Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and

City Development
Urban design and development
MSc Program

ADDIS ABABA
URBAN FORM, FUNCTION AND MOBILITY SYSTEM
(1941-1975)

By: - Matias Deriba ID NO GSR 4252/10

Elias Walelign ID NO GSR 6018/10
Kifle Tadesse ID NO GSR 6962/10

To: - Abreham Workeneh

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

July, 2018
Contents
1. The Post-Italian Period.............................................................................................................1
2. The Period between 1941-1974................................................................................................2
3. Post - Italian Occupation Period: Years Of Architectural Metamorphosis..............................9
3.1 Background Information........................................................................................................9
3.2 Critical Appraisal of Some Works.......................................................................................11
3.3 The Trend in the 70s and 80s...............................................................................................17
3.4 Towards a Regional Character.............................................................................................18
4. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................19
Reference.......................................................................................................................................20

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 Addis Ababa Post occupation period from 1941-1975

1. The Post-Italian Period

During Post-Italian Period, two developments are worth highlighting in the first two decades of
the post-Liberation period. The first was the administrative division of the city into ten districts.
The second was yet another abortive attempt to institute planned growth.

The post-1941 administrative divisions (woredas), although reminiscent of the pre-1935

commissariat, were substantially different from them. In fact, the only connecting thread
between the two seems to have been their number (ten). Otherwise, both the names and the
locations differed. While the commissariat were largely based on safars, the woredas were much
larger territorial entities generally incorporating many safars. The woredas, which were to endure
until superseded by kaftagnas after the Revolution, were Arada, Bole, Entoto, Gafarsa, Gulale,
Maychaw, Makakalagna, Qaranyo, Takla Haymanot and Yakka.

A look at the map shows the relative density of the woreda populations in the early 1950's. While
Arada was still the area of largest concentration of population, Takla Haymanot was fast growing
into a challenger for congestion. This could be seen as a legacy of the Italian policy of moving
Ethiopian residents to the western part of the city. By the 1960's and 70's, Takla Haymanot was
to attain a record for both density and squalor - a state of affairs that has persisted to the present.
On the other hand, woredas like Bole and Maychaw were to grow into areas of sub-urban
affluence.

The second major development was the attempt to lay out a master plan for the future growth of
Addis Ababa. The task was entrusted to the British architect Sir Patrick Abercombie. It was a
thirty-year plan of urban development whose chief objectives appears to have been the division
of the city into zones and the resolution of the problem of congestion by creating satellite towns.
The city was to be divided into political, residential, commercial and industrial zones.

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Like its Italian predecessor, this plan did not fare so well in implementation. The city continued
to grow in the spontaneous fashion, which has been its distinctive feature since its foundation.
The safars, with the houses of the nobility after whom they came to be called occasionally
serving as landmarks, have persisted, if understandably with the inevitable accretions of time -
living evidence of the past to the student of history, an irritating demonstration of resilience to
the planner. It is to be hoped that the future growth of the city would be marked by an intelligent
synthesis of these two objectives: the preservation of the past heritage and the planned and
systematic utilization of space.

The Empirical GEBBI and its dependents (c.1900) Woredas of Addis Ababa (with population density per hectare,
c.1950)

2. The Period between 1941-1974.

Sir Patrick Abercrombie's Plan after the Italian occupation was done away with; Addis Ababa
was faced with two major problems: economic stagnation and fast population growth. The
central area maintained the urban morphology developed by the Italians while the peripheral
areas were impacted by urban sprawl.

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In 1946, Emperor Haile Sellassie invited Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the famous planner of Greater
London, to prepare a master plan for Addis Ababa. The reason for the invitation was related to
the Emperor's ambition to build a beautiful capital city that would serve as a model not only for
Ethiopia but also for the rest of Africa,

Abercrombie prepared the plan with neighborhood units as the basic element for organizing the
city and planning module. The neighborhood units were surrounded by green parkways to make
them well defined and to provide them with immediate access to green arcs. He also created
three ring roads that became part of the major features of the plan. The street network of the city
was characterized by radial and ring roads. The ring roads, which were intended to channel the
traffic away from the central area, were kept around the green belts. The outer ring roads being
mostly located along the streams Kebena and Kotebe (the one passing by the current Awash
Winery) have complemented the organic nature of the neighborhood units

By planning thus, as it was noted by P. Hall, Abercrombie achieved unitary quality through his
decentralized city structure which stresses the primacy of striving towards a positively stated
feature of spatial form as a physical environmental goal product.

