Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The headquarters of the Société d'Equipement du Département de La Réunion (SEDRé), located at 53 rue de Paris in Saint-Denis, is a major architectural ensemble of the last quarter of the 20th century. Designed in 1979 by architects Jean Hébrard and Pierre Abadie, winners of a competition launched in 1975, it replaces a 19th century home destroyed in 1977. The building is organized into five hierarchical bodies, connected by a central staircase and covered galleries, around a wooded patio. Its facades, marked by soft-angled openings and deep embrasures, are inspired by experiments carried out for the housing of the ZUP IV in the Port, reflecting the architectural trends of the 1970s.

The SEDRÉ, a joint economy company created in 1968, plays a key role in the urbanization of Réunion as an assistant for local authorities. The headquarters, a departmental property, embodies this mission by its functional scope and innovative aesthetic, combining prefabricated concrete and green spaces. The project is part of a series of achievements of the same architects, such as the hotel of the Department (palais de La Source) or the extension of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where they apply a similar principle of bodies of buildings juxtaposed and connected by galleries circulating in wooded spaces.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2023 for its facades and roofs, the SEDRÉ headquarters is distinguished by its quadrilateral plan and its balance between imposing volumes and landscape retreats. The building also symbolizes an urban break, marking the modernization of Saint-Denis at the expense of the 19th century heritage, as evidenced by the destruction of the old house of the National Forest Office. Its architecture, both functional and aesthetic, remains a testament to La Réunion's urban ambitions in the 1970s and 1980s.

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