Community Centre, Aka Offot, Uyo Akwa Ibom State: A Study On Adaptable, MultipleFunctional Spaces

Abstract

Communities and their various needs change over time, hence they require spaces that can adapt well to those changes and even allow for a range of users to enjoy the same space at different times. This research is centred on the investigation and the application of a system of programming of such spaces - spaces that possess an intrinsic capacity to adapt to the ever changing aspirations of the population by availing multiple opportunities for conversation, information sharing, performances, celebrations and play, whether on a short-term, mid-term and/ or long-term basis. Dr Antony Moulis, senior lecturer at the University of Queen island, opines that the great public spaces of the world are memorable for their enduring qualities; that indeed, it is a sense of timelessness that draws us to them, the knowledge that they connect the city' s needs in its past, present and future in a real and tangible way (Moulis, 2010). However, though the ambition to make places of lasting civic presence in cities and towns today may seem an obvious one , it presents significant challenges. Using the domains of the various case studies, participant's naturalistic observations and active consultations with the target respondents, the principles of flexibility is fully explored.