“As we look at a new future in an era of climate change, might Tropical Modernism, an architectural style developed in the 1940s, serve as a useful guide?” So reads the text for this exhibition at the V&A. Featuring architectural models, drawings, letters, archived objects, and photographs, the show details the complex history and legacy of Tropical Modernism. Developed in West Africa by the British architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry, the style served as a symbol of independence and modernity. Stationed at the Gold Coast, now Ghana, Drew and Fry used Modernist influences to make buildings that could withstand the humidity of the area and be comfortable. The show begins by introducing the origins of Tropical Modernism and calling attention to the previously unrecognized African architects—Peter Turkson and Theodore Shealtiel Clerk—who worked with Drew and Fry. It then looks at how the style survived in two countries after they obtained independence. —Jeanne Malle