Assessment of Typological Classification of Multi-Storey Housing Stock in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Multi-storey housing has emerged as a principal architectural and planning response to land scarcity and rising urbanisation pressure in Lagos Nigeria, yet little empirical attention has been paid to the specific typology and classification that characterises these multi-storey housing. This study evaluated the different and principal categories of multi-storey housing in Eko, the historic core of Lagos, focusing on apartment type, building height, ownership structure and building age. A multi-method approach combined a structured questionnaire administered across eleven multi-storey residential developments selected through multistage sampling, with key informant interviews and structured observation. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey post-hoc comparison were used to analyse the data. Findings showed that three-bedroom units, whether flats or maisonettes, accounted for 51.8% of sampled apartments, while the entire sample fell within a twelve to twenty-five floor range, confirming a lower-to-mid high-rise profile rather than an ultra-high-rise one. The sampled buildings were dominated by multi-ownership arrangements (91.2%) and housing above twenty years old (59.3%). ANOVA confirmed statistically significant variation in apartment type mix across buildings, F (10, 215) = 4.83, p < 0.001, with post-hoc analysis attributing much of this variation to contrasting developer strategies between older, high-density estates and newer, mixed-unit developments. These findings extend the international literature on architectural typology and vertical housing classification to an under-researched Sub-Saharan African context and demonstrate that building age and ownership structure, rather than apartment design alone, should inform risk-based regulatory inspection and future unit-mix planning in rapidly verticalising cities.