Completed in 2017, the SDE Pikine Agency was conceived as a comprehensive architectural transformation and a prototype for a broader social and environmental programme. The project encompassed the redesign of the building’s façade, entrances, external identity, shading and security elements, as well as the reorganisation and design of its interior spaces.
The architectural concept incorporated recycled plastic collected from the Mbeubeuss landfill in Dakar. The intention was to establish a structured system through which women living and working around the landfill could be paid for the plastic they collected, providing them with a more reliable source of income.
The programme also sought to encourage and support these women in keeping their children in school, helping the next generation access opportunities beyond the economic and social conditions associated with life around the landfill.
The Pikine agency was designed as a demonstrator that SDE could institutionalise and replicate across its wider network of agencies. Through the architecture, discarded plastic was transformed into visible and functional building components, connecting the renewal of a public-facing institution with environmental responsibility and long-term social impact.
The ambition was not simply to renovate an agency or reuse waste, but to create a replicable model through which architecture, institutional commitment and the circular economy could contribute to women’s economic empowerment and their children’s education.
Project Team
