Project description by jury

The design aims to enhance the livability in Kroo Bay, an informal settlement of Freetown, Sierra Leone. As is the case across the country, this community suffers from several sanitary, social and environmental emergencies – including the contamination of the local ecosystem with plastic particles due to inadequate waste management systems. The project uses a simple but radical low-tech approach to provide a multi-purpose facility able to collect plastic trash and upcycle it into valuable products. The proposed architectural object, placed on a riverside, consists of three elements: a bridge that collects plastic trash carried by the river via a net; a recycling plastic workshop where plastics are separated from other rubbish and warmed up to 200°C through solar concentrators then transformed into new products; and spectator seating for football games designed to store objects underneath the stairs while serving recreational activities. The pavilion is intended to be built from recycled on-site plastic panels fixed to steel elements, ensuring the affordability of the construction. In a place characterized by an extreme lack of facilities, the project strives to help residents improve their lives with a public space that reduces pollution from plastics. The small recycling production chain provides opportunities for work, education and gathering while contributing to a safer and cleaner environment.

Jury appraisal

Plastic pollution is amongst the most critical environmental issues to address, especially for countries where programmatic recycling practices are difficult to implement. The LafargeHolcim Awards jury Middle East Africa appreciated the creative suggestion to combine different programs in a low-tech facility that, by optimizing spaces together with resources, is able to provide multiple social, economic and environmental benefits. The technological aspects were found thoughtful and carefully calibrated with the specificities of the place. This results in a convincing architecture whose ability to incorporate vernacular references was particularly praised.