Dame House is located in Nord-Foire Yoff, a newly developed residential area of Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

Since the colonial era, the development of the city has been characterised by an ongoing influx of external influences which have shown little regard for the existing context. Rather than importing a foreign style, the design of Dame House focuses on the way people live, local construction methods and managing the local climate.

Hospitality plays a significant part in Senegalese culture. Guests can arrive at any time and parties for over a hundred people are common. In addition to its day-to-day domestic functions, Dame House has been designed to accommodate these many and varied social events. The ground floor is a fluid combination of interior and exterior spaces which can be used separately or together, as guest numbers require. In contrast, the first floor is a private space, reserved for the family.

Cement blocks, cast and cured on site, are widely used in Dakar and were employed extensively in Dame House to control costs and to allow for easy site manipulation. Handcrafted perforated aluminum panels are set into some openings to provide privacy and maintain natural ventilation. Voids (internal courtyards, atria) borrowed from local building types and public spaces were incorporated into the design to temper the hot and dry climate while the ambiguous interior-exterior spaces provide a comfortable environment particularly hot times.