CITY BETWEEN THE FOREST AND THE OCEAN

Senegal has seen a tremendous growth in population in recent years. And this trend will continue.

Since the historic city is located on a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides, space for extending the city is scarce. 125.000 homes will be built in and around Dakar in the near future. With average household sizes of six to eight people, this means that a city of up to one million people will emerge. In order to accommodate the expected growth in population, it is recommended that new sites for development be opened.

Set between Dakar and the new airport, Diamniadio has great location potential as the core of a new city. This new city can function as an overspill area and a complimentary town to Dakar. Diamniadio is connected by the national road, toll way, and rail to Dakar. Taking advantage of existing infrastructure allows us to use the location’s existing potential.
Despite the high demand of housing in Dakar the new city shall grow over time, rather than being built from scratch all at once. With a modular approach the masterplan should be executed in multiple phases, in order to flexibly answer to current demands and adjust for changes.

Five architectural prototypes are designed to optimize for temperature, the wind, and flooding. The houses are conceived as light, yet monolithic shapes. The spaces are gathered around a central courtyard, providing the house with a fresh breeze from the garden, leaving the house through the wind tower. To combat flooding as a result of heavy rainfall the houses are raised 300 mm from groundlevel.