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#africa’s

clean energy hub

Ethiopia is on course to become a net exporter of energy as it unveiled a $40bn roadmap to build 71 power projects over the next ten years.

Of those projects, 16 are hydropower, 24 wind, 17 steam, and 14 are solar, making the model arguably one of the world’s biggest policy shifts towards clean energy and potentially building Ethiopia into a leader in clean energy in Africa.

At the same time, Ethiopia will bolster its electricity generating capacity from the current 4,200 MW to around 35,000 MW by 2037.

The East African state is inching closer to commissioning its controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which at 6,000 MW, will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, as well as the 8th largest in the world.

In the proposed deal, Saudi Arabia’s Aqua Power Company will build two of the 14 solar projects.

Source: theafricareport.com

#የአብርሆት ቅርጽ

አባ አርክቴክቶች የሰራዉ የአዲስ አበባ አብርሆት ቤተመጻህፍት ህንጻ ፊት ለፊት ከኪነህንጻዉ ጋር ተዋህዶ በቀራጺዉና ሰአሊዉ በቀለ መኮንን የተሰራዉ ቅርጽ በቦታዉ ተተክሏል። በአዲሱ የህዝብ ቤተመፃሕፍት ደጃፍ የቆመው ኪነ ሀውልት በቅርፁ ፣ የስነውበትን እርካታ በሚፈጥር ቀረፃና የልጅነትን ደፋር ነፃነት ባጣመረ መልክ የተዋቀረ ነው። ከቅርብም ከሩቅም በሰዎች መተላለፊያ መንገድ ዳር በመሆኑ ለሁሉም አይኖች የተጋለጠ ነው። ይዘቱ ወደ መፃሕፍት ቤቱ ዘልቀው ኮስታራ ንባብ ከመጀመራቸው በፊት ሁሉም ተመልካቾች ባለፉበት የልጅነት ወራት ተናፋቂና አስገራሚ ድርጊት ዘና የሚሉበትን ዕድል እንዲፈጥር ሆን ተብሎ የተመረጠ ነው። ከነሀስ ቀልጦ የተሰራው ህፃን በልጅነት ነፃነቱ ከዚህ ዓለም ማናቸውም ተፅዕኖ ነፃ ስለሆነ ነባር የዕውቀትና የመረጃ ክምር ላይ ተኝቶ ባደግንባቸው ፊደልና ቁጥር የተሰራ ሉል/ ዓለም ጋር ሞቅ ያለ ጨዋታ ይዟል። ይጠይቃል ይገረማል ይፈልጋል። እያደር ሲጎለምስ የሚፈራውን ገለባብጦና ተገለባብጦ ራሱንና አካባቢውን የማየት ድፍረት በዚች ዕድሜ ላይ ጀመረ እዛው ላይ የምታበቃ ድንቅ የቅፅበት ዘመን ናት። ሁሉም ሰው ኋላ ተመሳሳይ ሰልፍ ውስጥ መግባቱ ባይቀርም ከርሞ በሚያጣው በነፃነቱ ዘመን የታደለውን ተሰጥዖ በዚህ ቅርፅ ውስጥ ማስቀረት ዋናው የዚህ ቅርፅ ዒላማ ነው። የቅርፁ ትልቅ ተሸካሚ መሠረት ደግሞ እንደተፈጠረ የተተወ ትልቅ አለት ሲሆን (subliminal) ውበትን ከኤስቴቲክ ጋር እንዲያዋህድና ግርምታን እንዲጨምር የተመረጠ ነው። ህፃኑና የፊደል ሉል ደግሞ በቀለም ፣በመጠን በቴክስቸር፣ በእይታ ክብደትና ቅለት ተናበው የተቀናበሩ ተጫዋችና አጫዋች ሆነዋል።

Source: Ethiopian Architecture Construction and Urbanism

#gerd turbine

The installation of one of the two Grand Renaissance Dam generator has been successfully completed on the 15 of September, 2021.

The installation is part of the two early generation units with a capacity of 375MW power generation each.

One of the two units is expected to generate power in the near future, the installation of a turbine generator unit on Unit 10 has been successfully completed just after the Ethiopian new year has been celebated. The rotor and its components weigh about 840 tons, and the rotor alone weighs 780 tons.

The diameter of the rotor from one end to the other is 11.7 meters in diameter. Proper installation of the rotor and turbine components can be considered as an indication of the imminent start of power generation testing.

he first phase of energy generation from the two units enalbes the country to produce more than that of Tekeze (300MW) and Gilgel Gibe (420MW) Hydroectric dams combined.

Source: ethiopianstoday.com

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The Urban Center is a Creative space born out of the radio show KEBET ESKE KETEMA / ከቤት እስከ ከተማ started on December 25, 2007, focusing on Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and urban life.

