A Dubai-based construction company has begun revamping the Addis Abeba Municipality headquarters for 1.8 billion Br. Involved in the refurbishment of the office of the Prime Minister, ALEC Engineering & Contracting LLC is contracted to work on landscaping, renovating offices and building new facilities inside the premises of the Municipality, covering a 50,000Sqm area. The project was approved by the city cabinet in mid-May and is expected to be completed in a year.

ALEC will build a cocktail bar, a clinic, a children's playground, a library and a parking lot that can accommodate 150 vehicles. The refurbishment includes renovating eight training rooms with executive lounges; over 600 offices; offices of the mayor, deputy mayor and the press secretariat; along with a meeting hall for the cabinet. ALEC will also renovate the theatre hall that has 850 seats located inside the premises.

Launched by former Deputy Mayor Takele Uma, the project is managed by a newly formed Megaprojects Construction Office. The Office handles projects considered to be mega projects that require over one billion Birr in investment. It is currently overseeing the Adwa Zero Kilometer and Mesqel Square projects, as well as the under-construction headquarters of the Addis Abeba Transport Bureau. The 20-storey building with three basements is located near Megenagna roundabout.

ALEC, which has already finished demolishing the interiors of the building that is located in the heart of Piassa, was awarded the design-build contract without a bidding process.

The company was selected based on its track record following the legal procedure, according to Shemiles Eshetu, general manager of the City Administration's Megaprojects Construction Office.

"It's part of the procedure to select such companies considering their profile," said Shemiles.

Established in 1999, ALEC was involved in the construction of a recreational centre on the premises of the Grand Palace. It has also completed and delivered the renovation project for the Office of the Prime Minister.

"The idea of the project is to have a high-standard Municipality," said the general manager, "but while keeping the original design of the building intact."

Newly appointed Deputy Mayor Adanech Abebie has also visited the new refurbishment project last Friday.

The Municipality was designed by an Italian man named Arturo Mezzedimi and was built by another Italian construction company, ESBU Construction. The construction of the building was started in 1965 while Zewde Gebrehiwot was mayor of the city.

There have been previous renovation and expansion trials in the past, including the construction of the fence, the renovation of the lobby, and a plan to expand the offices inside the compound due to the need for more space. The expansion project, which had a participatory planning, failed to proceed.

“It pains me how this project is being executed, not because of the renovation, but the way and the process of how this project was initiated," said an architect who wanted to remain anonymous. “In this time and age where spaces have to be decentralised, overwhelming the space for political use is incorrect."