However, in reality, contrary to the intended objective of controlling of sprawl growth, the outer
ring road had the tendency to attract settlement development on its sides. In addition to
reorganizing the neighborhoods, Abercrombie proposed satellite settlements around Addis
Ababa. The satellite towns had areas designated as service centers for school, health centers,
etc.). Abercrombie did carefully plan cach neighborhood units not to be crossed by a motor
traffic route. It was a reflection of his solution for the London traffic problem in the plan for
County of London, 1943." The master plan seemed to be the summation of these separate and
freely formed units of neighborhoods. In addition to the neighborhoods reorganization of the
entire city, Abercrombie proposed satellite settlements around the city: Keranio, Mekanissa,
West of Old Air Port and the Yeka-Bole areas (south of Megenagna area). Similar to the
neighborhood units, the satellite towns were also given a center for services like those that
school; health etc. based on the principle of planning by neighborhood units, similar to the plan
for County of London-1943.

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 Addis Ababa Master plan by P. Abercrombie, 1954-56

Abercrombie's master plan has changed the monumental feature and gridiron system developed
during the Italian occupation period. Consequently, the neighborhood units seemed to contradict
the plans laid out during the Italian period, particularly in the native areas (Addis Ketema and
Mercato areas) of the city. The realization of the plan needed complete transformation of the iron
grid urban pattern

Bolton Hennessy and Partners' Plan In 1959, a British consultant team called Bolton Hennessy
and Partners was commissioned to refine Abercrombie's master plan of 1954-56 and to
accommodate a larger population size. The significant change lies in the proposal regarding
satellite towns. Two settlements of the satellite type location (Mckenissa and West of the old Air
Port areas) proposed by Abercrombie were not incorporated as part of the city Conversely, four
new satellite towns – Rapi, Gefersa, Qaliti and Kotebe were proposed along the outlets to Jimma,
Ambo, Mojo and Dessie respectively (the four regional highways). The plan by Hennessy and
Partners envisaged a large metropolitan development surrounded by satellite towns that are
physically larger than the current size of Addis Ababa.

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 Bolton and Hennessy Partners’ Master plan, 1959. With new satellite towns and its metropolitan region.

Both Abercrombie's and B. Hennessy's plans dealt with spatial planning rather than with
implementation tools. The neighborhood unit was the most difficult part 10 realize because of
lack of strict technical control, short time frame and limited financial resources. However, some
of the proposed street network and the satellite towns were maintained through implementation.
In 1965, a new master plan was proposed by a French consulting firm led by Luis De. Marien.
The invitation to the French team was due to the difficulty of implementing the organic
neighborhood pattern proposed in the master plans of both British teams.

Plan of Luis De Marien a consulting team known as the French Mission for Urban Studies and
Habitat led by L. De Marien prepared a new plan in 1965 that focused on implementation rather
than on spatial planning. L De Marien was responsible for the plan that proposed long
monumental axis from the City Hall of Addis Ababa in the northern part through the railway
station at the middle extending to Gola Mazoria in the southern part of the city. The difference
between this plan and that proposed by Guidi and Valle is that L. De Marien's plan concentrated
on a single monumental axis while the Italians had planned double monumental axes. Through
its straight visual link, by connecting the end points of Addis Ababa City Hall and the railway

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station with extension to south the axis depicts his impression of the Champs Elysées in Paris
that is extended from the Louvre area to La Defense district of the city." He also proposed
parallel boulevards on both sides of the axis to accentuate the single dominant straight avenue of
Addis Ababa.

