Ethioplugin eiabc_autodesk_ayele_bedada_2014

Technology and African heritage
Ayele Bedada
Instructor at EiABC-Addis Ababa University
Ethioplugin Principal Researcher
Architect and urban planer

What is technology?
Technologies uplifting other technologies
Before modern education
After modern education
Now and the future
In East Africa

Technology is a devised method or way to solve a specific or set of problems at any
given time. Since the beginning of time human kind created different tools and mechanisms in order to
make the environment he or she lives in more tolerable. Or simply in order to fulfill needs of human kind.
All the ways people build and process the materials around them in order to shape up in to solutions to full
fill their needs is technology. Africans have ways (technologies) of building their homes, utensils, also clothing,
etc. These technologies have been abandoned due to presumably globalization and insufficient
access to them through other different technologies such as software. This research is concerned with
capturing and providing to users the African/Ethiopian heritages to
the global catchment through software. And furthermore develop these cultural heritages towards a
better suited shape and condition of the current time.
Technology

What is technology?
Before modern education is introduced in Africa there were
technologies being practiced by the local people. Houses, furniture and
utensils were built through technologies such as:

What is technology?
Basket Weaving

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving
Wood Carving

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving
Wood Carving
Bamboo

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving
Wood Carving
Bamboo
Buildings

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving
Wood Carving
Bamboo
Buildings
Metal works

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving
Wood Carving
Bamboo
Buildings
Metal works
Pottery and artifacts

What is technology?
Basket Weaving
Straw Weaving
Wood Carving
Bamboo
Buildings
Metal works
Pottery and artifacts
Leather and other animal
materials

How technology can be embraced and used to
capture and develop cultural heritages
Technology can be used to capture and upgrade other technologies

In Ethiopia and generally in Africa heritages are told to be disappearing and the method devised to capture and
document these heritages were through photographs and writings. The research at hand ethioplugin
considers the possibilities to capture these heritages through digital three dimensional
medias. Software technology helps to operate machines, entertain, communicate, etc. Software
technology such as Autodesk software, allow users to implement design and engineering tasks. These software prove to be good
medias to develop three dimensional representation of the heritages and add them to the
software and also share them as a recourse for further different
developments.
Mostly in the ACE(Architecture, construction and engineering) field of work professionals focus on mostly in the end
product of their designs. Architects unlike the other professionals do not usually produce and
document tools they would need for their design process like architectural details and
construction components, furniture, etc. and help build software and tutorials.
How technology can be used to capture
traditional design elements

How to capture and develop through technology
Digital Camera

Digital Camera
Casting and molding

Digital Camera
Casting and molding
Laser cutting

Digital Camera
Casting and molding
Laser cutting
3D Scanning and Printing

Digital Camera
Casting and molding
Laser cutting
3D Printing
CNC milling

Digital Camera
Casting and molding
Laser cutting
3D Printing
CNC milling
Parametric software
applications like Autodesk

Current state of technology use in design and
engineering in East Africa
Many engineers are proving to be very innovative and productive in East Africa
Most importantly, even though modern education seems to drive the manufacturing process from the locally
owned skills and ownership. These people (us) seem to endure in east Africa we should no more ignore (us)
them and should make them part of the change as well.

CNC and other technologies
The advantage of CNC-technology lies on the one hand in high precision and speed
and on the other hand on individualization of produced goods. The beginning of CNC-technology was in
industrial application for complex and highly automated processing and prototyping. Since CNC-
technology's price decreases rapidly during the last decade the technology's influence can be found in small series
products, buildingsand becomes highly relevant for the supply of the consumer
market.Currently several individuals and organizations in Ethiopian own CNC machines. The
continues progress of design and product quality is seen every day.
In most African countries despite the depreciation of market value for them the traditional
crafts personsare still giving service to the community. The research ethioplugintends to
bring together the currently emerging technology and the craftsmanship skill
Current state of technology use in design and
engineering in East Africa

Ethioplugin case study:
Origins, development
and aims

My endeavor on this pass started with ethioplugin research. The research strives to digitize and document
Ethiopian heritages through software such as Autodesk and prepares a number of plugins for the different software
available for design and engineering. These documents/digital data are shared with the public (students (universities
and technic schools), private offices, government offices and civic centers) to further develop and bring about the objective of the
research. A considerable number of residents in east Africa are owners of various skills. The skills have products
that come through them. As these skills are not made accessible in the currently used
design medias/tools (software), they did not make it to the current industry rendering the skill
owners cheap and useless. The research believes that if these skills that are shown through our heritages are provided
through software plugins and made available to designers in a more attractive and flexible
manner, we can create a trend of designers and engineers applying the principles of this heritages there by making
the skill owners more use full and well paid citizens of the continent.
.
Ethioplugin Case Study: Origins, development
and aims

