Published as part of the archive book "What Is Small-Scale Architecture?" 2020

Written by Paul Yakubu, Nigeria

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The umbrella is a type of small-scale architecture that defines the urban form of a third-world country and, more importantly, births the answers of an identity relationship between people and architecture. The umbrella forms a colony, which stands out as the lowest level of urbanism, and an expression of a socio-economic lifestyle.

"The future is bright," a hawker would say as he aims for his business to be a big mall one day, while he recovers from chasing a customer. A progressive 'type' chart, ranging from street vendor to mall, would both visualize economic progression in a third-world country, as well as describe the point where 'architecture' is introduced in this evolution: the umbrella.

The umbrella becomes an SI unit of architecture; it is the point where architecture is introduced to complement socio-economic lifestyles. It is a middle point in the economic trajectory. The umbrella exemplifies small-scale architecture as it provides the three basic needs of architecture in the modern world: territoriality, identity, and protection from the climate. Open-air trade initiates "territoriality" with goods in urban space, while the kiosk confirms "protection from climate" by completely enclosing its user. The umbrella, however, is the first point in the trajectory where all three are achieved. More importantly, it initiates the idea of architectural identity complementing human identity.

The umbrella is a form of small-scale architecture that gives the owner a name in the world. It is the point where a person finds pride, claim, and a voice in a community of informal trade. As one moves through liminal and transient spaces in the urban environment, it is that small point of architecture that allows one to recognize the space of trade. The umbrella uses bright colors to call attention, and its adaptability enables it to populate the urban environment with various functions. The simultaneous work between the architecture and its user achieves an identity, a relationship with people, openness, and connection to the urban environment. Bigger forms of architecture can certainly learn from this