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ከከተማ ማህደር ከከተማ ጋር የሚያያዙ ክስተቶች ፤ ቦታዎችና ግለሰቦች የሚዳሰሱበት አምድ።

ህላዊ ሰውነት በሻህ

(አርኪቴክት)

የኢትዮጵያ ቴሌቪዥንና የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅት ምስረታ

በግንቦት ወር 1955 ዓ.ም. (እ.አ.አ. 1963 ዓ.ም.) 32 የአፍሪካ አገራት በኢትዮጵያዋ መዲና አዲስ አበባ ተሰባስበው የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅትን መሰረቱ። ይህንንም ታሪካዊ የምስረታ በአል እና የመክፈቻ ጉባኤ ለማጉላት በማሰብ አጼ ኃይለስላሴ በኩራት የዘመኑ ታላቅ የመገናኛ ብዙሀን በነበረው ተንቀሳቃሽ ምስል ፕሮግራሙን በማስተላለፍ ቴሌቪዥንን ለኢትዮጵያውያን አስተዋወቁ። ቴክኖሎጂ ከተሞቻችንን እና የሰዎችን የአኗኗር ዘይቤ ለዘመናት በእጅጉ እየቀየረ መቷል። ለአንድ ማህበረሰብ ስልጣኔና እድገት የቴክኖሎጂ ፈጠራ፣ ልማት እና ከተማ እጅግ የተሳሰሩና የተቆራኙ የማዕዘን ድንጋዮች ናቸው። ባለፉት አምዶች በተከታታይ በመዲናችን አዲስ አበባ ላይ መነሻቸውን አድርገው ወደመላው የኢትዮጵያ ማህበረሰቦችና ስፍራዎች የተስፋፉ አዳዲስ ቴክኖሎጂዎችን እንዲሁም በሂደቱ ውስጥ ቁልፍ ሚና የነበራቸውን ግለሰቦችን ቃኝተናል። በዚህ እና በሚቀጥሉት አምዶች በሀያኛው ክ/ዘመን በአገራችን የተስፋፉትን የመገናኛ ብዙሀን ቴክኖሎጂዎች ከቴሌቪዥን በመነሳት እንመለከታለን። ከጥንት ጊዜ ጀምሮ የነበሩ ታላላቅ ነገስታት ድንበሮቻቸውን ወደ ጎረቤት አካባቢዎች እንዲሁም ራቅ ወዳሉ ስፍራዎች በማስፋፋትና ቅኝ ግዛቶችን በመፍጠር የተቆጣጠሩትን ማሕበረሰብ የተፈጥሮና የሰው ሀብት በመበዝበዝ ሀይላቸውን ሲያጠናክሩ እንደነበር ከታሪክ እንረዳለን። የጥንታዊቷ ግሪክ፣ የጥንታዊቷ ሮም እና የጥንታዊቷ ግብጽ ነገስታትም በዚህ ልምምዳቸው ይታወቃሉ። በተመሳሳይ ዘመናዊ ቅኝ አገዛዝ ደግሞ ከ15ኛው ክፍለ ዘመን ጀምሮ በአብዛኛው በአውሮፓውያን ሲካሄድ ቆይቶ፣ በ20ኛው ክፍለ ዘመን መጀመሪያ 1907 ዓ.ም. ላይ አውሮፓውያን የአለምን 84 በመቶ የሚሆነውን ክፍል በቅኝ ግዛት የተቆጣጠሩበት ሁኔታም ተፈጥሮ ነበር።

የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅት መስራች አባቶች በከፊል።

በዚህም ምክንያት ከ90 በመቶ በላይ የሆነው የአፍሪካ አህጉር በአውሮፓውያን ቅኝ ግዛት ስር ወድቆ ነበር። አብዛኛዎቹ የአውሮፓ ቅኝ ገዢ አገሮች በሁለቱ የአለም ጦርነቶች ተዳክመው ስለነበር ለአፍሪካ የነጻነት ንቅናቄዎቹ ምቹ ሁኔታ ፈጠረ። ከረጅም ጊዜ የአፍሪካውያን የነጻነት ትግሎች በኋላ በ1949 ዓ.ም. ጋና የመጀመሪያዋ የአፍሪካ አገር ሆና ነጻ ወጣች። ለሚቀጥሉት 35 አመታት ያህል የነጻነት ትግሎቹ ቀጥለው በደቡብ አፍሪካ የአፓርታይድ አገዛዝ ስርዐት መፍረስን ተከትሎ ተቋጨ። የሁለተኛው አለም ጦርነት በአፍሪካ የቅኝ ግዛት ዘመን ውስጥ ወሳኝ ምዕራፍ ነበር። ይህ ወቅት በአፍሪካ ቅኝ ግዛቶች እና በአውሮፓውያኑ መካከል የነበረው ግንኙነት ላይ መሰረታዊ ተጽዕኖ የፈጠረ ነበር፤ አንድም በጦርነቱ ምክንያት የምርት እና የአቅራቦት ልውውጥ በመቋረጡ፣ ሁለት ደግሞ በጦርነቱ ላይ በተለያዩ ደረጃዎች እንዲሳተፉ በመደረጉ ነበር። በዚህም ሳቢያ ለበርካታ አፍሪካውያን ከዚህ ቀደም በቅኝ ገዢዎቻቸው ላይ አይተውት የማያውቁትን ደካማ ጎን እንዲያዩና የራሳቸውን አለም አቀፍ እይታ እንዲያሰፉ እንዲሁም የአለቆቻቸውን ታላቅ ነን ባይነት እንዲጠይቁ በራስ መተማመን ፈጠረላቸው። ልክ እንደቴሌቪዥን መስኮት። ለቴሌቪዥን ፈጠራ ዋጋውን የሚወስድ አንድ ብቸኛ ግለሰብ የለም። የቴሌቪዥን ስርጭት ከሁለተኛው አለም ጦርነት በኋላ በፍጥነት በመስፋፋት ለማስታወቂያ፣ ለፕሮፖጋንዳ እና ለመዝናኛ አገልግሎቶች ወሳኝ የመገናኛ ብዙኃን ሆነ። የመጀመሪያው ቴሌቪዥን ጣቢያ በአሜሪካ በ1920 ዓ.ም. አካባቢ የተቋቋመ ቢሆንም፣ የመጀመሪያው የቴሌቪዥን ስርጭት ወደ ኢትዮጵያ የመጣው በአጼ ኃይለስላሴ መንግስት ከ35 አመታት በኋላ ነበር። ከጦርነቱ ማግስት በርካታ አፍሪካውያን በአገራቸው መደበኛ ትምህርት ለመማር እንዲሁም በኢኮኖሚያቸው ላይ ከፍ ያለ ሚና ለመጫወት መጠየቅና መታገል ጀመሩ። የተማሩትም አፍሪካውያን አገሮቻቸውን በመሪነት ወደነጻነት ለማምጣት ከፍተኛ ሚና ተጫወቱ። ከእነዚህም ውስጥ ገናናዎቹ የጋናው ኩዋሜ ንክሩማ፣ የኬንያው ጆሞ ኬንያታ፣ የታንዛኒያው ጁሊየስ ኔሬሬ፣ የሴኔጋሉ ሌዎፖልድ ሴንጎር፣ እና የናይጄርያው ናምዲ አዚኪዌ ይጠቀሳሉ። በጦርነቱ ማግስትም በእንግሊዟ የማንቸስተር ከተማ፡ የተካሄደውና፡ በጥቁር አሜሪካዊው ቻርለስ ደቧ የተመራው አምስተኛው የፓን አፍሪካን ኮንግረስ ላይ በርካታ፡ አፍሪካውያን እና ዳያስፖራዎች ተካፈሉ። የኮንፈረንሱ ተሳታፊዎች በማጠቃለያ የአቋም መግለጫቸው ቅኝ ግዛትን በጽኑ በማውገዝና ለጥቁር አፍሪካ ሙሉ ነጻነት የሚከፈለው ዋጋ እንደሚከፈል አወጁ። ጋና የመጀመሪያዋ ከቅኝ ቅዛት ነጻ የወጣች አገር በሆነች ማግስት በ1950 የጋና የነጻነት ክብረ በዓል ላይ ፕሬዝዳንት ኩዋሜ ንክሩማ “የጋና ነጻነት ከመላው አፍሪካ ነጻነት ጋር ካልተቆራኘ ፋይዳ ቢስ ነው” ብሎ በመናገር ለቀጣይ ለሁለት አመታት በአፍሪካ ሙሉ ነጻነት ዙርያ አህጉር አቀፍ ጉባኤዎች አካሄደ። የአፍሪካ ነጻነት አባት በመባል የሚጠራው ንክሩማ በኮንፍረንሶቹ “የተባበሩት የአፍሪካ መንግስታት” የሚለው ራዕዩን አቀረበ። ነገር ግን ሀሳቡ በአብዛኛው ተቀባይነት ባለማግኘቱና በአህጉሩ ሶስት የተለያዩ የአስተሳሰብ ጎራዎች በመፈጠራቸው የአፍሪካን ነጻነት እና የወደፊት እጣ ፈንታ አስመልክቶ የልሂቃኑ ክርክር ደራ። ሶስቱም ጎራዎች መጠሪያቸውን የካዛብላንካው ቡድን፣ የሞኖሮቭያው ቡድን እና የብራዛቪል ቡድን በማለት ሰየሙ። እነዚህ ሶስት ቡድኖች እና፡ የእሳቤ ልዩነታቸው ለአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅት መወለድ ምክንያት ሆነ። የመጀመሪያው የካዛብላንካ ቡድን በሞሮኮ በ1961 ዓ.ም. እ.አ.አ. ተገናኝቶ ዘረኝነት፣ ቅኝ ግዛትን፣ ኒዮ ቅኝ ግዛትን እና የአህጉራዊ ሚሊታሪን ለመቃወም አቋም ያዘ። ይህ ቡድን ጋና፣ ጊኔ፣ ግብጽ፣ ማሊ፣ ሊብያ፣ ሞሮኮ፣ አልጄሪያ፣ የሚገኙበት ሲሆን ራዕዩም የተባበሩት የአፍሪካ መንግስታትን በአንድ ምንዛሬ፣ የውጭና የመከላከያ ፖሊሲ ያለው ሆኖ ለመመስረት ያለመ ነበር። ሁለተኛው ቡድን ደግሞ በላይቤሪያዋ መዲና የተ ሰየመው የሞንሮቪያ ቡድን ነበር። ይህ ቡድን ከብራዛቪል ቡድን ጋር ተባበረ። አባላቱ፣ ላይቤሪያ፣ ናይጄሪያ፣ ሴራሊዮን፣ ሶማሊያ፣ ቶጎ፣ ቱኒዝያ, ኮንጎ፣ ካሜሩን፣ ኮንጎ ብራዛቪል፣ አይቮሪ ኮስት፣ ቤኒን፣ ጋቦን፣ ቡርኪናፋሶ፣ ማዳጋስካር፣ ሞሪያኒያ,

የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅት የመጀመሪያ ህንጻና ታሪካዊ የምስረታ ስብሰባው የተካሄደበት የአፍሪካ አዳራሽ

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#modjo - meki express

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today officially inaugurated the Modjo – Meki – Batu Expressway.