In this plan, L. De Marien revitalized the north-south axis proposed by the Italians. The political-
administrative area that is extended from Sidist Kilo to the current Arat Kilo Palace was also
given importance to develop into one of the major fabrics of the city structure. The linear
development of an industrial zone (clear district) was the unique idea of creating an industrial
strip at the south edge of the city extending from Gotera area to Qaliti (more than 10km distance)
without interruption with freight terminal that further extends the line to Akaki. The general form
of the plan was given analogy with a human head and Arada (the old commercial area) as a core
of this The plan was prepared during the city's construction boom period and a considerable part
of it was implemented. The construction activities of this period illustrate the juxtaposition of
modem towers and single story low cost constructions.

Addis Ababa Master Plan by Luis De Marien, 1965. The city with its grand north-south axis and Arada (the old
commercial area) as a major center of the city.

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The Period between 1974-1991 The changes of political system in 1974 slowed down the growth
of Addis Ababa. The nationalization of urban land and extra houses halted private investment in
the building sector. The government was the only viable entity for construction of facilities for
urban services, public buildings and homes except for a few private investments for dwelling
houses. The government started to offer land free of charge for government employees who
produce evidence they do not possess any house previously. However, the growth of the city
continued to stagnate. There were four major reasons that slowed the growth of the city - the
political unrest, insecurity of urban life due to political conflicts, the nationalization of extra
houses, which totally halted the building of houses for rent and the strict control of immigration
to cities/towns through the registration of people's movements. As a result, Addis Ababa's
growth rate dropped from about 5% to 3.4 % per annum, about half of the pre-revolutionary
growth rate.

Plan of C. K. Polonyi the first plan developed under the communist government was that
prepared by C.K. Polonyi, a Hungarian planner. Polonyi made his plan in co-operation with the
Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. His plan incorporated two major proposals. The
first proposal focused on the integration and linkage of Addis Ababa with the surrounding towns
and rural areas. The second proposal focused on the development of the city's central area. In
addition, Polonyi's proposal included the development of a residential layout for self-help
housing projects

Polonyi redesigned Maskal Square (a square largely used to celebrate the finding of the true
cross Meskel) for public gathering and as a forum where the communist leaders addressed the
public and where military parades are held. The plan was implemented immediately and the
square was named Abiot Square (Revolution Square) It was to be a focal point of the political
axis and a link to the Arada-railway station axis. The development of Meskal Square is one of
the major transformations of urban spaces during the communist regime.

The second major plan of C.K. Polonyi included the megalopolis plan of Addis Ababa. It was a
proposal to connect Addis Ababa with Adama/ Nazareth, a town about 100 km southeast of
Addis Ababa (The objective was to link Addis Ababa to the rich agricultural areas in the
southeast. The towns located in between Addis Ababa and Adama/Nazreth were to serve as

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development poles within the axis A new fast-traffic by-pass route was proposed to facilitate
communication between the proposed poles including Debre Zeit, a major military base.
However, the plan was not implemented due to lack of funds to implement the infrastructural
provisions and too ambitious growth anticipation where the city was at low level of urban growth
rate.

Addis Ababa city Centerby C.K. Polonyi, 1978 the ‘Abiot Square (Revolution Square) was designed with its
emphasized link to the commercial and political axes.

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 3. Post - Italian Occupation Period: Years Of Architectural Metamorphosis

3.1 Background Information

Five years after the end of colonial rule, the development of Addis Ababa was reactivated by a
12 million birr loan secured from the International Development Bank. During the 1945-54
periods, the second master plan study of the city was undertaken by Sir Patrick Abercombie, an
English planner. The proposed plan centered on the creation of arterial roads, the control of land
use, the preservation of open spaces; the development of neighborhood units; and the foundation
of satellite towns. However, the study had one major defect: it assumed a growth rate for the
city's population of as low as 1.5% per annum for the succeeding thirty years.

In 1959, Sir Abercombie's master plan was revised and British town planning consultants known
as Boston and Hennessey and Partners prepared a development plan for the city with a projected
population of 800,000 to 1,000,000. This detailed study was an elaboration and refinement of Sir
Abercombie's earlier proposal.

