African project:
Project: Desert Flower
National Stadium
L
AVA, 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.
LAVA went back to the very origin of stadium design with a sunken arena surrounded by
grandstands formed from excavated material. This man-made crater is a clever remodelling of the
existing terrain and generates efficient spaces, optimises environmental performance, minimises
construction costs and integrates facilities within the existing landscape.
The design references Ethiopia’s world-famous excavated architecture – centuries old rock
churches, dwellings and cisterns. The sports city is a natural extension to this heritage that aims to draw many
more visitors to this beautiful country.
The Massob, an Ethiopian communal serving basket made from woven grass, inspired the façade material that
wraps the stadium. The form of the stadium structure seen from the top view also recalls coffee beans, the main
source of income in Ethiopia and the ‘Mother womb’, the skeleton of one of the first humans, Lucy, which is about
3.2 million years old.
The roof of the stadium, an intelligent membrane, appears like a cloud on the horizon of the vast Ethiopian sky, a
lightweight tensile structure floating over the formed-earth landscape.
The masterplan by the JDAW/Designsport/LAVA Consortium includes the IOC-standard stadium for FIFA
matches, athletics events, concerts, religious and national festivals; and a sports village comprising indoor and
outdoor aquatic centres, outdoor pitches, sports halls and arenas, dormitories and the headquarters for the
Federal Sport Commission. Hospitality, retail and commercial zones will ensure that the precinct is vibrant
throughout the year.
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