The 92 KM long Modjo – Meki – Batu project is part of the 202 KM Mojo-Hawassa Expressway.

The Mojo-Hawassa Expressway is also part of the Trans-African Highway network that stretches from Cairo to Cape Town and comprises transcontinental road projects to facilitate regional cooperation and trade.

The Mojo-Hawassa Expressway is expected to enhance trade and cooperation particularly with Kenya.

The Mojo-Hawassa Expressway is a two-phase construction project and the rest of the Batu-Hawassa Expressway is under construction.

The 202-kilometers expressway to be connected with Addis-Adama Expressway is being built with an outlay of 13.58 billion Birr.

Construction of Mojo-Hawassa Expressway was commenced five years ago.

Source: Ethiopia News agency

የመጀመሪያው የኢትዮጵያ ቴሌቪዥን ስርጭት የተላለፈበት ስቱድዮ የሚገኝበት የአዲስ አበባ፡ከተማ ማዘጋጃ ኒጀር፣ ሴንትራል አፍሪካ፣ ሴኔጋል፣ ቻድ እና ኢትዮጵያን አካተተ። ይህ ቡድን የአገራትን ሉአላዊነት መጠበቅ አለበት ሲል ተሟገተ። የአባላት ጣልቃ ገብነትን በጽኑ ተቃወሙ። ከምዕራባውያን ጋርም ለመተባበር ሰሩ። በወቅቱ ነጻ፡ ከነበሩት 27 አገራት ውስጥ ብዙዎቹ የዚህ ቡድን አባል ሆኑ። ሁለቱም ቡድኖች የበለጠ አባላትን ወደራሳቸው ለማምጣት ሲሉ በ1954 ዓ.ም. ላይ ኢትዮጵያ በተናጠል በጉባኤዎቻቸው ላይ እንድትገኝ ጥሪ ላኩላት። በካይሮ እና በሌጎስ ኮንፈረንሶች ነበሩ። አጼ ኃይለስላሴም ኮንፍረንሶቹን በሁለቱ ቡድኖች መካከል ስምምነት እንዲፈጠር ለማድረግ መልካም አጋጣሚ አርገው ወሰዱት። ሌጎስ ላይ ያለው ስብሰባ ላይ በመገኘትም በቀጣይ አመት ሁለቱንም ቡድኖች ያካተተ ስብሰባ አዲስ አበባ ላይ ቃል ገቡ። ኢትዮጵያ በሁለቱም ቡድኖች መካከል ተቀባይ የሆነች ስፍራ ስለነበረች ያለተቃውሞ ተስማሙ። ለግንቦት 17 ቀን 1955 ዓ.ም. አዲስ አበባ ላይ የአፍሪካ አቀፉ ስብሰባ ተጠራ። አዲስ አበባም እንግዶቿን ለመቀበል ዝግጅት ጀመረች። መስቀል አደባባይ አካባቢ የሚገኘው፣ አሁን የተባበሩት መንግስታት ድርጅት መስሪያ ቤት አካል የሆነው የአፍሪካ አዳራሽ ለመክፈቻ ስብሰባው ተገነባ። በተጨማሪም ለአዲስ አበባ ከተማም አለም አቀፍ ደረጃውን የጠበቀ አዲስ የማዘጋጃ ቤት ህንጻ እንዲገነባላት ተደረገ። የአፍሪካ ኩራት የሆነው የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድም ወደተለያዩ ቦታዎች በመብረር አብዛኛዎቹን የኮንፈረንሱን ታዳሚዎች ወደ አዲስ አበባ አመጣ።

የቀድሞ የነጻነት ታጋይ አሁን ደግሞ የአገሮቻቸው መሪ የሆኑት የክብር እንግዶችም በጉባኤው ዋዜማ ቦሌ ኢንተርናሽናል አየር ማረፊያ መግባት ጀመሩ። ብሔራዊ ትያትር አካባቢ በሚገኘውና አዲስ በተገነባው የኢትዮጵያ ሆቴል ወደተዘጋጀላቸው ማረፊያ አንድ በአንድ አቀኑ።

