At the Dominican Institute’s chapel in Ibadan, Nigeria 

Today, several architects are striving to recapture elements from traditional African architecture lost since colonial rule. Demas Nwoko’s Catholic Church in Ibadan, Nigeria, designed in the late seventies, is one example. The church was designed for the Dominican order in the Catholic Church, which takes a vow of simplicity. African forms are integrated in the design, through the use of natural materials; the concrete masonry unit wall is left plain and unfinished, the steeple on the roof is roughly fashioned, and the walkway around the perimeter of the church is finished in cobbled stone. A pond around the perimeter of the church relates to the Yoruba’s appreciation of natural forms. The building is modeled on the traditional West African hut style, and the sanctuary radiates around the altar, serving as a central focus, similar to palaces and shrines in traditional African societies