DESIGN IX:
THE ADDIS CENTER FOR THE SUSTAINABLE TRADES

Fall, 2021

PROJECT DETAILS:
ARCH 5101: Design IX
Merkato, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Marta H. Wisniewska
Ribhya Arora
Donnal Baijnauth

SKILLS/SOFTWARE:
Rhinoceros (3D Modeling)
AutoCad (Drawings)
Photoshop (Graphics)
InDesign (Layout)

The Addis Center for the Sustainable Trades roots itself in the belief that through an ecological education, the rural migrants of Ethiopia can hone practical skills that will not only enrich their lives, enable them to find work, but also enrich the lives of all Ethiopians. The center offers students from the ages 16 to 35 a chance to gain exposure to both low and high-tech practices in farming, water purification, and solar energy generation in two and four month courses. The center seeks to engage the resourceful recycling community of Merkato by fostering an inclusive relationship that not only leans on the expertise of existing vendors but also provides communal spaces that facilitate interactions between students, faculty, and Merkato at large. The center acts partially as school, as market, and as purifier. It hosts an on-site water filtration plant that filters the river both mechanically. The center practices what it preaches; designed with people and environment at the forefront, the facilities are a living representation of its values. The campus buildings incorporate every ounce of information the three programs provide by leveraging every roof, wall, nook and cranny for harvesting solar energy, collecting rainwater, and growing plants.

FARMING
The two-month farming course centers itself around teaching students to recycle plastics for the creation of low-tech but highly efficient hydroponic systems. The course additionally brings students on-site to various farming practices in and around Addis to expose them to the practical aspects of food processing, storage, and equipment.

WATER PURIFICATION
The four-month water filtration course builds from the ground up, starting with using the sun and time to purify water. Students learn how to use and build family-scale filtration devices in collaboration with the MINCH filter manufacturers who call Addis home. Lastly, students visit large-scale water treatment plants in Addis to gain practical skills for future employment op-portunities.

SOLAR ENERGY
The four-month solar energy course outlines the fundamentals of photo-voltaic cells and provides practical knowledge in constructing and using small-scale solar devices. In addition, students visit some of the solar plants in Addis and learn the practical skills necessary for employment at a large-scale solar plant.