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What was going on in sub-Saharan Africa, Mekelle, Tigray before war 

with contemporary architectural design?

Facts: 77 people, 365 days, 77 projects, theoretical texts, practical recommendations

Conditions: 2000 m altitude, Ethiopian highlands,

big lack of water, big lack of electricity, poor internet.

My name is Dominika Batista, Slovenia, and I was invited 5 years ago to lecture on the

School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Mekelle University in Tigray, Ethiopia.

I wrote an architectural book, and graphic designer and photographer Damjan Jermančič designed it.

It is in landscape A4 format, 366 pages, cca 60% of pages is graphic material,

cca 40% pages texts.

Locally a book is intended for architects, planners, investors, developers,

and their clients of Mekelle city and the state of

Tigray government, general public and citizens.

It is intended more broadly but still locally to libraries of

total 30 universities of Ethiopia,

to Ethiopian government offices as a professional guide towards

architectural sustainable direction,

and to the professional audience, as an example ‘think global act local’.

Big book 77 will serve as manual to connect the economy and

the academic sphere on the field of architectural construction,

not only in resilience way but equilibrium in Ethiopia.

Globally it is intended to the professionals

and general public with a sense of aesthetics and

interest in the design

and art of living on the planet Earth.

This book will place Mekelle University as a contributor

on the world map of architectural design books.

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