In Kazanchis, a neighborhood of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, once alive with many music houses, comes the new Grand Fendika Cultural Center. The original Fendika music venue was demolished in 2024, but the new building, led by contemporary virtuoso Melaku Belay and designed by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, will become a vital hub for Ethiopia’s traditional and experimental arts.

The new Fendika will span four stories of space for performances, learning and community, all threaded together by a gently sloping ramp connecting the street-level courtyard with a rooftop stage. The idea is simple: Keep the doors open, let the city in and make sure the future still feels like home.

The project was developed in partnership with Fendika’s local and global communities, made possible through the financial support of TrustAfrica. The project builds on decades of grassroots work to sustain indigenous Ethiopian performance traditions in a rapidly changing city.

© Carlo Ratti Associati

The new building’s design remains deliberately open to its surroundings. It emphasizes porous boundaries, allowing music to drift into the street, welcoming passersby and offering glimpses into its activity through broad, street-facing windows. The new center will occupy the same location as before. With its mixed-use design, the new Grand Fendika Cultural Center brings a hotel and cultural venue together under one roof.

Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa, in Meskel Square, is currently providing space for musical entertainment, essentially serving as a “temporary” Fendika until the new Fendika Cultural Center opens.

The Kazanchis neighborhood was once dotted with informal venues known locally as azmari bets, where musicians and poets performed improvised songs and verses. Nearly all of them have vanished in the past decade, overtaken by rapid residential and commercial urban development. The original Fendika, the last venue of its kind in the area, was revived by Melaku Belay in 2008. Under his guidance, it shifted from traditional, tip-based performances to a salaried model, expanding into visual art exhibitions, literature readings and community education. Over the years, it has earned international acclaim, receiving accolades including the Prince Claus Award, European Union Schuman Award, a Star of Italy Medal, and a French Medal for Arts and Letters.

© Carlo Ratti Associati

In 2024, Fendika’s future came into question when its site was designated for redevelopment. In a gesture that affirmed the cultural value of the institution, the Addis Ababa Municipality and Mayor Adanech Abebe provided support. The administration offered Melaku Belay the opportunity to remain on site and rebuild, encouraging a proposal that would meet the city’s evolving planning for the Grand Fendika.

The new building translates Fendika’s long-standing connection to its community into a physical form, starting from the street. At the new Fendika, the building will make the street itself part of the performance. A gently sloping stair-ramp begins at ground level and rises toward a rooftop terrace, weaving through performance halls, classrooms, rehearsal studios, artist residences, archives, a café and an open-air stage. Double-height spaces and interwoven staircases link the four levels, allowing visitors to move organically between them, always within earshot of music or performance. Balconies and landings offer moments to pause and observe, softening the lines between formal programming and everyday life.

© Carlo Ratti Associati

“CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati’s design for Grand Fendika is wonderful news for Fendika supporters from all over the world,” said Belay. “Carlo Ratti and his team understand Fendika’s ethos of bringing people and communities together with the arts. This timely collaboration between CRA and Fendika will take our work to the next level, where the new Fendika contributes to the vibrant new city of Addis Ababa envisioned by Mayor Adanech Abebe and her team.”