The second development plan study was undertaken by the French Missions d'Urbanisme et
d'Habitat (SMUH) in cooperation with the Municipality. After reviewing the earlier studies the
team proposed the extension of the monumental axis (Municipality - Railway station)
southwards, the extension of industries along the Railway line, and reconstruction and renovation
of the Piazza.

The Department of Town Planning and Land Administration of the Ministry of Urban
Development and Housing (MUDH) did the last development plan study of Addis Ababa and its
agglomeration. The study dealt with urban problems on the national scale and presented
proposals for new regional divisions.

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A new master plan study, the third in the city's history, has been conducted in 1984-86 by an
Ethio-Italian team in MUDH and is expected to come into effect very soon.

The years between 1955 and 1968 saw a building activity unprecedented in the history of the
city. Quite a number of public buildings, apartments, factories, residential houses, educational
and health buildings, etc. were erected. New techniques in construction technology were
introduced.

Among the many institutions that played major roles during this period, the Ethio-Swedish
Institute of Building Technology (ESIBT) - established in 1954. Deserves particular mention. In
addition to producing building engineers, it has made immense contributions towards the
building activity through its Testing and Quality Control Department and the Building Materials
Permanent Exhibition Centre. Moreover, the part it played in the preparation of the country's first
building code is noteworthy.

In the middle of the boom period the Ethiopian Association of Engineers and Architects (EAEA)
was formed. The fourth general meeting of Ethiopian engineers and architects held on July 12,
1963 heralded the establishment of the association; its first elected president was an architect.
The formation of the association was a major step in laying the foundation for the advancement
of architecture and engineering in the country. To " record the achievements and failures of
Ethiopian engineers and architects and to disseminate information and ideas on engineering
sciences, technology and architecture, the association began publishing the journal“ Zede". The
first issue came out in November 1965.

The year 1963 also witnessed one other event that opened up the way for a new and major
influence on architecture in Ethiopia. It was the establishment of the Department of Architecture
and Town Planning within the Faculty of Technology of Haile Sellassic I University - now Addis
Ababa University. The department started its training program with 10 students. By the end of
1986, it has succeeded in producing 164 architects and town planners who are currently playing a
major part in the country's architectural and building activities.

The establishment of architectural consulting firms in the city has also augmented the building
activity in the boom period; eight firms were active during the 1960s. All were fully owned and

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run by expatriates except one, which involved an Ethiopian partner. The appearance of this
Ethiopian architect on the architectural scene, for so long dominated by foreigners, can be
considered as a turning point in the architectural history of the country.

3.2 Critical Appraisal of Some Works

The boom period of construction opened up an opportunity for the few architectural firms
established at that time to experiment with designs varying from single block compositions to
those involving different geometrical volumes. An attempt to classify the buildings erected
during this period in terms of the architects' national origin or cultural affiliation would lead to
erroneous conclusions. Modern architecture has pervaded all countries to such an extent that,
generally speaking, works in one country cannot be distinguished from those in another.
Architecture has acquired a universal character. The buildings of the boom period, therefore, are
to be seen as expressions of modern concepts of space, form and aesthetics.

The architectural quality of the works of the boom period should be assessed according to the
concepts and principles of the modern style. In the absence of quality control mechanisms, the
designs of buildings were left at the mercy of intuitive power, personal tastes and preferences of
the practicing architects of the period. Due to the poor national legacy of architecture and
buildings, clients and the public in general had to accept what was offered by experts from an
advanced culture without reservations. The success of a project depended only on functional and
cost aspects-all other considerations being left to the designer. The firms that operated during
this period took advantage of the situation. As a result, the cityscape of Addis Ababa today
portrays mainly the successes and failures of their architectural experiments. One of the early
design firms that experimented with buildings of single rectangular blocks and complexes of
differing volumes in size and geometry was studio Mezzedimi - owned by A. Mezzedimi, an
Italian. The conditions that prevailed in the 60s benefited this design office in securing a number
of commissions. The studio's designs of public buildings involving compositions of differing
forms were more successful than those of single rectangular ones.

