It's a vision thing

Ethiopia enjoys a remarkable architectural heritage embodied in masterpieces such as the Yeha Temple, the Axum stelea and more profoundly, the enigmatic Lalibela churches – hewn out of the living rock. So amazing are these treasured inheritances of a 3000 years old civilization that it is still not known how exactly they were erected. Many of the Ethiopian faithful in fact, believe these magnificent edifices were the work of angelic beings.
Carrying on in that architectural tradition today are enormous accomplished Ethiopian architects and building engineers – angels n their own right, if you will – as we witness their endeavor in Addis Ababa’s rapidly changing skyline.
One such is Rahel Shawel, a highly acclaimed architect and a visionary committed to working in her country.
Rahel has recently brought accolades to the Ethiopian building design community by being the recipient of the prestigious 2007 Aga Khan Award in Architectural Excellence Capital’s Tedla Desta discussed with Rahel the significance of the award and on other related topics. Excerpts follows:

Capital – Congratulations on your award! Tell our readers about yourself.
Rahel- Thank you. My name is Rahel Shawel and I was born in 1968. I attended elementary and secondary education at the German and Nazareth schools. After that I joined Addis Ababa University and graduated with a BA in Architecture and Town Planning. When I finished university, I preferred to stay and work in Ethiopia. I had a very nice project with three associates on the International Evangelical Church so this group of architects started working together and in 1991, we decided to start our own company called Aba Architects Plc I worked there with my partner Yosef Bereded till 2003 and then set up my own office called Ras Architects. I am married to my architect husband Debebe Seleshi and we have two children. My husband owns Seleshi Consult.

Capital – Tell us how you came to be involved in the Netherlands Embassy project?
Rahel-While I was working with my partners at Aba Architects, two of the main architects who designed the buildings, Dutch nationals, were scouting a round for local partnership and happened to select our firm.

Capital- What will the Aga Khan Award mean to the current image and future development of Ethiopian building design?
Rahel- Since when we were students we have been hearing about the prestigious Aga Khan Award. Personally,
winning it is a big achievement for me; we all worked very hard on that project- the expatriate architects and the local team of engineers. I was selected because I am the principal agent but there were many who were involved. What it means to Ethiopian building design is that it will be very encouraging for all of us who work in the field. It tells you that if you are dedicated and do well, it will certainly be recognized.
Capital- What are your favorite building designs in Addis, other African cities and the rest of the world?
Rahel- I like details rather than impressions. My favorite buildings are old buildings which I enjoy observing when I walk through Piazza or other parts of Addis. I have to say that proportion wise, I don’t have any one particular building as I like parts of buildings rather than the whole. Since I was a student I liked to work with natural building materials. The low key designs I like to work with are human buildings because they are in tune with nature.

Capital- What does your international experience look like?
Rahel- I have been working with many international firms so this isn’t my first collaboration. Currently, I am working with the South African Embassy and have teamed up with South African architects and engineers. We are also engaged with British architects and engineers for the British Council Project. This is for me a valuable accumulation of international experience because for every project you receive different views and partner with various professionals.

Capital- Do you think Ethiopian architects have largely excluded Ethiopian motif in their designs?
Rahel-I am not sure about that because every architect has his own language. There are Ethiopian architects that have used Ethiopian heritage in their designs; especially, the Axum Obelisk is common so I am sure that it has been applied but maybe not adequately.

Capital-What does it take to come up with a truly original and inspired design that reflects heritage?
Rahel-I think it is a combination of many things. First of all it is your vision as an architect because you must have vision. This is the vision to see into yourself rather than to external influences that we all lack. Also, I would say the client is highly important because it is the client who gives you the freedom to design. I think it is all a combination of the two-vision and an open minded client.

Capital- What other projects have you worked on and what are you doing at present?
Rahel-I have worked on quite a few buildings with Aba Architects such as the Fistula Hospital and school projects for Mekane Yesus Church.With my own company in the last four years, I have worked on various ongoing projects and currently, we have several others in the pipeline.

Capital-Would you like to covey a parting message?
Rahel-I was very lucky to go abroad and receive the prize but there were many others involved starting from the client, project management here locally, other engineers, site supervisors and the contractor himself. One of the success factors for the project was the team effort. The building was also very challenging as it was not an ordinary structure, and we had to work very hard. Through that process we learnt a lot so I would like to thank all my colleagues.