The Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC) was established in 1990 with funding from the Chevron Corporation and is operated by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) as a wildlife sanctuary, environmental conservation site, and education Center, on the Lekki Peninsula of Lagos. The site protects 78 hectares of mangrove forest. The primary structures were designed by ATO Architects. The firm intended to

create a building, which displayed sensitivity to the sustainability of the environment. Because of the poor swampy ground conditions of the site, ATO’s approach was to design a building floating off the ground on large foundation pads, which distribute the building load rather than using pile foundation, which would have created a more rigid form.

The initial design of the building incorporated solar panels on the building roof to provide an alternative energy source, as part of the overall approach to sustainability and green architecture. This had to be omitted from the design due to cost implications. - “Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Lekki.” ATO Architects, February 15, 2021. https://atoarchitects.com/projects/nigerian-conservation-foundation-lekki-2/. Archived at: https://perma.cc/NV6U-66BF.

The main pavilion in the center of the complex, at the end of the entry sidewalk, has an extended canopy for shade. Its structure is a contemporary evocation of the circular mud hut, aggrandized and rendered in concrete. The roof extends beyond the facade, providing shade and a degree of passive cooling. Ancillary structures at the entrance bend around the central pavilion in a manner that is evocative of a family compound.