When Africa Corridor opened in Addis Ababa 64 years in the past, it was in contrast to something the Ethiopian capital had seen. Notably, the sweeping modernist complicated, designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi, had no fences. That straightforward design gesture symbolised the constructing’s function, contributing to an open and unified continent because the headquarters for the UN Financial Fee for Africa and as a vital participant within the formation of the African Union.
‘Right this moment … the peoples of Africa can, in the end, deliberate on their very own issues and future,’ Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia, noticed on the time.
The complicated’s grand Meeting Corridor, as seen within the Nineteen Sixties
(Picture credit score: UNECA Archives)
Over the many years, like many constructions of the age, Africa Corridor fell into disrepair. Following a $60 million, decade-long restoration led by Australian agency Architectus that was accomplished in 2024, the constructing was meticulously restored to function an emblem of progress as soon as once more. Right this moment the renovation has acquired what is taken into account the highest honour within the realm of preservation – the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize.
The constructing’s exterior was designed to resemble conventional Ethiopian patterns
(Picture credit score: Rory Gardiner)
The award, a joint initiative of the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and Knoll, is granted each two years to extraordinary tasks that safeguard threatened modernist buildings. Previous honorees have included a once-abandoned concrete residence in Argentina; a crumbling French college devoted to Karl Marx; and even a bus station in Preston, UK.
The restored Meeting Corridor was reconfigured to host much more representatives and now contains state-of-the-art AV gear
(Picture credit score: Rory Gardiner)
The prize, stated Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the World Monuments Fund, was created to ‘spotlight exemplary preservation efforts world wide. The renewal of Africa Corridor by Architectus embodies this mission, honouring the unique architect’s imaginative and prescient whereas making certain the constructing can proceed to function an important place for cultural trade and African unity.’
A view of the monumental stained glass art work by Afewerk Tekle. The artist’s grandson oversaw its restoration
(Picture credit score: Rory Gardiner)
Between 2014 and 2024 Architectus labored fastidiously to protect the constructing whereas reworking it into a recent hub for diplomacy. Along with addressing vital work just like the constructing’s concrete construction, the agency restored ornamental parts, together with 13 million mosaic tiles, a blinding 1,600 sq ft stained glass window by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle, and a few 500 items of authentic, bespoke furnishings.
The renovation additionally included essential new upgrades, comparable to extra seating for member states within the hovering Meeting Corridor, up to date AV and mechanical techniques, in addition to a brand new museum, guests’ centre and café.
5 hundred items of bespoke furnishings, designed by Mezzedimi, have been restored as a part of the undertaking
(Picture credit score: Rory Gardiner)
Africa Corridor ‘stands as one of the essential expressions of recent structure on the continent’, stated prize jury chair and professor Barry Bergdoll. ‘The current restoration has allowed the readability of Messedimi’s design to talk once more, revealing the ambition, craftsmanship, and symbolic energy which have made the constructing a landmark of modernism and a unbroken stage for African diplomacy.’
Architectus will obtain the award, which comes with a $10,000 money prize, at a particular ceremony on 18 February 2026 throughout Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California.
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