In this endeavor the research has based its primary foundation in the academic environment available
to the principal researcher. I have collected a considerable data from the capital city of Ethiopia Addis Ababa through my student
assistants. After which digital models of the data is prepared through the class teaching software at the time Revit
architecture.
The above collected, processed and modeled data are divided in to two categories which I called
module one and two. The first module considered the past experiences of the country as such covers
architectural details, furniture, fixture, utensils, patters, etc. This module also considered method of manufacturing of these
elements of the module.
The second module documented the current activities of the design and engineering world of Ethiopia. Here data are collected,
processed and modeled. And then they are also made friendly to different production techniques.
A new module called module three was made through further experimenting on the past two modules and social
phenomena and academic inputs. A modern education made an intervention of transforming the heritages towards the current
intellect of the users as well as designers by means of still keeping the capacity of the
local skill owners.
and aims

Several workshops are held between different stake holders. Students of the university, CNC
machine experts, local skill’s men or crafts people. Workshop with different Private and
government organizations is attempted. Centers at eiabc (Ethiopian institute of architecture, city development
and construction management) are made to collaborate with the research following their inquiry and interest. The research is
also attempting to open a center at the institute that will allow a continues media of development of
plugins, local based entrepreneur ship for both the crafts men and the academician and also other bodies. The center will also be
giving services to the community, teaching activities to the university; will also be an umbrella for other researches.
The research is also inspired by the principal researcher’s experience at fab academy where I was exposed to
digital fabrication and prototyping. The spirit of the academy holds a large network of makers and they prove to be a large
resource to the research activity and network of resource and exposure.
I have also collaborated with African Autodesk community looking for several future
opportunities to realize the research goals.
.
.
and aims

Research Ethioplugin is built with a proper
research structure and principles
Includes
Data collection, modeling modules, module production, workshops(teaching), plugin, AEC industry

Implementation of models in small design projects
A quick design project on small projects

The future of design in East Africa: “incorporating
traditional and contemporary design.”
Shown through ethioplugin research
The different strategies that can be made to make traditional African design accessible and acceptable to the
majority of Africans, therefore making it more contemporary

Identify the community who can contribute more and
work with you on the research
Making the young generations of EiABC/ African universities and other institutes and centers part of
the research to insure the sustainability of the research implication.

In practical sense, almost all students in an institute such as EiABC and professionals
(AEC) in east africa make it their responsibility to experiment and learn different software
program formally and informally to perform their design works and prepare presentations
using the software.
For very long time different institutes of design, construction and engineering have been
trying to encourage Ethiopian designers and builders to consider Ethiopian (local) building
construction techniques on their works.
Therefore software are important grounds to access these students and professionals, and
expose them to Ethiopian style design/construction techniques. By providing them with a
software plug-in equipped with Ethiopian construction techniques, building typologies,
furniture and utensil designs, textures and patterns.
Here these students and professionals do not only look at and read the elements but they
will have a chance to implement them in their works there by transforming and developing
Ethiopian architecture.
.
and aims

Almost all software are produced in developed countries. Therefore are
equipped with the relative country’s culture and construction details and furniture,
landscape and texture libraries.
This research is concerned with preparing software plug-in that contains:
construction details, building typologies, furniture and utensil designs, textures, patterns and
plantations that are Ethiopian.
The research intends to give the Ethiopian and international students
and professionals to peruse to research and develop identity and
context in architecture of the country
.
.
and aims

MATIYAS FEKADESELASSIE:
Even though Ethiopia has a diverse social, cultural, Architectural identity ,we don't see
diversity in the current architectural and interior designs .As an Architecture student I
experienced this phenomena first hand producing designs with western software's and their
add on components, though this my work for some design cases it didn't respond to the
context of our country and our way of life and if we want to preserve our heritage and also
move forward in the development of our country we have to choose either to produce our
unique Architecture or follow the generic globalized trends. Ethio-plugin is a research
program that tries to answer the above problems as it is the first of its kind we had to cover
a lot of topics when analyzing Ethiopian identity from Architectural details and components
to furniture's.
Why I joined
One year ago when surfing the web I came across the Ethio-plug-in research program and
I was fascinated about it ,Because it tried to answer what was missing in BIM for our
context after one year during our computer aided design course I got the chance to join
the Ethio-plugin team and had the privilege to contribute to this cause.
Students’ reflections

