SIX WOMEN DEFINING MODERN SENEGALESE ARCHITECTURE
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18/8/2024
DISCOVER THE TRAILBLAZER WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE
Dakar, its impressive monuments, its lively markets, its art museums and galleries... the Senegalese capital has no shortage of cultural and architectural sites that make it stand out in the West African region. A mix of traditional and modern buildings, Senegalese architecture reflects a long history with leading architectural landmarks such as the Museum of Black Civilisations, the Monument de la Renaissance, the CICES or the Cheikh Anta Diop University. And some women are putting their stamp on contemporary Senegalese architecture. Inspired and creative, they are implementing their vision, project by project, building by building, with a sustainable approach. Through creative projects, cultural conversations and collaborations, they address the issues of their time, such as global warming or the preservation of architectural heritage, including innovation in materials, processes or design.
Running their own studios, they practice architecture while facing the challenges of entrepreneurship, creating space for women in the predominantly male architectural ecosystem. Part of the few female architects in West Africa, here are six inspiring Senegalese architects to get to know.
ANDRÉE DIOP DEPRET - GA2D ARCHITECTURE
The first female architect to graduate in Senegal, Andree Diop Depret is one of the deans of Senegalese women in architecture. She graduated from the Dakar School of Architecture and Urbanism in 1980. With a career spanning more than 35 years, the Dakar native led with patience, rigor, and perseverance. She has worked in the office and on construction sites, demonstrating that women can succeed in this male-dominated sector.
In 1996, she founded the GA2D architectural firm in Dakar. With more than 15 employees, her architectural studio has carried out projects of various sizes, both private and urban. Among her works, numerous rehabilitation and social projects in Senegal and its sub-region reflect her great interest in the preservation of the Senegalese patrimonial heritage: the restoration of the Saint-Louis Cathedral, the restoration and extension of the Dakar train station, of the maternity pavilion unit of the Saint-Louis Hospital or the transformation of a house in a Health Center in Goree. But her most emblematic project remains the restoration of the Slaves Museum in Goree. The use of local know-how and materials is also at the heart of her practice, sourcing materials in the region and collaborating with local experts to ensure an environmentally friendly dimension to the constructions.
FATIYA DIENE MAZZA - ID+EA
Fatiya Diene Mazza is a Senegalese architect and a leading force in the renewal of Senegal's urban landscape. Growing up in Dakar with an architect father, this architecture and design enthusiast shows her vision for a modern Senegalese infrastructure with a deep interest in forms and color harmony.
Drawing on her international experience, she founded the agency ID+EA (Innovative Design and Engineered Architecture) in 2015. The company mainly operates within Senegal and specializes in architectural design, project coordination, and on-site supervision.
With her team of 15 young African architects and civil engineers, she undertakes various building and interior design projects in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors of the Dakar region, contributing to the expansion of the Senegalese capital while maintaining its visual coherence. The studio develops projects with local skills, from the architectural conception to the design. ID+EA also demonstrates an understanding of sustainable design and local anchoring of projects, with a working process that relies heavily on cooperation.
She has left her mark on Senegal's infrastructure, developing an architectural language based on local knowledge and international expertise. Her list of projects includes the Trade, Industry, and Agriculture Center, the Outarde Bank and several offices in Dakar, the Keur Rahman villa, and the Institute of Artistic Activities of Diamniadio. Some of her most prominent projects also include the futuristic design of the Diamniadio train station, one of the major projects of the Plan Senegal Emergent, the Senegalese development plan, the luxurious U:BIKIWITI and the interior design of the Black Rock Senegal house.
ANNIE JOUGA - J&T ARCHITECTS
Born in Gorée, Annie Jouga was the first woman to be registered as an architect in Senegal after graduating from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure of Architecture in Paris.
Together with Jean-Charles Tall, Annie Jouga founded J&T Architects & Associés. The firm provides architectural services, project management assistance and landscape design for private and public projects. Specialising in bioclimatic and sustainable architecture, focuseing on creativity and innovation to deliver office and residential buildings in Senegal, particularly through earthen construction.
An architect and teacher, Annie Jouga is involved in the architectural ecosystem - she co-founded the Collège Universitaire d'Architecture de Dakar (CUAD), a private architecture school - as well as in politics, working on issues of urbanism, heritage and infrastructure in Gorée and Dakar.
