DAKAR: Marieme Ndiaye emerged from her igloo-shaped home in Senegal’s capital, its 1950s space-age aesthetic contrasting sharply with the modern multi-storey apartments surrounding it.
The distinctive concrete dwelling stands out dramatically within its ordinary Dakar neighbourhood, appearing more suited to science fiction than residential reality.
French colonial authorities constructed approximately 1,200 of these unique homes during the 1950s to address post-World War II housing shortages across several Dakar neighbourhoods.
Builders created these structures by inflating giant balloons, spraying them with a concrete solution called gunite, and then deflating the balloons to leave behind durable domes.
Rows of light-coloured domes rapidly transformed Dakar’s brown Sahelian landscape, with each home requiring only 48 hours for complete construction.
California architect Wallace Neff designed these innovative dwellings, though they achieved only limited popularity among Senegalese families.
Traditional multi-generational households quickly found the small circular interiors insufficient for their living requirements.
The land beneath these unusual structures eventually became more valuable than the bubble homes themselves, accelerating their disappearance.
Only about 100 bubble homes remain today according to Dakar architect Carole Diop, with most succumbing to relentless urban development pressures.
Marieme Ndiaye recalled her childhood in Dakar’s central Zone B neighbourhood where bubble homes once dominated the landscape.
Residents have become the primary protectors of these architectural curiosities in the absence of formal preservation societies.
Ndiaye explained the ongoing transformation of her neighbourhood while expressing deep personal attachment to her family home.
The 65-year-old retiree faces pressure from younger family members who wish to demolish the bubble structure for new construction.
Architect Carole Diop confirmed that remaining residents preserve these homes for various personal and sentimental reasons.
Many families with sufficient financial resources have already demolished their bubble homes to construct larger conventional buildings.
Most surviving bubble homes have undergone significant modifications to better accommodate Senegalese living requirements.
Original bubble homes featured six-metre diameters containing just a bedroom, living room, and bathroom according to Diop.
Resourceful families developed creative expansion solutions including building attachments to increase living space.
Ndiaye’s father originally purchased their bubble home in the 1950s, and it now forms the centrepiece of their family compound.
The dome structure sits within a square courtyard surrounded by additional rooms housing multiple generations of relatives.
While bubble homes can become warm under direct sunlight despite ventilation systems, Ndiaye finds hers comfortable.
Nearby resident Sekouna Yansane recently constructed a large house incorporating his father’s original bubble home as an attached room.
The artistic 65-year-old refused to surrender his distinctive dome to developers, valuing its unique character.
Yansane drew parallels between his bubble home and traditional Mongolian yurts he encountered during travels.
He watched neighbours demolish their bubble homes while he preserved his during four years of construction.
Modern apartment buildings now tower over streets where bubble houses once stood in considerable numbers.
Yansane passionately advocates for preserving these unique structures that add character to the urban landscape.
Original designer Wallace Neff considered these bubble homes his most significant architectural achievement despite his fame for Hollywood明星 residences.
The American architect created Spanish colonial revival homes for celebrities like Judy Garland and Groucho Marx.
Diop expressed pessimism about the long-term survival of bubble homes given Dakar’s rapid densification and development.
She suggested formal classification or adaptive reuse might offer the only hope for preserving some examples.
Yansane maintained more optimistic outlook regarding the century-long preservation potential of these unusual homes.
He believes preserved bubble homes could become extraordinary architectural treasures for future generations. – AFP