PAB Architects designs marketplace to centralize Senegal street vending

In Senegal, street vending is a problematic venture for all sides involved. Shop owners struggle with organizing their goods, and customers have to select from unhygienic products. The under-the-table arrangement cuts the government out from tax dollars.

PAB Architects has created a more organized way to go about business. The Senegal Ministry of Commerce and Chamber of Commerce commissioned the firm to design Senegal City Market, a modular retail complex consisting of groups of 5x7-meter shop units. 

The steel-frame units are prefabricated and mounted on site. The modules can be customized. Exterior can be made of either bricks or dry process panels. Glass windows and metal or bamboo shutters are optional. 

The layout of the complex can come in different varieties, as shops can be set around a courtyard, or they can have alleys connecting them. The layout maintains the social aspect that comes with outdoor shopping in Senegal.

“The main design principle for these market settlements is to create an introverted space since the market sites are indefinite which makes it hard to control the boundaries, neighboring sites and external factors both in terms of creating a planned outdoor space and also to sustain security at night time,” PAB wrote in a press release. “Settling around a courtyard is also advantageous in terms of climate control; creating shadowy outdoor areas and directed natural ventilation.”

The first marketplace will be built in Kaolack, Senegal, and 12 more marketplaces are planned.