Construction has begun on the new Bishoftu International Airport (BIA), designed by Zaha Hadid Architects for Ethiopian Airlines Group. Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, laid the cornerstone at the airport's groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The new airport will be located approximately 40 kilometers south of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and is planned to become Africa's largest airport. Phase One of the project is designed to serve 60 million passengers per year. Subsequent phases are expected to increase capacity to up to 110 million passengers annually, supported by four runways and parking for 270 aircraft, more than four times the capacity of Ethiopia's current main airport, according to statements by the Prime Minister.
CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati has unveiled images of its design for a new cultural center in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The project is located in Kazanchis, a cultural, musical, and historic neighborhood currently undergoing transformation as part of a government-led urban renewal program focused on corridor development. This neighborhood was home to the traditional compound of the Fendika Cultural Center, a hub for Ethiopia's traditional and experimental arts, which was demolished on October 23, 2024, after the site was designated for redevelopment as part of the systematic clearing of the area. In recognition of Fendika's cultural significance, the Addis Ababa Municipality offered the institution the opportunity to remain on-site and rebuild in a way that aligned with the city's plans for the neighborhood. CRA's project responds to this context with an open stage and a four-story civic space.
Recent news headlines from the African continent show a variety of urgent issues affecting urban centers: severe flooding threatens Kenya's capital, Nairobi; the light rail system in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is faltering after a successful start. Meanwhile, in Egypt's capital, Cairo, new infrastructure and housing expenditures proved too steep and necessitated a government bailout. African cities face a plethora of problems but they also hold the potential to improve countless lives. As South America shares stark similarities in its history with that of Africa, it could provide both a point of reference and a positive example for tackling these concerns at an urban level.
Protest has always been a powerful tool for creating change, and public spaces provide a platform for social engagement in societies. As part of the International Day of Democracy, we examine Africa, its series of emerging protests in the past year, and how citizens in various countries question political justice, demand better living standards from their government, and interrogate their nation’s sovereignty. With demonstrations ranging from organized large-scale marches to smaller spontaneous outbursts, residents of these countries have explored public spaces in symbolic and significant ways to amplify their voices. These spaces include public squares with cultural and historical meaning, sites of political buildings, or makeshift protest areas such as roads and open areas. Through this, African cities show how people make these spaces their own and how the power of their conglomeration cannot be ignored in unwrapping the democratic essence of public spaces.
African cities are expected to experience a significant increase in population over the next 30 years. According to United Nations projections, these cities will welcome an additional 900 million inhabitants by 2050. This demographic shift will create both opportunities and challenges that will reshape the nature and structure of these cities. These challenges include the need for economic growth, increased demand for housing and infrastructure, and the development of supplementary transportation systems. So far, most African cities have responded to this rapid population growth with sprawling horizontal development patterns that expand the fringes of the city, increase social fragmentation, and ultimately lead to greater car dependency.
Courtesy of Söhne & Partner Architects + BET Architects
Designed by Söhne & Partner Architects + BET Architects, their proposal for the United bank of Addis Abada is represented in units coming together into a single entity in a seamless fashion. These units are the shares that make up the bank and shares are the people that came together to make this bank a reality. Conceived as a composition of a tower and podium, the form of the building is articulated with diamond shaped units interwoven together. More images and architects’ description after the break.
LAVA, the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, and Designsport collaborated with local Ethiopian firm JDAW to win the international architecture competition for a national stadium and sports village, held by the Federal Sport Commission, Ethiopia. Now, football and athletics-loving Ethiopians will have a new FIFA and Olympic-standard 60,000 seat stadium in Addis Ababa thanks to a design that combines local identity with new technology. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Vilalta Architects unveils the design of a project of a multistory market, Lideta Mercato, in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa. This project was the result of a winning entry of a pre-qualified competition that is planned to start construction in May 2011.
