Kenya, but soon sold his farm and opened an architectural office, designing commercial buildings, hotels and schools. In some projects he collaborated with architect and urban planner Erica Mann: for instance his Oceanic Hotel in Mombasa was a landmark within the master plan drawn up for Coast Province by Mann. In 1953 the Mau-Mau uprisings made it difficult to work. At the same time May was invited to return to Germany and work on housing projects. In December 1953 he sailed to Germany and started again as an architect. From 1954 through 1956 he led the planning department in Hamburg, and was involved in several large housing projects in other cities. Several of the most famous German postwar settlements and reconstruction plans, such as New-Altona in Hamburg and Neue Vahr in Bremen, are associated with his name. He was the first person ever awarded an honorary Dr.-Ing. of the Hannover Technical University. From 1957 he taught as an honorary professor of the Technische Universität Darmstadt. During this time May also wrote several books on urbanism. He died in Hamburg in 1970, aged 84. His eldest son, Klaus May, also became an architect and worked in the office of his father. His most famous work is the new synagogue in Hamburg, which became a protected landmark. His youngest son, Thomas May, moved from the family home in Kenya in 1947 to obtain an engineering degree at Syracuse University, USA. Thomas May produced many craft works of distinction, including cabinetry, chairs, tables and lighting after debuting his designs in the seminal Museum of Contemporary Crafts show in New York City in 1957. Projects Villa May, Frankfurt am Main, 1925 Villa Elsaesser, Frankfurt am Main, 1925–1926 Estate Höhenblick, Frankfurt am Main, 1926–1927 Estate Bruchfeldstraße (Zickzackhausen), Frankfurt am Main, 1926–1927 Estate Riederwald, Frankfurt am Main, 1926–1927 Estate Praunheim, Frankfurt am Main, 1926–1928 Estate Römerstadt, Frankfurt am Main, 1926–1928 Estate Bornheimer Hang, Frankfurt am Main, 1926–1930 Estate Heimatsiedlung, Frankfurt am Main, 1927–1934 Estate Hellerhof, Frankfurt am Main, 1929–1932 Röderberg school, Frankfurt am Main, 1929–1930 Estate Westhausen, Frankfurt am Main, 1929–1931 House in Dornbusch, Frankfurt am Main, 1927–1931 Commercial buildings and factories in Nairobi and Kampala House for an African family, 1945 Estate St. Lorenz-Süd, Lübeck, 1954–1957 Estate Grünhöfe, Bremerhaven, 1954–1960 Neu Altona, Hamburg, 1955–1960 Garden estate Vahr, Bremen, 1954–1957 Neue Vahr, Bremen, 1956–1961 Architectural competition Fennpfuhl in Berlin-Lichtenberg, 1956–1957 (East-Berlin), 1st prize Estate Parkfeld, Wiesbaden,