The state of Peace is characterized as one of unity, harmony, freedom and mutual respect. The goal was to achieve a building design with a meaningful and lasting identity for the Peace and Security Building of the African Union. The main concept was derived from the notion of dialogue and transparency – both closely related to the idea of peace. As the dialogue between people is the precondition for peace, communication and human interaction became the central focus in the design process and the organisation of space. A central spine embodies the idea of a fluid collective space that promotes shared activities, informal dialogue between people and a seamless circulation across various programs. It is the unifying element between the more discrete, consolidated, highly flexible office spaces on the back and the individually articulated spaces for meetings and conferences on the front.

Client: Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
as implementing agency of the German Federal Foreign Office
Year: 2009
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Program: Conference Center, Offices
Status: Competition, Proposal
Design Team: Martin Henn, Markus Jacobi, Max Schwitalla, Fredrik Werner
Consultants: Happold Ingenierbüro GmbH, Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH