Nigeria is already Africa’s most populous country, but the city of Calabar has been increasing the masses by attracting visitors from around the world with recent conferences and events. A conference center designed to impress is just what Calabar needs to keep this momentum going, city officials decided; thus, they hosted a design competition for the Calabar International Convention Center.

The winner is Henning Larsen Architects, a firm based in Copenhagen, who designed a four-part, modernist mass that will be sited on top of a hill and feature stunning views of a nearby river delta.

In addition to providing space for conferences, the geometrical building will serve as a cultural hub for the city’s residents, hosting events such as concerts and film festivals.

This added benefit is one that comes as a responsibility to the designers, according to Louis Becker, the firm’s international design director and partner. “Nigeria is developing rapidly at the moment and, as an architect invited to contribute to this development, you have a special obligation to consider architecture as more than a question of geometry,” he is quoted as saying on Henning Larsen’s website. “Architecture also contributes to the development of society.”