"Africa Hall stands as one of the most important expressions of Modern architecture on the continent, a building that brought together international ideas and local identity at a pivotal moment in the region's history of decolonisation and national autonomy. From its placement at one of the most prominent sites in the capital of Ethiopia (the only African country never to have been colonised), the architecture combined a functionalist rationality of structure and purpose with the aura of Modernism's optimism in the future."
"Africa Hall, the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, was designed by the Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi. Completed in 1961, it was commissioned by the last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie. In 1963, the precursor to the African Union-the Organisation of African Unity-was founded inside. Africa Hall was constructed partially using local stone, and it incorporates a triptych of stained-glass windows by the artist Afewerk Tekle (1932-2012)."
Architectus received the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for the conservation of Africa Hall in Addis Ababa. Africa Hall functions as the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and was designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi. The building was completed in 1961 after being commissioned by Emperor Haile Selassie and hosted the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963. The hall was built partly from local stone and includes a triptych of stained-glass windows by Afewerk Tekle. The conservation project began in 2014, spanned ten years, and cost $57 million while balancing original design with modern technology and accessibility.
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