Kunle Adeyemi.

Kunle Adeyemi is a Nigerian architect, urbanist and creative researcher. Also an international thought leader and speaker. He was born and raised in Kaduna. Adeyemi’s father known as Fola was a modernist architect from whom he picked his interest in design. He designed his first house under his father as a teenager for his father’s friend.

Adeyemi attended the University of Lagos for his Bachelors in architecture. He then worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) where he worked closely with Rem Koolhaus for nine years. At OMA he took part in the many big projects for example; the Qatar foundation headquarters in Doha, the Samsung Museum of art and the Prada Transformer in Seoul. He also attended Princeton University for his Post Professional Degree. He also attended Hasselt university in Belgium for his Doctorate in Architecture and London school of Economics for a Certificate in Real Estate Economics and Finance.

Adeyemi founded NLE in 2010 based in Amsterdam, Netherlands to promote diversity and coexistence between humanity and the environment. It focuses on the elements that make up a city especially in rapid growing cities by studying the existing systems in those cities. NLE provides a strategy advisory services and focuses on city development research, conceptualization and creative structuring.

One of NLE’s biggest projects the Makoko floating school designed in 2011-2012 and constructed in 2013. It was a groundbreaking floating structure once located in the lagoon heart of Lagos, Nigeria. It was a simple building solution for developments on water. It later evolved into Makoko Fishing System (MFSTM) part of NLE’s African Water Cities Project. The project explore the meeting point for rapid urbanization and climate change. NLE was awarded the Silver Lion Prize for this project.

Adeyemi’s interest in urbanization, climate change and policy is the driving force to all his achievements. He’s work is credited for innovation and originality.