በእለተ ቅዳሜ በአዲስ አበባ የተካሄደው የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅት ምስረታ ስብሰባው ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ በኢትዮጵያ በቴሌቪዥን ተዘገበ። በስብሰባው ላይ በታላላቅ የአፍሪካ መሪዎች የተደረጉት የተለያዩ ንግግሮች ተቀርጸው ለኢትዮጵያውያን በቴሌቪዥኑ መስኮት ተላለፉ። ጉባኤውም በአዲስ አበባና አካባቢዋ ለሚገኘው ነዋሪ እንዲሰራጭና በወቅቱ በመላው አፍሪካ ላይ እየተካሄደ ስለነበረው የነጻነት ትግልና የፓን አፍሪካኒዝም ንቅናቄ ኢትዮጵያውያን በአጠቃላይ በተለይም አዲሱ ትውልድ በቴሌቪዥን መስኮቱ አማካኝነት ግንዛቤ እንዲኖራቸው አደረገ። የሁለቱ ተቋሞች ውልደት በዚህ መልኩ ተገጣጠመ። የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅትም ስራውን ከወራት በኋላ በይፋ በመስከረም 1956 ዓ.ም. ጀመረ። በተመሳሳይ የአፍሪካ አንድነት ድርጅት የቅኝ እና የአናሳ የነጭ ማህበረሰቦች አገዛዝን ከአፍሪካ ለማስወገድ ወሳኝና ቁልፍ ሚና ተጫወተ። ለነጻነት ታጋዮች መሳሪያዎች በማቅረብና ስልጠናዎች በመስጠት እንዲሁም ማዕቀቦች በማስጣል የበኩሉን ድርሻ ተወጣ።

በተመሳሳይ የኢትዮጵያ ቴሌቪዥን ደግሞ በመደበኛ ሁኔታ ፕሮግራሞችን በማዘጋጀት ለማህበረሰቡ ተደራሽ እንዲያደርግ ሆኖ የኢትዮጵያ ቴሌቪዥን አገልግሎት ተቋቋመ። በምርቃቱ ወቅትም አጼ ኃይለስላሴ፣ “ለህዝባችን በበለጠ ትምህርት እና እውቀት ለማካፈል የሚቻልበትን ዘዴ በመሻት ለምናደርገው ጥረት ቴሌቪዥን ተጨማሪ መሳሪያ ስለሚሆን የኢትዮጵያ ቴሌቪዥን ጣቢያ መርቀን ስንከፍት ደስ ይለናል፣” በማለት ተናገሩ። መደበኛ ስርጭቱን በጥቅምት ወር 1957ዓ.ም. አንድ ብሎ ለተመልካቾቹ አስተላለፈ። መደበኛ ስርጭቱም ከምሽቱ 11:30 እስከ 5:00 ሰዐት የዘለቁ የተለያዩ የዜና እና የሀገር ውስጥና የውጭ ፕሮግራሞችን ያካተተ ሆነ። ለማጠቃለል፣ ቴሌቪዥን የአለምን ፖለቲካ በእጅጉ የቀየረ የዘመናችን ቴክኖሎጂ ነው። በአገራችንም እንዲሁ በአጼ ምንሊክ መንግስት የስልክና የቴሌኮሙኒኬሽን ቴክኖሎጂ የኢትዮጵያን ክፍለሀገሮች ለማስተሳሰርና ንጉሱ አስተዳዳሪዎቻቸውን አዲስ አበባ ተቀምጠው በጥብቅ ለመከታተል እንዳስቻለው ሁሉ፣ የአጼ ኃይለስላሴ መንግስትም የመገናኛ ብዙሀንን በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ለሀገር ውስጥና ለውጭ ግንኙነት ዲፕሎማሲ ስራ ተጠቅሞበታል። አሁን ባለንበት በአዳዲስ ፈጠራና ቴክኖሎጂ የተሞላው የመረጃ፣ የበይነ መረብ እና የማህበራዊ ሚዲያ ትስስር ዘመንም የከተማችን፣ አገራችንን ብሎም የአለምን ፖለቲካ ምህዳር በእጅጉ መቀየሩን ቀጥሏል። ቸር እንሰንብት!

#green legacy

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced on Sunday the successful conclusion of the 2021 edition of the Green Legacy Initiative, a tree-planting push aimed at curbing the effects of climate change and deforestation in Ethiopia.

Over 6.7 billion tree seedlings have been planted in the annual Green Legacy program which started on May 18, 2021, the Office of the Prime Minister reported.

The performance shows the country has exceeded the target set by planting 7 million more seedlings during the 111-day long campaign.

The Prime Minister congratulated all Ethiopians in all corners of the country for finalizing a successful Green Legacy season this year with 6.7 billion seedlings planted, surpassing the target set three years ago.

The milestones achieved in the planning and implementation of the annual initiative need to be duplicated in various sectors, facilitating Ethiopia’s inevitable prosperity, the Prime Minister concluded.

Source: ethiopianmonitor.com

#officials suspended

The Addis Ababa City Administration has suspended 120 officials and civil servants suspected of being involved in land grabbing.

Briefing the media last week, Tiratu Beyene, city manager and deputy mayor, explained that out of 2,170 plots of land randomly examined by his office, close to 500 (over 20ht) had been transferred irregularly and deemed illegitimate.

Out of over 1,000ht of land slated to be returned to the land bank in the last fiscal year, close to 400ht was transferred to individuals who have no legal grounds to hold title deeds, according to him.

