Dakar International Congress Center / Tabanlioglu Architects

On the west coast of Middle Africa, Senegal is by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Senegal River borders the country to the east and north. The capital city of Senegal, Dakar is located at the westernmost tip of the country on the Cap-Vert peninsula. The congress center first opened in November 2014, for the 15th Francophone Assembly where 75 world presidents met. Typical geography and natural values have been the inspiration for the project. Extraordinary, characteristic Baobab trees of Senegal are distinctive with their enormous girth. Their massive trunks can grow to circumferences of 25 meters or more. Their second distinctive feature is great longevity. Baobabs have lived well over a thousand years, so they have been important landmarks in Senegal's dry savanna plain; in oral histories, baobabs are cited as loci of battles, or as marking borders between states. Many of these historic trees have been classified as historic monuments by the Ministry of Culture.