of former political, civic or commercial structures for recreational and cultural use, as well as the symbolism some of them come to bare, even if they are no longer occupied. In examining how this shift in use of space takes place, we pose the questions: Can renovation and preservation, rather than demolition and rebuilding offer a sense of ownership of the past? If so, what needs to be paid attention to in regards to how the renovation happens (material, construction technique,...) and what activities end up taking place?
Our starting points are: The Palais des Gouverneurs built by the German colonialists that has been turned into the art space Palais de Lomé, the Palais des Congrès, which was once the National Parliament building and is now being used for recreational activities and the defunct, yet striking ruins of the Hotel de la Paix that is popular as an urban backdrop by artists and musicians.
The study is proposed as an exemplary investigation into the aforementioned buildings and can serve as a blueprint, for further exploration into other buildings that may fall into the category of “old building - new meaning” in Togo. At this stage we are gathering material that can one day be curated into a guide to Lomé’s architectural legacy. The collected material can serve for various publication and spin-offs such as our contribution to a publication on political architecture in post-colonial contexts being produced by a SOAS-led research collective.
