Kingsway Tower and the fast globalisation of Lagos

The Kingsway Tower designed by SAOTA studio represents Lagos’ growing importance in the global market. The office building is a symbol of the rapid globalization that Nigeria’s largest city is experiencing, which is among the metropolises with the highest population growth rates in the world. Despite the “Western” architectural language, the 15-storey tower follows the specific climatic requirements of the site and takes root in the context without seeking easy iconographic references or bold metaphors. “We wanted to design a building that made direct references to the fact that it was in Lagos, with a façade that responded to the local climatic conditions,” says SAOTA Director Greg Truen, lead architect on the project.

The elements that most characterise the Kingsway Tower are the screens that protect the two main elevations, facing north-south. These elements create an abstract geometric pattern with horizontal and oblique lines, whose overlapping creates stratified shadows and interesting light effects in the interior spaces. Unlike the classic curtain walls of the American and European towers of the modernist tradition, the glass facade is marked by the slabs of the overhanging floors. In this way the aluminium screens stick directly onto the stringcourse and improve the passive performance of the building. This also allows access to the outer perimeter of the building for easier cleaning and maintenance. Great attention has been paid to the ground connection of the building. At street level we find shops and public spaces covered by an iconic curved canopy. The transparency of the spaces allows visual communication between inside and outside to favour urban activation of the surroundings.