Contextual Veracity was a prime objective while designing the Rain Oil building in what essentially at the time was a residential neighbourhood in Lekki, Lagos, it was of paramount concern to the client and myself that the building fitted into its context. Although it is the headquarters of an oil and gas firm and their main commercial hub, this is deliberately unapparent externally. All the typical design cues that denote “commercial office architecture” – huge curtain walls, large signs with the company logo – are missing and it is quite impossible to guess the purpose of this building from the outside. Indeed, it articulates like a two-winged apartment block, intentionally fitting into its residential context, with its roof forms, plan shape and finishes, blending effortlessly within the context.