Documentation of Fishing Community Architecture in the Ilaje Waterfront, Ondo State

The fishing communities of the Ilaje coastline in Ondo State have developed a distinctive architectural tradition in response to the demands of coastal living, characterised by stilt construction, lightweight timber framing, and spatial arrangements adapted to tidal patterns and fishing work cycles. This study documents the architectural forms, construction methods, and spatial organisation of residential and work structures in three Ilaje waterfront communities: Awoye, Igbokoda, and Abereke. Documentation employed photographic recording, measured drawings of fourteen representative structures, and structured interviews with thirty-five builders and community elders. Spatial mapping of settlement patterns relative to the waterline, fishing landing areas, and canoe storage was conducted using GPS-referenced field data supplemented by recent satellite imagery. Analysis reveals a consistent building typology of single-room and two-room units raised on mangrove timber piles, with lightweight palm frond or corrugated iron wall and roof cladding permitting rapid disassembly and relocation in response to tidal erosion. The spatial layout of each settlement reflects a communal logic, with fish-processing areas at the water's edge grading to domestic space at the settlement's interior. Rapid loss of mangrove timber to over-harvesting and coastal erosion is driving a material substitution crisis, with concrete block construction ill-suited to pile foundation conditions creating structural failures. Climate change-driven coastal erosion is threatening settlement boundaries. The study recommends urgent habitat documentation funding from the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and proposes low-impact construction guidelines for future Ilaje coastal settlement development. Keywords: fishing community architecture, waterfront settlements, stilt construction, Ilaje, Ondo State.