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The Addis Ababa Municipality Building-one of the landmarks of the city-and the Africa Hall
could be cited as examples of buildings rich in their form language. The Municipality Building,
with the symmetrical arrangement of its office wings, and the slender tower in the middle-
looking out towards the monumental axis-seems to open up in a symbolic manner to embrace the
city. This arrangement along with the commanding position the building occupies accentuates
monumentality. The Africa Hall also is a symmetrical composition intended to express grandeur
proclaiming the prodigious and grand functions it houses.

However, in both these buildings the stress on the formal aspect of design has diminished the
concern for economic and functional use of some internal spaces. The external treatment of the
facades - which portays a certain degree of eclecticism - lacks aesthetic refinement. This holds
true for most of the buildings put up by the office.

Addis Ababa Municipality Building, 1961-64

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 Africa Hall 1961

The Bureau d'Etudes Henri Chomette ranks second to Mezzedimi's studio in the quantity of
architectural works realized in Addis Ababa. The works of Chomette, unlike Mezzedimi's,
exhibit consistency in the general application of aesthetic principles. The recurring themes -
raising rectangular building volumes partly on tapering columns; the use of simple rhythmic,
continuous mullions on the elevated volume facades and the use of rough textured finishes on
exterior walls - give the Frenchman's works a distinctive character.

Chomette handled single rectangular building blocks better than complexes involving differing
geometric forms. The National Bank Complex comprising of a rectangular tower and a low
circular building clearly illustrates his shortcomings. The flaw evident in the juxtaposed
arrangement of the volumes is exaggerated by the weak formal link connecting them. This
formal clement appears to be an afterthought. The non-correspondence of the elevation wall
treatment of the two buildings also contributes to the general fault evident in their grouping.

National Bank Complex

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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1964

The architectural firm that operated under the name of Z. Enav and M. Tedros has a significant
place in the history of the city's architectural transformations. The partnership of Z. Enav, an
Israeli, and Michael Tedros, an Ethiopian, heralded the involvement of Ethiopians in
architectural practices hitherto monopolized by foreigners.

The partners, in addition to their office practice, were engaged in part-time teaching at the
Department of Architecture of the University. The American-trained Ethiopian architect,
Michael Tedros, was among the few professionals who established the Ethiopian Association of
Engineers and Architects (EAEA) and was elected its first president.

Z. Enav's and Michael Tedros's works of the 60s, though modern, are not results of a unified
design philosophy. Z. Enay who believed architecture to be the "humanization of space
considered a true piece of architecture to be part of society embodying artistic as well as human
values. He even went further to say that the true sense of modernity lics in being able to create
architectural works, which “convey with contemporary methods and materials a country's
cultural heritage". Yet, almost none of the works that came out of the studio carry features that
could be interpreted along this line,

Despite the contradiction between design philosophy and actual practice, the works of the firm
remain among the best in the city. The Filwoha Thermal Bath Complex - a composition of low-
lying hexagonal blocks connected to catch other and to the two-story restaurant and apartment
block by hexagonal flat roofed walkways-serves the public by providing bathing facilities in
success. Fully designed sequence of spaces appropriate in such establishments. The Shalom

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Shalome Apartment Building, 1965 external fair-faced brick walls and the visually strong roof
parapet, finished with mosaic tiles, give the hexagonal volumes a restful character. The right
scale of the buildings along with the properly solved site - fitting well into the urban context - is
indicative of the humanist approach in the design.

Shalom Apartment building, 1965

Z Enay and Michael Tedros were also successful in their design of apartment buildings. Shalome
and 82 apartment buildings are examples of good compositions in rectangular plasticity. The
projecting and receding planes on the facades, caroches by the interplay of materials and surface
finishes, give the blocks an aesthetically rich silhouette.