From the 252 plots of land designated for greenery development, 35 have been transferred unlawfully, the same source said. "All were returned to the land bank," Tiratu said. Additionally, among 70 plots of land that the city cabinet transferred to religious institutions and civil societies, 39 were not transferred to the right owners.

Source: addisfortune.news

# unity park

The Park, built at a cost of five-billion-birr grant from various sources and initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PHD), was opened for visitors two years ago on October 10, 2019.

Since then, more than 590, 000 tourists have visited, confirmed by director of the park in an event that marked the park’s two year inauguration on Saturday.

Of these, 487, 000, including 25, 000 foreign tourists, have paid to visit the park despite its six-month long closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The remaining 100, 000+ were allowed to visit the park, which has become a major tourist destination in the capital, for free.

The park has played a major role in creating a positive image to the country since its inauguration apart from creating job opportunities for hundreds and generating revenue.

Its successful opening and impact has also paved a way for other major similar projects in other parts of Ethiopia, the director added.

Source: ethiopianmonitor.com

#naked architecture

Reaction to the Urban Art Installation at Meskel Sqaure — Zeleke Belay, Architect

“My first exposure to the installation was on the day of its inauguration on TV. I sensed there was an architect behind it.

But thought it was a diminished presence where the core work would be done by the architect as usual but someone else taking up the stage.

Called few friends to find out until I suddenly stepped in to a room with models of the installation and Alebel in the room.

It infused a fresh memory of architecture, architecture on its full power.

It is architecture naked. Only an idea. No material attached to it. No engineering to cloud the work of the architect. Envisioned and installed by the architect himself. Like the time of the master builder.

Congratulations dear Alebel. You have raised the banner of architecture high and inspired us all to get back to the drawing table.”

Image: Yishak Tsehay

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#መሬት

የአዲስ አበባ አስተዳደር ካቢኔ የመሬትና መሬት ነክ አገልግሎቶችን ላልተወሰነ ጊዜ እንዲታገዱ ውሳኔ አስተላለፈ። የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ አስተዳደር ካቢኔ ከአርብ ነሐሴ 7 ቀን 2013 ዓ.ም ጀምሮ ለመሬት አስተዳደር ተቋማት፣ ለመሠረተ ልማት ቅንጅት እና ግንባታ ፈቃድ ባለስልጣን እንዲሁም ለ11ዱም ክፍለ ከተሞች ባስተላለፈው ሰርኩላር ፣ የመሬት እና የመሬት ነክ አገልግሎቶች ላልተወሰነ ጊዜ ሙሉ በሙሉ እንዳይሰጡ ውሳኔ አስተላልፏል ። ካቢኔው ዕግዱን ያስተላለፈው በየደረጃው የሚገኙ አመራሮች ትኩረታቸውን በወቅታዊ ሀገራዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ በማድረግ ሲሆን አንዳንድ ስግብግብ ግለሰቦች ወቅታዊ ሀገራዊ ሁኔታውን እንደመልካም አጋጣሚ በመጠቀም በአቋራጭ ለመክበር በመሬትና መሬት ነክ አገልግሎቶች ላይ ትኩረት በማድረግ በመንቀሳቀስ ላይ መሆናቸውን የከተማ አስተዳደሩ በመገንዘቡ ነው። በዚህም ምክንያት ማንኛውም መሬትና መሬት ነክ አገልግሎት ላልተወሰነ ጊዜ የታገደ ሲሆን በስድስቱም የመሬት ነክ ተቋማት ፣በ11ዱም ክፍለ ከተሞች እና የመሠረተ ልማት ቅንጅት እና ግንባታ ፈቃድ ባለስልጣን የመሬት አገልግሎቶችን እንዳይሰጡ ወሳኔ ተላልፏል።

Source: Addis Ababa City Press Secretary Office

IMAGE COURTESY OF: YISHAK IMAGE: YISHAK TSEHAY

NEW THINKING for a NEW BEGINNING

Since ancient times, gifts have been an important part of celebrating a leader. They can range from native art pieces to expensive jewelry and gemstones. Alebel and his team presented their work with a yellow local satin fabric rather than something extravagant for the inaugural ceremony of his Excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, PHD.

‘New beginnings’ urban art installation was constructed for the Prime Minister’s inauguration ceremony on the 4th of October 2021 at Meskel square. The urban art installation was

Alebel Desta CAE

Article > Tinsae Tsegahun Yishak Tsehay

designed in a way to complement the historical significance of the ceremony and imprint an everlasting memory. This was achieved through manipulating yellow fabric based on a desired scale and proportion in a way that reflects hope, diversity and unity.

Temporality was an intriguing aspect of the design. The question was how the place (location) and memory can connect so intimately and how the architecture can play such a powerful role in remembrance. These were achieved through an interesting nature of the urban art installation, an interplay with light and other natural forces which makes it lively and interactive in terms of color, movement and sound. The translucent nature of the fabrics coupled with the nature of interlaced scaffolding members creates fascinating shades of patterns as the direction and intensity of light changes throughout the day. Besides, the fabric is designed in a way to respond to wind forces, making the structure dynamic as the elements move in response to the wind direction creating a resonating sound.

