JADE Fellow Beamlak Sahle (BSArch '25) Wants to Build Naturally
When international student and Architecture major Beamlak Sahle (BSArch ’25) returns to her home country of Ethiopia after graduation next May, she hopes to revolutionize the way buildings are constructed in the African nation, especially in rural areas.
“I would like to solve a lot of design problems when it comes to infrastructure,” said Sahle, adding that she is particularly interested in schools and hospitals. “I would like to introduce a community-oriented design approach and bring back natural building technologies to help improve the living conditions of the people.”
This summer, Sahle participated in the pilot summer program JADE (Justice Alliance for Design Education) Fellowship, organized by DesignPhiladelphia in partnership with local colleges and universities.
One of the goals of the program is to nurture community among a diverse group of talented students to foster their personal growth and a more inclusive and just culture for design students and young professionals. The Center for DesignPhiladelphia is formerly AIA Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture and Design.
“The JADE Fellowship was an excellent opportunity for me to get introduced to the architecture industry. The fellowship is meant to help with career exposure and leadership development. During the fellowship, I have been to renowned and new upcoming architecture firms in Philadelphia and met some inspiring people,” said Sahle.
“I met with several people in the industry working toward changing not only the architecture industry but the world around it. All this exposure and experience helped me better understand how things work in the real world and how I can navigate it,” she said, adding that the knowledge gained from the experience would help her plan out her future career in architecture.
Sahle said obtaining “a lot of experience while still in school” had been a goal of hers since enrolling in Tyler's Architecture program. Last summer and in spring 2024, she had an internship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) working for their facilities and planning team.
“From my experience at CHOP, I have understood how intricate the design should be for a hospital to function smoothly. I would use what I have learned there to help improve the hospital conditions in Ethiopia,” she said, reflecting that she gained a lot of experience and perspective from that opportunity.
“Sustainability is another issue Ethiopia faces within the built environment. I have seen that most buildings introduce exported building materials that can be expensive and bad for the environment. I want to push for the use of resources that already exist in the specific part of the region to limit exported materials, and to bring back old natural building techniques.”
Naturally built techniques use local, abundant and/or renewable natural materials, Sahle explained, but today traditional knowledge and skills used to build natural homes in Ethiopia “are lost because people are now more dependent on a building industry that generally uses processed materials. The art of building naturally with community is almost gone because of this, and with it lost is also the community.”
Sahle also emphasized the important of community-oriented design: “When the community is involved in the process of design and construction, they feel a sense of ownership which helps the longevity of the building.”
“With the technology and resources that we have today, we can modify the old and outdated building techniques and create sustainable building practices. This would also provide job opportunities for people in the community,” Sahle said. She wants to continued gaining real-life experience in other design fields to expand her knowledge and understand different perspectives to achieve this goal.
“The JADE Fellowship came at a great time,” she continued, crediting her professor Fauzia Sadiq Garcia, who introduced her to the program. “I know the experiences I gained will help me fast-track my career and future as a designer.”