Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
Zalman Enav and Michael Tedros Architects and Urban Planners
Zalman and Ruth Enav Architects ArchiveKeren Kuenberg for ISPADA
Location: Menelik II Ave, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The building was designed to hold all of the Ministry’s administrative and public facilities. The offices are grouped around an inner court covered with translucent sheets. The corridors function as galleries and passageways.
The structure of the building is shaped like the “Ethiopian Star” (Star of Solomon- the national Ethiopian symbol), and based on an arrangement of columns which jointly form trusses with the floor slabs acting as tie beams. The elevations of the building integrate concrete “Ethiopian Star” columns which create a unique pattern. This building demonstrates an attempt to blend modern exposed-concrete architecture with local traditional motives. The architects aspired to design a building reflective of Ethiopian culture, unlike the Prime Minister's interpretation of modernity- such as the glass tower UN building in Addis Ababa.
Information from Keren Kuenberg's research.