TOSIN BAMIDELE

Portrait courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

Tosin Bamidele is currently a graduate student at Iowa State University, pursuing two professional Master’s degrees in Architecture and an MBA.

Tosin was born and raised in Jos, Nigeria, where she pursued her bachelor’s and research master’s degrees in Architecture. Upon completion, she practiced for two years before moving to the United States in 2019 to further her education and gain some international experience. Besides education and practice, Tosin actively engages in research and has some academic publications on built environment practices to her name. She freelances as an Illustrator, specializing in abstract geometric lines and forms, and motion design.

Highly passionate about social justice, Tosin approaches her designs from a feminist perspective. Her interests and experience include affordable housing design, crime prevention through environmental design, and the built environment circular economy.

Solving Problems: Ensuring Social Justice through Design

What inspired you to study architecture?

A Friend's Wedding in Kaduna, Nigeria. Nigerian Weddings are a Big Deal. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

I originally wanted to study architecture to escape studying medicine in the university. I grew up in Nigeria, and somehow from childhood, there was an expectation that I would be a medical doctor. Interestingly, it turned out that architecture aligned with a lot of my obvious abilities. I have always been a highly analytical and at the same time, design-oriented person. As I began my undergraduate program, I was pleased to learn that architecture was a fine blend of both scientific and creative reasoning.

I believe the older one gets, the better the perspective on certain life decisions. My inspiration to study architecture has evolved over time. During my first undergraduate internship in 2015, I developed a passion for drawing building sections and details. I like to understand process, so this was how best I understood the construction process. When I started my first Master’s degree in 2016, I was highly interested in affordable housing and crime prevention through environmental design. Like many other urban cities across the world, the city in which I grew up had a high housing inequality index which was a predictable catalyst for the high crime rate.

In deciding to pursue my second and third graduate degrees in the US, I feel like my purpose in architecture is now more refined. I am now highly passionate about housing affordability and the built environment circular economy, and I am getting professionally trained to come up with data analysis that back my design decisions. I also enjoy community-focused design implementation. This currently feels like what I’m on earth to do, and I’m eager to see how all this knowledge gets applied in the near future.

Name a woman architect who most influenced you as an emerging professional? How?

I’ve struggled with this question mostly because of the underrepresentation of females in the industry. This may sound shocking to some, but until my first internship, I had never met a female who was an architect. Even then, I saw how much they tried to balance being wives and mothers with staying relevant in the profession. The system did not seem to consider them at all. There are women I have come to admire not only because of their designs but for their grit and excellence in a highly gender-biased community. Tosin Oshinowo currently tops my list of women architects. I have never met her personally, but her consistency, charisma, and innovativeness have influenced my ideals as an emerging professional. I got to know about her as a teenager, and since then she’s always been onto something new in her architecture and furniture design practices. She really is commendable.

Working in the Studio during the Summer. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

Name a favorite project completed by a woman Architect. Why is it your favorite?

There are various things I like about different projects particularly with regard to affordability and energy efficiency. Tatiana Bilbao’s Lyon La Confluence is the first project that comes to mind. I really admire the genuine intentionality behind her practice. Housing is a huge need in urban cities around the world, and I appreciate her build-as-you-go model when it comes to addressing affordable housing. These social housing projects appeal to me because of the emphasis on play, social interaction, and materiality. Oftentimes, when designers propose or design ‘affordable housing’, it feels obligatory, and not much thought is put into the present and future of people who would reside in those buildings. Seeing someone be rational and empathetic when designing these units makes me glad and hopeful for more variants of this in the future.

Are there any organizations that helped you grow in architecture? How did they help you grow?

The AIA and NOMAS have been some of my biggest influences in architecture. Through these organizations, I have gotten mentors, made friends, and expanded my professional circle. NOMAS in particular has given me opportunities that I will forever be grateful for. I have been able to connect with various professionals with similar backgrounds and interests as mine. Through NOMAS, I learned to be confident and go after what I really want professionally despite the odds.

Tosin’s Architecture Tribe. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

I would also give a lot of credit to my architecture peers – in Nigeria and the United States. This category is not a formally recognized organization but it comprises of my friends, classmates, and colleagues who have helped me grow in architecture. With some of them, I have made mistakes and won awards. These are people who have given me unbiased opinions on my design projects and vice versa. I may never see some of them again, but my peers through different phases have been a fundamental part of my growth process.

Tosin’s Architecture Tribe. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

Tell us about your role as a Freelance Illustrator. What inspired you to begin this journey?

I’ve enjoyed drawing patterns and abstract geometric forms since I was a kid. Maybe this is partly because as I was exposed to all kinds of coloring books, drawing books, and comic books. In any case, I would volunteer to design different posters and objects in my high school for my classmates and teachers. That graduated to illustrating for small organizations during my undergrad. For a while, I also owned my handmade greeting cardstock which consisted of collaged materials and handwritten notes. I think it’s interesting how freelance has always made me some money because I was initially rigid about wanting to practice architecture alone. I didn’t take this craft seriously until sometime in 2016. I came to terms with the fact that this was a gift and an extra source of income that I needed to dedicate more time to. I tend to be very emotional about the things I care about, and reading and illustrating fall into that sphere. I’ve slowed down in the past year with everything that has happened globally lately. The themes of my works tend to swing between urban/architectural issues and pure geometric lines, forms, and patterns. Besides commissioned work, I illustrate for fun, research purposes, leisure, and as a way of organizing my thoughts.