Addis Ababa has very few buildings that do not possess sculpturally treated facades. Most of the
buildings have a character of solidity. The architects who initiated the use of light curtain walls
with non-visible supports were Z. Kovace vic and I. Strauss, both from Yugoslavia. They have
created pure rectangular volumes with unbroken surfaces - the enclosing screen walls stretching
tightly like skin over the supporting skeleton.

The Housing and Savings Bank Building - which reminds one of Lever House in New York -
and the two office blocks of the General Post Office Building, have entire facades cantilevered
with screen walls set some distance outside the supports. The resulting forms are of expressed
volumes of refined purity that emphasize transparency.

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The General Post Office complex comprising of two rectangular office blocks linked together by
covered walkways interrupted by the low, fully glazed bar and restaurant block in the middle,
and the barrel vaulted postal service hall on one side - is the most successful composition in their
to date. It'is among the very few designs in Addis Ababa that combines offices and public
facilities such as bar, shops, postal service, etc. thereby giving life to the immediate surrounding
even after office hours, a quality which most public buildings lack. The overall arrangement of
the different volumes and the external spaces they define, the general openness of the whole
complex brought about by the use of very low fence - instead of the customary' 2 meters high
ones - and the appropriate accesses from the streets, all contribute to the success of the work. It is
one of the best examples that fit well into the urban context an architectural work that helps
stimulate urban life.

Housing and saving bank

Almost all the works of the 60's are generally deficient in their response to climatic requirements.
The application of sun-shading devices on glazed facades and the proper orientation of buildings
are essential design considerations for buildings in the tropics. Addis Ababa, lying 99°N of the
equator, falls within this category. Yet, most of the buildings put up by the leading firms of the
boom period fail in this respect. Occupants are usually forced to introduce controlling measures
in the form of curtains, venetian blinds, translucent foils, and in some cases, even newspapers, to
counteract the undesirable effects.

The firm that gave due consideration to climatic factors by incorporating sun - breaks (brise-
soleil) as part of the overall facade composition was the National Consultants-an architectural
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and engineering consultancy office run by Ethiopians. The works of this design firm began to
appear all over the city in the 70s and 80s.

The architectural features on the majority of their buildings appear to stem from a coherent
design philosophy. Most of their works display the use of sun - breaks (brise-soleil ), patterned
concrete finishes and materials that require minimal maintenance in time. Facade treatments
show signs of Corbusian influence.

The National Consultants, however, still have much to do to perfect their handling of building
complexes that involve volumes of different sizes and geometry. In some of their works, blocks
of different sizes and shapes are joined together in a manner that weakens the unity of the overall
composition. These flaws are evident in the Ethiopian Water Resources Head Office Complex
and the Ethiopian Insurance Head Office Building, which is under construction.

3.3 The Trend in the 70s and 80s

The years following the 1974 uprising are marked by a slowdown in the construction industry.
Urban land and extra houses were nationalized. The private sector's role in building activity was
limited to constructing small residential houses. Buildings for offices and apartments were
mainly built by the government. The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUDH)
assumed the responsibility for preparing development plans for urban areas. The government-
owned Ethiopian Building Construction Authority (EBCA) took over the design, checking and
supervision of major architectural works for government organizations. The works of privately
owned consulting firms were limited to commissions acquired through design competitions;
directly obtained jobs are insignificant in number.

Apartment and office buildings that were designed by the architectural section of the Ethiopian
Building Construction Authority (EBCA) dominated the architectural scene in the late 70's and
early 80's. In response to the housing stress, numerous apartment buildings were put up all over
the city. These works which are based on a few prototypes are architecturally uninteresting.
Recently a new group of apartments have been built along the Bole Road, unlike the preceding
ones; they have succeeded in bringing back life to the flat-roof dominated road. Their
architectural form - the well-studied front facades, the sloping roof, and the extensive use of

17
brick-has given them an identifiable character. Nevertheless, the design of these groups of
apartments on either side of the main road from the airport to the city fails to provide external
spaces essential in residential areas - spaces for children, spaces for community activities, spaces
for the enhancement of social interactions. Thus, the apartment blocks can only be appreciated as
screen walls 'meant to block off the view from the road into the slum surrounding built-up
environment.