MAMY TALL
Mamy Tall is a versatile creative working in various artistic fields in Dakar. Architect, designer, and scenographer; she is also involved in the world of fashion and art, showing her impeccable style on her Instagram page. She was selected to represent Senegal as part of le 19M, Chanel's international exhibition for the brand presentation of the 2022/23 Métiers d'art collection during Dakar Fashion Week, the first ever on the African continent. For this occasion, Tall worked on the scenography of the exhibition at the IFAN Museum of Dakar.
After studying in Lomé, Togo, and Montreal, Canada, Tall finally decided to express her creativity in her native Senegal. Deeply motivated by the promotion of her homeland, she first launched her blog Dakar Lives, a digital space promoting Senegalese destinations, architecture, and other creative ventures. She also expresses her creativity through art direction photography, winning an award for a video and for the Lartisane catwalk which combines tradition with modern aesthetics. Super-active, with a keen sense of aesthetics and passion for her country and capital, she has significantly increased the global visibility of Senegalese artistic creation, community and vibrant culture.
She also works at the Office of Architecture and Conservation of the National Palaces, where she contributes to the restoration of the Old Courthouse in Dakar. She also works at the agency Wilmotte & Associés, where she helped develop the cultural DNA and architectural interpretation for the UN headquarters in Diamniadio.
CAROLE DIOP
Carole Diop is an architecture scholar with a deep interest in sustainable and cultural preservation.
This Senegalo-Beninese founded the Afrikaada magazine, an interactive magazine on contemporary art where she shares her take on architecture, design, and art news from the continent. She also leads the Afrikadaa association, actively engaging in Senegalese cultural life through initiatives such as participation in the Partcours and involvement in the Dakar Biennale.
A graduate of the Ecole Nationale d'Architecture Paris Val de Seine, she now resides in Dakar, where she settled after completing her studies. In 2018, she initiated Dakarmorphose, an ongoing research project that explores the evolution of Lebu villages and Dakar’s urban and cultural heritage, including its climate, culture, traditions, and unique 'concrete modernity.' Dakarmorphose has been exhibited at the Dakar’Art Biennale in 2018 and 2022 and has contributed to various papers and conferences. The two have since then collaborated on lectures and scientific studies.
In recent years, Diop has been inviting the public to rediscover the city of Dakar through Architectural Walks, exploring areas such as the Plateau, Point-e or the Medina; inviting the curious and the locals to get to know their environment better. She is also a lecturer in architectural history at the Dakar University College of Architecture (CUAD) and teaches cartography at the Pan-African Polytechnic Institute (IPP-DAKAR).
NZINGA-BIEGUENG-MBOUP - WOROFILA
Nzinga Biegueng Diop is an architect and academic who heads the Worofila architectural studio. A Senegalese Cameroonian, she had an Afro-European education, studying at the University of Pretoria and Westminster University and is an alum of the Nigerian architect's world-renowned Adjaye Associates in London.
She put her knowledge into practice in the Senegalese region with Worofila, a Senegalese bioclimatic architecture studio based in Dakar. Founded in 2018 with her French associate Nicolas Rondet, the studio focuses on design using ocally sourced biomaterials, such as mud and typha, inspired by traditional African architecture.
Diop and Rondet's architectural approach is based on a deep understanding of climate, materials, and tradition, serving as a cornerstone of contemporary expression, resource efficiency, and construction quality to guarantee the longevity and sustainability of their project, using their expertise to propose a new architecture, closer to nature. Aware of the local challenges in Senegal, they have developed several projects with a concern for the local area and limiting the negative impact of construction. Their projects include the Dakar-AIDB regional railway station, the Keur Guilaye, Ngor, Sendhou and Mbuubenne houses, the Ecopavillon and the NKD house, as well as the Goethe Institute in collaboration with Kéré Architecture.
Diop's involvement in architecture goes beyond design and construction, as she participates in architectural exhibitions and produces research studies on her areas of interest: philosophy and heritage. Nzinga has been a researcher at the African Futures Institute since 2022 and has co-authored two research projects: Dakarmorphose, in collaboration with Carole Diop, and Habiter Dakar, with Caroline Geffriaud and the Goethe-Institut Dakar, a research project that traces the urban history of Dakar and raises today's critical conditions around the issue of housing.
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