Commercial · High-Rise
A watershed moment in Ethiopian high-rise architecture
When HaileGabriel Consult was commissioned to design the Midroc Ethiopia Group Headquarters, it represented a genuinely historic opportunity — to deliver what would become one of the tallest buildings ever constructed in Ethiopia at that time. Rising Ground + 23 storeys, the tower redefined what was possible in the Addis Ababa skyline and set a new standard for corporate high-rise design in the country.
The Midroc HQ was conceived not merely as an office building, but as a statement of ambition — for its client, for the city, and for Ethiopian design and construction capability. HGC approached the project with both the rigour of engineering and the sensitivity of place-making, ensuring the tower would read as a landmark from multiple vantage points across the city while functioning with precision at every floor.
The façade employs a curtain wall system with deep horizontal and vertical shading fins — responding intelligently to Addis Ababa's sun path while creating a distinctive visual rhythm across the tower's face. The crown is given special architectural treatment, tapering and stepping to reduce its silhouette against the sky.
A 23-storey structure demands rigorous structural engineering. HGC's team designed a reinforced concrete core-and-frame system capable of resisting lateral loads from wind — a critical consideration at this height in the Ethiopian highlands. The foundation solution required careful geotechnical investigation and a bored pile system to transfer loads to competent strata below.
MEP coordination across 23 floors was managed through a dedicated building management system, with dedicated mechanical plant floors at strategic intervals. The building's vertical transportation strategy — including the lift core layout and lobby organisation — was modelled to handle peak-hour flows from the full occupancy load.