IMAGE: YISHAK TSEHAY Urban Art Installation

When art and culture are interwoven into an urban context, it helps attract people, engage society and professionals, diversify talent, creativity and economic growth. Cities need to be uplifted and activated, to engage people, to create seasonal experience, to craft new feelings and new sense of place in a temporal manner. In this way urban art installations can be used as a tool to reawaken cities.

The phrase "art installation" refers to a large-scale, mixedmedia installation that is usually created for a specific location or event and is only present for a limited time. The holistic experience, rather than the display of discrete artworks, distinguishes an art installation from other types of art. For passers-by, urban art installations provide a more threedimensional piece that can offer a richer, more interactive and engaging experience. They have the option of standing out or blending in with the surrounding urban landscape.

The production of installations has become an important element in modern art since the 1960s. It has been the case since the art markets ‘crash’ reawakened interest in the conceptual art, which always relied on a variety of materials, light and sound (music). Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude were known for their large-scale, site-specific installations, which often featured landscape components wrapped in fabric, such as the Wrapped Reichstag, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, The Umbrella, and The Gates in Central Park in New York City. Their creation took years, if not decades, of detailed planning, all with the purpose of bringing joy, beauty, and fresh perspectives to the familiar.

Meskel Square has been a site for public gathering, demonstrations, and festivals, notably, the Meskel festival since the early 1900s. It has been the most prominent public gathering location in Addis Ababa's modern history, holding a variety of cultural, religious, political, entertainment, and sporting events. And it was the ideal location for the temporary urban art inaugural installation for his Excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, PHD. The installation's main idea is to breathe a new life into Meskel Square's formerly sleepy promenade, enticing with its hopeful color and dramatic and difficult-toforget experience, as it was planned and designed to hold thousands of spectators and leave a lasting effect on everyone.

Alebel Desta, Architect with scaled model of the Art Piece. Model Scale 1:50 IMAGE: YISHAK TSEHAY

Design and Symbolization

Ethiopian history, culture and existing reality were the driving forces in deciding the design concept. Diversity in Ethiopia is manifested in several forms, including identity, religion, culture and nature. Our diversity has been used by our internal and external enemies as a tool to divide us. But, Ethiopia is a nation which do not succumb to consequences of pressure throughout history and defended its sovereignty for centuries and will continue as a nation resiliently. It is believed that the unity within diversity is the corner stone of our existence and this was used as a design concept along with the idea of ‘New beginning’ and the hope it brings, by designing an urban art installation that represents hope, diversity and unity.

The bright yellow color, which is likewise positioned in the center of our multicolored flag, has long been seen as a sign of a joyous, youthful color, full of optimism, sunshine, sincerity, and enthusiasm. The አደይ አበባ (Adey Flower), which is a symbol of good hope and a wish for a happy and prosperous year for Ethiopians, is also represented by yellow.

The two grand colossal vertical tower components represent a portal to a new beginning, a new chapter, and a new way of thinking. Their scale depicts individuals as being small compared to the representation of Ethiopia. The equal vertical strips of fabrics surrounding the towers depict people's equality regardless of their identity, religion and culture. Another major element is the interwoven individual strips of fabric that are stretched out between the two towers, it portrays the unity of Ethiopians. When standing together Ethiopians are powerful

IMAGE: YISHAK TSEHAY

enough to overcome any pressure, as emphasized by a famous Ethiopian proverb, “ድር ቢያብር አንበሳ ያስር”.

Looking at it from the south, the elevation of this urban art has striking diagonal members radiating down with varying angles, size and position from the top of the towers on each side terminating at the bottom portraying diversity. Ethiopians possess diverse culture, identity, and religion, yet in the same domain, Ethiopians in every sense of the word. These lines on the side were also intentionally used to deviate from the usual horizontal and vertical pattern to create a visual interest.

The wind, the rain, and all the other forces represent the powers that threaten Ethiopia's existence. Ethiopians' resilience in tolerating pressure and moving spiritedly forward is reflected in the fabric's flexibility, which allows it to easily accept force and project back without harming the structure.

In terms of design response to the site, after studying the historical and cultural significance of Meskel square, in line with the nature of inauguration ceremonies the site arrangement was done mainly based on functionality, security, hierarchy and aesthetics. The dominant urban art installation was placed in front of the LRT line in response to the arrangement of the Meskel square amphitheater. The performance stage was designed for music and choreographed dance performances, placed as a central element for the whole site with emphasis given to the performer through creating levels. The yellow belt that lies on the wall behind the amphitheater is a symbol that ties all Ethiopians together and unifies the whole site.

It is architecture naked. Only an idea. No material attached to it. No engineering to cloud the work of the architect. Envisioned and installed by the architect himself. Like the time of the master builder.”

Zeleke Belay, Architect

Material

The success of the urban art installation doesn’t only relay on the success in effectively conveying design idea, but also on its ease of construction and demolition, due to the appropriate selection and use of materials. Yellow fabric, scaffolding, plywood and timber supports were the major materials in the construction of the urban art installation.

The fabric utilized is a satin textile that was fabricated in advance off-site. The use of this unique fabric for the installation, in an environment where concrete and steel are being usually considered as the only materials in architectural design, makes a strong statement by initiating architects and engineers to change their perception on the value of materials and be able to explore different materials and design possibilities.

