Gimbichu, Ethiopia
The ET-302 Memorial Park honors the 157 lives lost by guiding visitors through a landscape that tells the story of the flight’s final moments.
Its paths lead toward the crash site, burial ground, and spaces for reflection, healing, and connection, all integrated into the surrounding farmland.
The ET-302 Memorial by Alebel Desta Consulting Architects and Engineers, won an 2026 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The design is grounded in three principles: absence (the weight of loss), revelation (unfolding the story), and healing (offering solace). The crash site and burial ground form the heart of the memorial.
A main pathway from the southwest entrance narrates the flight’s last six minutes and forty-four seconds, leading toward four inclined, earth-red concrete structures that mark the final moment and honor the victims.
A quieter route from the northwest approaches the monument more reflectively, while other paths connect to the amphitheatre, gathering areas, and rock garden.
The burial ground, an untouched 28-meter-diameter sacred circle, is bordered by a concrete walkway and subtle inclined steel rails. Visitors experience it from the outer path, ensuring privacy and respect.
At the exact crash point, the Main Monument rises as four sculptural forms representing Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. Their textured surfaces draw from Ethiopia’s rock-hewn architecture and the Rift Valley.
Beneath each, plaques shaped like Boeing 737 MAX windows list victim details by continent, with small recessed spaces for private reflection.
Green roofs blend the monument into the land, and an echo feature allows visitor voices to resonate as a gesture of collective remembrance. Four radiating paths extend its story outward.
The Healing Monument, placed between the Asian and African structures and leading toward the amphitheatre, is a corten steel sculpture recalling aerodynamic form and resilience.
Its weathered surface, perforated with circular openings that filter light, echoes aircraft construction through rivet-like detailing. Set on an L-shaped foundation and encircled by a walkway, it ties visually to the rest of the site while symbolizing renewal.
The Amphitheatre sits between the Asian and African monuments, formed by six concentric stepped platforms with gentle, accessible paths. Seating over 360 people, it centers around a circular platform for ceremonies, performances, and community gatherings.
Between the African and European monuments lies the Rock Garden, now composed of large, upright local stones instead of flowers. Two concentric paths weave through them, creating a quiet, meditative space that evokes endurance and memory.
Near the entrance, the facility building blends into the landscape with green roofs and expanded metal mesh screens. It includes parking for 30+ vehicles shaded by solar panels, security points, caretaker residences, storage, multipurpose rooms, and accessible restrooms.
Walls along the approach display plaques documenting the site’s creation and contributors.
The overall landscape reflects the ripple effect of the crash. Green lawns, forested pockets, planted clusters, stone elements, and open paved spaces echo local agricultural textures.
Indigenous trees and more than 120,000 plants create ecological continuity and reinforce the memorial’s spirit of remembrance, resilience, and hope.
Project: The ET-302 Memorial
Architects: Alebel Desta Consulting Architects and Engineers
Lead Architect: Alebel Desta
Design Team: Abraham Lelisa, Biniyam Bewketu, Biruk Assefa, Daniel Waju, Edom Elias, Frezer Abrha, Kenimos Tesfaye, Natnael Bahru, Nura Mohammed, Shiferaw Tatek, Solomon Desta, Tibebu Arega, Tinsae Tsegahun, Worede Melaku, Yishak Tsehay, and Yophtahe Yiheyis
Landscape Architects: Green Paradise Gardens
Contractor: Elmi Olindo Contractors Plc.
Clients: Ethiopian Airlines Group and The Boeing Company
Photographers: Aron Simeneh, Birhanu Beyene, and Mehari Haile