Coastal City Slums. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

What is your favorite part about freelancing? Why?

I like the flexibility that comes with freelancing. As someone who has spent a lot of time schooling and advancing in the architectural profession, freelancing helps me earn a living while pursuing my ultimate goals in life. Freelancing also gives me some form of stability. I have built a few committed clients that always come to me for their website illustrations, articles and publications, and ornamental art. I also like freelancing because brings me out of my comfort zone. No two briefs are ever the same, even if I’m doing some work that is meant to replicate something done earlier. I like that challenge. Above all, I like the freedom of expression that comes with freelancing. This is one area of my life where I get to determine the terms and conditions. It isn’t profit-oriented for now. I get to determine projects and causes to take on. I get to determine when I want to work and the conditions under which I want to do so. I think that’s pretty cool and I look forward to seeing where this leads eventually.

Collage of Low Income Neighborhoods. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

Collage of Middle Income Neighborhoods. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

Between balancing both positions as an Architectural Designer and Freelance Illustrator, how do you manage your time? How do both roles grow into a better designer?

Foremost, discipline. While pursuing my architectural education and practice, I keep in mind the fact that there are people who really trust me with their projects – people I can’t afford to let down. And they have deadlines that I have to meet up with. I enjoy this, so I don’t mind keeping late nights to get some work done sometimes.  I’m still learning to balance both. I have noticed that my passion for graphic design and architecture intersect at many points and I embrace the outcome fully. I’m never fully satisfied with my works but they get better each time. One major lesson I have learned in recent years is that my designs should be as understandable as possible. It has sort of becoming a mantra. Design is communication – whether through architecture or illustrations. My goal is not to be complex but for my message to be understood by as many people as possible.

Celebrating MultiEthnic Women - BCC Commission. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

As you reflect on the past year, what did you discover as your biggest strengths?

The past year has shown my biggest strengths to be consistency, a voracious appetite for information and knowledge, a high level of focus, and intellection.

How I look when 'Managing my Time'. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

In being consistent, my work ethic is as much a matter of conscience as it is a matter of completing tasks. I constantly feel this need to do what I know is right, honest, true, and accurate, and to see anything I start to the end. I absorb all sorts of information to a fault. I feel this need to prove myself to myself on a daily basis like I’m not doing enough. This makes me want to know more, learn more, and do better.

I enjoy any opportunity to sit with particularly intelligent people and exchange thoughtful ideas. This makes me an open and agile-minded person. When alone, I reflect on conversations and findings and make future plans. When it comes to focusing, I tend to know what deserves my attention and would rarely let anything distract me from my goal. This is probably what helps me achieve set goals. I’m a very introspective person, and I tend to examine my life when reading a book. I like solving problems, and I’m quite good at strategic puzzles like Sudoku, Scrabble, and Chess. My biggest strength is a curiosity because I’m earnest and intentional in my approach to experiences in life.

If you were able to talk to your younger self, what would you say?

If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to do things more boldly and unafraid. Most “experts” today are good because of the level of consistency and practice they dedicate to the craft. For a good part of my undergraduate program, I didn’t trust that I could be a good enough designer. I didn’t have any relatives or family friends who studied architecture or any profession in the built environment, so it felt like an experiment for a long while. That was the excuse I gave myself when I gave up sometimes. If I could, I would tell the younger Tosin that she was stronger and grittier than she looked. That she wouldn’t just have a job; she would have a calling. I would tell her that greatness was very, very doable and she would achieve so much more than she, or anybody around her, could imagine. In any case, that time is past. Now I see a lot of myself in my younger brothers, so these are some of the things I tell them. If I can dream big, they can dream even bigger.

Building Systems Design, Integrative Design Studio. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

Research on Miami Housing Crisis Analysis. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

What would you want to say to the next generation of aspiring women architects?

So many things. I would tell the coming generation of women aspiring to be architects to put their ideas out there and create interventions. Keep obsessing over your idea and refine it frequently. As long as you are able to identify an area of need, you will be relevant. Don’t be afraid if that’s not where most people are focused right now. Don’t be afraid to shed your skin and reinvent yourself over again professionally. That is growth. Think long-term. Care genuinely for people. The world can be a mean place, but choose to always be human first. Let that be your guiding principle when proffering solutions within the built environment. Lastly, believe in yourself. Believe in your craft, and believe every day that you are going to make it in this world.

Top Right: Kayaking in Ames

Bottom Right: Speaking to a Group of Teenagers on the Power of Resilience (2014).

Top Left: A Visit to The Memphis Pyramid

Bottom Left: Graduation from (now) AirForce Girls' Military School, Jos, Nigeria. I had just turned 16

Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.

In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wish saw would happen and it did not?

• Representation matters – I’m tired of single-sided narratives in this profession.

• For the long, expensive education that architects get, the exposure to business and data-based design is quite obviously lacking.

Tosin trying to survive Iowa Winters. Image courtesy of Tosin Bamidele.