IMAGE: YISHAK TSEHAY

This unique choice of material is the reflection of Alebel’s long experience of experimenting with different materials in his design studio, which helped him to take a bold move in using fabric for this art piece. The fabric was placed in its appropriate position as soon as the scaffolding was completed and it was then assembled based on the design. The fabric also makes it possible to span 50 meters with no intermediary support, a span which cannot be easily achieved with other materials.

As for the scaffolding, it was a major component of the design and a basic building scaffolding was chosen as the fundamental framework due to the tower's grand scale and the limited amount of time available. It only took a short amount of time to put together, and none of it went to waste. The scaffolding was transferred to a construction site as soon as the structure was disassembled.

Design Implementation

More than 300 individuals have contributed for the success of this project including Architects, Engineers, fabric experts, visual artists, carpenters, technicians, metal workers, laborers and others. From conception to the inaugural day, the project took four weeks. After three weeks of design and prefabrication of fabric elements, on site construction started on September 27. Due to the tight schedule the project was implemented while celebrating holidays and the team worked seven consecutive days and nights on site.

On the first three days the two colossal with ten meter by ten meter bases and twenty meter height were erected along with the carpentry works needed for assembling fabrics on it. The stage design was done in parallel with the tower works. On the fourth and fifth day fabrics were lifted in place in their respective positions as soon as the scaffolding was completed ready to be assembled based on the design. The fabrics were then released in all directions from the base points on the fifth and sixth day. This final step was the most challenging and exciting for all involved in the project. There were times when challenges on site raised the need for improvisation to do some design and construction changes in order to be able to complete the project within the time frame. All the sleepless nights, the blazing sun, the freezing cold, the stress and exhaustion were all fruitful at the end.

DISASSEMBLY OF THE INSTALLATION IMAGE: YISHAK TSEHAY

Cost and Sustainability

Sustainability is of a great importance especially for poor countries like Ethiopia. In this regard the urban art installation was designed with sustainability in mind, considering ways of recycling, reusing and up scaling materials for other uses. The design was implemented as cost-effective as possible. Locally available construction materials were used to reduce cost and transportation distance. The yellow fabric is locally manufactured and the cheapest of all fabrics available on market. Now that the installation has been dismantled, the yellow fabric is going to be used to design playful sculpture for a public school and part of it has been donated. As for the scaffolding, it will be reused for future construction and it was transferred to a new site as soon as the structure was disassembled. Timber support structures and plywood will be used as formworks for future constructions. Overall the project was designed in a way to minimize waste, reduce environmental impact and save time.

Moreover the construction and disassembly of the installation was designed in a way to simplify work, be cost effective and time efficient. This led to one of the most intriguing things about the project, which was the fact that it appears in a matter of days and disappears in hours, something which was ceremonial as the team cut all pieces of fabric simultaneously, creating a cascading waterfall like effect which was captivating for all involved in the project and the public.

On an endnote, the unity of the team, open mindedness of the clients and willingness of all the stakeholders involved in the project were of a great value in bringing this urban art installation to life. As it has opened the eyes and minds of all it is also expected of other professionals to be inspired to take active role in reactivating public spaces and neighborhoods.

Design inception 06 September Final design 15 September Textile fabrication 22-26 September Site office setup 28 September

Tower fabric done 30 September Stage assembly finalized 02 October

INAUGURAL CEREMONY OF HIS EXCELLENCY PRIME MINISTER ABIY AHMED, PHD 04 OCT, 2021 IMAGE: ARON SIMENEH

Innauguration Day 04 October

Disassembly 09 -11 October

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Traditional approaches can’t always provide an adequate response to the challenges of modern societies. Increasing urbanisation, new life styles and working environments require new types of buildings. In addition, new building envelope materials like large glass facades and technical building equipment’s have become integral parts of modern buildings.

Therefore, the following three solution approaches seem be the most promising: a return to the climate adaptability of man, naturally ventilated buildings and the design of building zones with different thermal comfort levels according to the 'onion skin principle'.

Open planning is necessary in which the rooms are directly linked to open spaces. There is need for cross ventilation to ensure comfort in the indoor spaces. The buildings should be well protected from solar radiation and driving rain during the rainy season.

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Double-skin façade, or DSF, an envelope construction composed of two transparent ''skins'' that are separated by an air corridor. The DSF is a form of active façade that integrates passive design strategies, such as natural ventilation, daylighting, and solar energy. The DSF system consists of three components: an exterior wall, a ventilated cavity, and an interior wall. The exterior wall provides protection against the weather. Outside layers tend to be made of perforated metal sheets and the interior wall of the DSF system is a thermal-insulating single or double pane glass. Here, low emittance coatings can be used to reduce radiative heat gain. This layer may have operable casement or sliding glass doors. The cavity is an undivided or divided buffer space. The cavity insulates the building against wind, sound, and temperature. It pulls in outside air and uses it for the controlled ventilation of interior spaces. The DSF system is a sustainable design solution with many advantages. One of its main advantages is increasing the energy efficiency of buildings.

A basic rectangular volume

Emphasizing the Corner

Enhancing the Corner

Climate responsive methods

Introducing double skin facade