With its stringent and closed-off appearance, the 16-storey-high building Préfecture de Paris, on Boulevard Morland, immediately stands out.
The building’s exceptional proportions appear unrefined compared to the rest of the cityscape.
Walking by the building, you can feel the connection to the river. Looking up, the architecture instantly creates an interaction with the sky.
It's the ephemeral elements in relation to the buildings that make a city unique. With Morland Mixté, we had the opportunity to design a space in the air, focusing on the design of the two top floors.
Following the concept of blurring the boundary between inside and outside, we used materials reflected in the exterior of the city: the Parisian light, the zinc roofs, the colour scheme of the stones, the green parks.
Showing its presence at night, the building revealed its potential to become a destination above Paris.
Experiencing it from the inside, the visitor is oriented immediately even at night; from an outside perspective, the building also offers a strong sense of direction.
Creating a situation on the roof begged a closer look at the city’s public space. The sidewalks of Paris lead to lively bars and restaurants.
The glass awning of the neighbourhood restaurant Brasserie Bofinger inspired us to set up the roof structure on the 16th floor in a similar way, resembling the mechanism of a kaleidoscope: the composition of the glass roof both allows for light to enter the space and provides protection from the sun.
In Paris, there are only a few opportunities to see the city from above, like Centre Pompidou, Montparnasse, Notre Dame, Hôtel de Ville, and the Eiffel tower. Its monuments called for a visual dialogue.
Common Sky
Painting: G.C. Rudolph
Master plan render: OMA
Meles Zenawi Memorial Park
Our team visited Addis Ababa for the first time in March 2013. The starting point of the research phase was about understanding the possibilities of the city in general, in terms of the availability of materials, the rules of nature in relation to the buildings, and the intense sunlight.
Our research also took us into regions in the north and east of Addis Ababa. The colourful walls in the old city of Harar especially caught our attention.
The texture of the walls of Harar, plastered over and over, are remarkable.
With almost no windows, the walls are the predominant element forming the public space, by separating the outdoors from the indoors.
The post office in Gondar is one of the few remainders of the Italian colonial style.
We were constantly looking for opportunities and elements that would help us connect to the actual site. The joyful use of colours in relation to the buildings is unique to Ethiopia.
It’s the powerful sun that allows for elaborate use of colour. Playing with colours in Ethiopia is like being in a wonderland – they appear much brighter and more lively.
We studied the typologies of the first buildings in Addis Ababa, such as the ancient Menelik Palace.
We recognised the importance of the outer elements on the building: verandas, porches, bridges, and open staircases.
The spaces between the inside and outside of the building, like the terrace of the Arthur Rimbaud Cultural Centre, are for gatherings, meetings, and family life.
Close to the Equator, the Ethiopian sun travels almost the same route every day; the angle of the sun is predictable. During our workshop at the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development in Addis Ababa, we studied the sun as a design tool.
The Itegue Taitu Hotel, from the early 20th century, features one of the few wooden constructions that have survived modern times. Its shape reminded us of an upside-down boat.
The influence of modernism formed a unique Ethiopian architecture mostly built in concrete.
This school in Mekele is an example of contemporary architecture, integrating traditional architectural elements. It was designed by our Ethiopian collaborator Fasil Giorghis.
The use of concrete in connection to traditional typologies, like open spaces, formed a unique Ethiopian architecture in the 1960s and 70s.
The circular staircases, like in this school in Addis Ababa, especially caught our eye.
These buildings were realised at a time before massive globalisation, with far less infrastructure and global trading than now.
The consequence was a focus on the use of local materials and craftsmanship, in combination with a certain level of experimentation and improvisation.
The cupola of the National Bank in Addis Ababa is another example of extraordinary concrete work.
Another recurring element is the circle, as in this petrol station in Addis Ababa.
The central post office in Addis Ababa, created by a Czech architect, shows the influence of international modernism in the urban texture.
Big history lies in the stone churches that are scattered all over Ethiopia. This one is located in Wukro, a few kilometres north from Mekele. The churches were constructed by subtraction, formed by being carved out of the rock.
There are only a few parks and gardens in Addis Ababa. Generally located around palaces and churches, only a few of them are open to the public. The climate in Addis – never really cold, never really hot – provides a great opportunity to make a firm connection between the building interiors and the nature outside.
The location of Addis Ababa, 2,500 metres above sea level, with its seasonal changes in dry and rainy periods, requires substantial water management.
In downtown Addis Ababa, hot springs are used to water parks and pools.
Today, mountain water is still collected in the parks for domestic use.
Social and political power of all kinds has been demonstrated at Meskel Square, the most central square of the city. From protests to executions, this is the space where city politics manifest.
Kidus Hailesilassie and Niel Meyer (of Studio Other Spaces) explored the new metro line in Addis Ababa.
This curved building is located at Arat Kilo, a square in the centre of Addis Ababa.
Very reduced building design is typical of the typologies of Addis Ababa.
One of the major aims of the development of Meles Zenawi Memorial Park was the reintroduction of indigenous trees and plants.
Together with landscape architect Günther Vogt, we were looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous eucalyptus tree.
Eucalyptus does not allow for other species to coexist with it, as it dries out its environment. Although it is fast-growing, it is not suitable for contemporary construction.
The reintroduction of versatile vegetation has been a key issue in the development of the park.
During the civil war, the heads of the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front) formed the military resistance. This cave in the north of Mekele served as their headquarters for several months.
The entrance to the cave was well hidden in the landscape. Its location was only known to the local people in the surrounding villages.
