Looking through new windows has always been a good way of seeing the world with fresh eyes. The exhibition »ሠላም bauhaus – hello bauhaus« – opens new windows onto the world. The interactive exhibition offers new insight into the long-standing international cooperation between the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany and the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Coinciding with the centenary of the Bauhaus and the 65th anniversary of EiABC, this exhibition presents the work done so far in research, teaching and cooperation.

The collaborative Emerging City Lab – Addis Ababa (ECL-AA) was established in 2015 as a research center and international and transdisciplinary network of researchers, teachers and industry partners. A central mission of the ECL-AA is to develop digital tools to support urban decision-making and participatory planning processes in Africa, where rural-urban migration and rapid urban growth are major societal challenges.

Why Bauhaus? The ambitions and methods of the historical Bauhaus can still inspire us in the present day: 100 years ago, the teaching of architecture and design at the Bauhaus responded to the rapid changes in society and their impact on the built environment. Today, against the background of global climate change and human migration, these themes are more pressing than ever. The ECL-AA strives to combine innovation and social responsibility through experiments with sustainable materials and innovative solutions that cross cultural, class, and disciplinary boundaries.

»ሠላም bauhaus« reflects on the ECL-AA’s past and discusses options for its future. The exhibition is concurrently designed as a public platform that encourages visitors to discuss and participate in the design of the(ir) built environment.