A number of office buildings, designed by government and private firms, have been constructed
in the late 70s and early 80s. Certain designs are repeated on different sites for different
governmental and related agencies with minor variations. In some cases, whole complexes have
been built on new sites rather than on their original ones without due considerations being given
to the urban context. Provisions made in the original design appear as either misfits or semi-
functional elements in the new setting.

A general flaw in composition is also obvious in some office buildings. This failure is more
pronounced on building complexes - especially on the recent ones comprising of a low cubical
block and a tower. This composition of a square block placed infront of a rectangular tower
seems to have become the fashion in Addis Ababa in the 80s. All the buildings designed in this
manner fall short of the standard of good architectural composition. The blocks appear as works
done by different designers at different times and later fused forcibly together to form a single
complex.

3.4 Towards a Regional Character

A few attempts have been made at giving an Ethiopian character to modern buildings in Addis
Ababa. The residential houses known as "Chomette's Tukuls" - designed by the Frenchman
Henri Chomette - were one of the first in this respect. Other trials were also carried out on bigger
projects by foreign architects. They have used traditional motifs on facades to give the building
regional character. Among the works that exhibit such features, the Addis Ababa Hilton
Extension is relatively successful. On the other hand, the motifs on the Ministry of Coffee and
Tea Building fail to evoke the intended stimulus. Mezzedimi's mosaic patterns on the Africa Hall

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complex which remind one of the Tilet - the pattern on the local handwoven cloth-remain
unimpressive because partly obscured by the conference hall.

Such attempts at giving a regional character to architectural form have had no followers from
local architects until recently. A tendency now seems to emerge in some architectural circles.
The recent National Bank Training Institute Complex design competition winner project has
window motifs from Lalibela churches, which are dominant on the clovations, thereby giving the
complex an identity of its own. The attempt, though commendable from the outset, requires a
careful study so as not to appear a superficial garb forcing itself on the building form rather than
being an intrinsic part of it.

4. CONCLUSION

THEREFORE, the state of architecture in Addis Ababa today is far from satisfactory. The works
of recent years reveal the unfortunate situation quite clearly. Pragmatism and the dull application
of functionalist principles are negatively affecting the quality of the city environment. Artistic
and cultural ambitions have been trampled on and expediency has gained the upper hand,
opening the way for mediocrity.

In general, the architectural practice in the city lacks clear and genuine objectives. The prevailing
tendency is to provide minimum marketable solutions or to create isolated static art forms.
Architectural firms use the situation for purposes of quick profit rather than for the production of
refined works.

The present lamentable situation must be altered if the city is not to become an urban mess full of
buildings that fail to respond to the physical as well as the underlying psychological needs of its
inhabitants. A number of measures could be taken to give the city's architectural developments a
new direction.

To begin with, open architectural design competitions should be held for major works.
Qualitatively new ideas and works of a higher architectural standard will undoubtedly emerge;
artistic ambitions would be revived. The Department of Architecture and Town Planning of the
Addis Ababa University should be involved in assessing and evaluating proposals. The

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immediate task, however, should be the formation of an architectural society, which will take the
responsibility of examining architectural developments, controlling the quality of works and
checking the activities of practicing architects and design firms.

Reference

 Ahderom, T.(1986), Basic planning principles and objectives taken in the preparation of
the Addis Ababa Master Plans, past and present: In the Proceedings of the
International Symposium on the Centenary of Addis Ababa Vol. 1: 206–233.
 ORAAMP (Office for the Revision of Addis Ababa Master Plan) (1999), Planning
Practice of Addis Ababa (unpublished document).
 Pankhurst, S. (1957), Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s plan (unpublished document)
 Patassini, D. & Diamantini, C. (1996), Achievements and failures of Addis Ababa Master
Plan 1983-1985. In Diamantini,C. & Patassini, D. (eds.), Urban Ethiopia:
Evidence of the 1980s. Istituto Univesitario di Architettura di Venezia, Venice.

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