ORION LEMMA:
Why I joined Ethio-Plugin?
The reason I joined and the reason I stayed in this research are quite different. At first I was
intrigued by the idea for preserving our tradition and culture through accurate collection,
documentation and modeling of past and present day artifacts of Ethiopia. The reason I stayed
however is because the research was more than just an add-on library of day to day objects. It
had a much larger vision of turning the way architectural firms in Ethiopia actually work with
digital software’s and eventually modify there out put the research had a future portion which
planned on transforming the objects we collected into things that can be used in the coming
years. The furniture aided by parametric systems we were able to give the much flexibility and
freedom that we believe is the key element in the future of architecture "the world?".
GEBREKIDAN GETAW:
.
The progress shown starting from the first time especially in team formation was really appreciable. I
expect it will continue in this way for the coming years. We were able to cover so many part of the research
even though we didn’t go deeply to what was expected in each category. I expect we will have time to
revise and refine the works we roughly passed.

BIRUK BEKELE:
Seeing where this research started from and where it reaches now ,as a member of the research
group I’m proud to say that we’ve come so far and develop the research and took it one step closer
to where it should be but still this research has a wide scope of view which can change Ethiopian
architecture and took Ethiopian artifacts and patterns to another level in which they can be modified
and created digitally and in the industry at a large scale which can identify Ethiopian architecture,
pattern texture etc.so in the future I hope to see the research goal fulfilled
KIRUBEL NIGUSSIE
The documenting, modeling and eventually the making of Ethiopian furniture, utensils and
architectural details accessible in a digital media was the charming idea that drove my
purpose in joining “Ethioplugin”. Not only was I charmed with idea of accessing Ethiopian
furniture and artifacts that I could use in my designs, but I also understood the potential of
the Ethiopian construction techniques, details and the like that could be extracted in the
process. With the standardization of our practice in architecture, one can boldly state that our
sense of identity is lost or at least is not being projected in the buildings we are constructing.
The proper introduction and internalization of the research outputs in the construction
industry will, I believe, bring about a significant implication in terms of the projection of
identity through architecture.

YOSEF KASA:
.
As a member and Ethioplugin I acknowledge the research and plug-in making for digital
software’s (Revit) we have finished part one of the research with a satisfying points. We have
passed through all the programs (schedule) that we set before we began. it contains history, now
and future, history part is done by professional cad students( the first time cad chair use students
assignment for other purposes) by integrating the research with the cad class and future is done
by plug-in members by using traditional ,historic ,details and details to make a custom Ethiopian
households and building details and furniture’s.
To conclude I am thankful for being a member of research that will change Ethiopian building
style by filling the gap made between us and our ancestors. Software plug-in made by the
research members makes architects and interior designers to use traditional and custom material
to show their proposal and the proposal is also buildable with industrial module made by
Ethioplugin. In my opinion this research will hits its goal in short period than expected based on
the speed the world is going.

LIUEL HIZIKIAS:
.
I strongly believe the availability of the plugin in the Ethiopian architectural
community would greatly affect the design process and the final outcome of the
design itself. It could create an opportunity that was not previously available for
the architects in the industry, allowing them to freely manipulate and create new
architectural masterpiece with an Ethiopian identity.
The innovations in the software field, like the advancement of the Revit software
and it’s freely manipulate able component allows this project to be more diverse
and free. It gives the chance for the users to not only use the components made
by the Ethio-plugin research group but also play with the components or modules
in hisher own way. The different views of the different architects based on their
attitude towards the Ethiopian culture would be painted on the buildings across
the city as a result of this project.
It has been a really amazing journey in the ethio-plugin research group, mainly
because of the outputs every member submitted. It reflected the potential present
in the industry, the potential to change the architectural problems in our country
not only based on identity but also every single aspect

ANDUALEM BEKELE:
In my opinion ETHIOPLUG-in is the first in Ethiopia to do a research on traditional
object and modules from past and present times using advanced software
program.
The findings and the lessons from it helped as to develop them in some manner
and will create a new way of developing the objects.
I joined ETHIOPLUGIN because I want to take part in the development of
traditional objects and materials we use and forget to use and give them an
appearance to be used in architectural and other projects.
What I learned from this research is the making and usage of the objects and the
need of this objects and materials in the architectural community.
The future of ETHIO plug-in will be continuing in the developing and creating of
the objects and materials that are being used or making new objects from the
lesson we took from the old ones.

Make the endeavor part of the academic system
Make the students activity on the research part of the education system, create modules of courses that work
between heritages and computation

Set a methodology
For data collection, Location Scouting, Modeling

For data collection
Location Scouting
Sites were selected based on their traditional and neo-traditional cultural expression of Ethiopia’s identity.
Guidelines: the location must be mapped on Google earth for reference
Locations: are not predefined and may vary based on researcher’s findings
Church and Mosque
Markets (open & shops)
Souvenir Shops
Residence (with cultural and traditional relevance)
Museums
Workshops
Set a methodology

Data Collection
Picture:
Must be captured with a white background
A cube of 10x10x10cm must be placed beside the object for reference scale
Camera must be 8MP or higher for clarity
Resolution : 3264x2448
A minimum of 6 views of the object must be taken.
Additional views may be taken if object is complex
Natural light is recommended for the capturing of object
time must mentioned
Set a methodology

Measurement:
Tape meters should be used for dimensioning
All data’s collected must use metric system (cm)
Precautions must be taken to minimize inaccuracy
Reference points for measurements must be clearly stated
Descriptions:
Must be from a credible source
Sources shall be clearly stated
Stage of artifact (evolution), material, texture, purpose, historic and general background
shall be stated
Set a methodology

Additional Software:
Additional software’s can be used to model the artifacts. This must be approved by the head
of research.
123D make
Difficulty:
Limitations during data collection shall be adequately stated in the report.
When:
The time, place, type lighting, method shall be clearly stated along with a brief description of
the context.
Modeling
* All modeling software’s should have parametric modeling capabilities.
Revit and other appropriate software
Set a methodology

Make sure the data collected covers the important
areas
Data collection should be made through a careful strategy of countries social and geographic locales

Revit architecture family templates
Top BIM based software
To provide widespread digital access to Ethiopian’s unique architectural and construction details, furniture and
utensil design, house designs, textures, patterns and even indigenous plants through specialised software
applications.
Three dimensional and parametric models of Ethiopian construction material details, furniture and utensils,
Ethiopian house design types and indigenous plants (including a selection of trees and landscape elements).
Two-dimensional and high quality pictures of Ethiopian construction material textures, construction technique
patterns and background images.

The team have been using Autodesk Revit 2012, 2013 and 2014 software to model everything on this
digital database. This was done using different predefined family templates from the
default libraries such as metric generic and metric family
templates. The Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology was a source of inspiration during the
modelling phase of the research. Since Revit software is a leader in this field, it was used to great success in the
implementation of this stage to produce parametric models of traditional Ethiopian
objectsand architectural details.
Revit was specifically helpful in providing a controlled, efficient platform to model traditional
objects through the use of family templates. As Revit is equipped with a specific template for
different architectural components-including architectural details, furniture, fixtures and landscape elements-the software was the
ideal vehicle to perform the full remit of tasks required for the research.

Revit’s ability to translate the different cultural and design nuances of various Ethiopian buildings and
artefacts into an understandable, cohesive format was a defining positive
aspect of the software. Ethiopia has numerous cultures, and each culture has design details
unique to its community. As the research covers the entire
country, it requires a tool that can organise a wide variety of data collection and
modelling activities.
Since Revit is family based, the software made the modelling process more controlled and
easy, saving a considerable amount of time. This is preferable to other software which has a complicated process of
model making with multiple limitations placed on its flexibility and implementation.
The software has also provided valuable learning opportunities for students at the institute.
Architecture students in their third year of studying professional CAD have been
able to apply their new skills by taking part and contributing to the research

Steps on how to use Revit family template to model architectural details
>open Revit architecture software
>application > New > Family>Select the type of family template you would use>Open (double left
click)
If your software is well set with all the templates and software, the above pass will take you to
the proper files/temples for architectural components furniture and such.
>Design your components well in the opened template and save the file in .rfa format (Revit
family)
> if you have an opened Revit project on your software you can load it to the project immediately

Steps on how to use Revit family template to model architectural details

Work with crafts people to upgrade the local skill
The different strategies that can be used to make traditional African deign accessible and acceptable to the
majority of Africans, therefor making it more contemporary

Knowledge exchange
Make sure there is an exchange of knowledge between the academic and the craft’s person and
evaluate the output

Sharing your objectives and outputs
Share your findings with your stake holders and other interested groups and get to your objectives
as fast as possible because in Africa we are a bit behind in this endeavor through a web site and
academic modules and mobility between African universities.

Movie1_Ethioplugin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D5j95VzWYo
Ayele Bedada
Instructor at EiABC-Addis Ababa University
Ethioplugin Principal Researcher
Architect and urban planer

Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear
in this document. © 2014 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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