The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is a major contributor to climate change and environmental issues where the impacts extend beyond an increase in temperature affecting people’s life, energy consumption, the global economy, and the ecosystem at large. To mitigate these issues; have an alternative practice, and build better strategies, major sectors involved in the AEC have to advance their critical roles informed by technology to transform and improve the path to sustainable development of the built environment. Building Information Modeling (BIM) can accommodate this transformation and as a practitioner, I am committed to this perception.
I’m a BIM enthusiast with an industry standard credential – Autodesk Certified Professional (ACP) for Revit Architecture and Structure. BIM Modeling, Automatization, and Computational Design are my technical skillset and roles as an architect. I’m engaged in continual learning and the progress I’ve made in my academic career has also prepared me to undertake advanced studies and research works.
I aim to make a valuable contribution to the AEC industry as an Architectural Designer and BIM Technician. Thank you for taking the time to review my profile and portfolio.
bekenkefyalew@gmail.com 267.773.1214
Architect
Name: Beken Kefyalew Amde
Date of Birth: 23/02/1994
Place of Birth: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single Email: bekenkefyalew@gmail.com Mobile: +1 267 773 1214
ZipCode: 138 Haven Ave, Apt 14 New York, NY 10032
Sep 2022 – Present
New York Institute of Technology|New York, USA MS Architecture, Computational Technologies
Jan 2022 – May 2022
Thomas Jefferson University|Philadelphia, USA Completed a semester towards an MSc in Construction Management, GPA - 4.0
Aug 2019 – Jul 2021
Politecnico Di Milano|Milan, Italy MSc Architecture And Urban Design, GPA - 3.67
Sep 2013 – Jul 2018
Adama Science and Technology University |Adama, Ethiopia BSc Architecture, GPA - 3.21
Sep 2022 – Present
New York Institute of Technology|New York, USA Graduate Assistant
I periodically conduct workshop and training classes to guide graduate students in applying visual programming language using Grasshopper in computational design workflow to comprehend data driven design.
Sep 2022 – Present
New York Institute of Technology|New York, USA Research Assistant
I assist an experimental design conducted in the fab lab at NewYork Institute of Technology in digital fabrication using a 6-axis robot. The assistantship is an award from the School of Architecture and Design (SoAD) as part of the IDC foundation funded research project.
Feb 2020 – Aug 2020
Architects Association of Milan - AARCH-MI|Milan, Italy Intern Architect
I worked on an International chapel design competition and assisted the team in exploring design alternatives using Autodesk Revit for most of my role. I developed multiple facade options that evolved into different form and pattern during the design process.
Sep 2018 – Jun 2019
Abba Architects|Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Architect
I took part in various sections of multiple projects in my daily task as a Graduate Architect. Among these are: Apartment Design Development, Hamlin Fistula Hospital: prepared working drawings for the dormitories of Desta Mender, Yeha 5 star Resort Hotel conference hall modification and participated in Belgium Embassy Landscape work and Addis Ababa City Library design. I performed most of my duties using Autodesk Revit.
Feb 2017 – Jun 2017
Addis Mebrhatu Consulting Architects and Engineers|Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Intern Architect
This was part of a curricular academic internship during my undergraduate study. My responsibilities included but were not limited to: design concept representation, design development, building materials research, attending client meetings and preparing construction documents under the supervision of senior architects.
PROFESSIONAL LICENSE AND REGISTRATION
Jun 2022 - Jun 2025
Autodesk Certified Professional: Revit For Structural Design|Philadelphia, USA Issued by Autodesk
Jul 2020
Autodesk
Certified Professional: Revit For Architectural Design|Milan, Italy
Issued by Autodesk
May 2019 - Present
Design Professional|Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Issued by Ministry of Construction Registration No. GAR/21276
Sep 2022
SoAD IDC Foundation Research Assistantship|New York, USA
Associated with New York Institute of Technology
Sep 2022
Graduate Scholarship|New York, USA
Associated with New York Institute of Technology
Jan 2022
Dean List|Philadelphia, USA
Associated with Thomas Jefferson University
Aug 2019
Invest Your Talent in Italy Scholarship|Milan, Italy
Associated with Politecnico Di Milano
Jun 2017
1st Prize Winning Architectural Proposal Award|Adama, Ethiopia
Associated with Adama Science and Technology University
VOLUNTEERING
Mar 2018
Revit Training Workshop|Adama, Ethiopia
I organized and prepared a training workshop on Revit Architecture for junior classes from 13th of March to 24th of March 2018
Jan 2016
ASTU-MUN (Model United Nations) Career Fair|Adama, Ethiopia
I volunteered to give a brief about the educational structure of Architecture at Adama Science and Technology University to students interested in pursuing Architecture
Jun 2022
Programming Foundations: Object-Oriented Design LinkedIn
Jun 2022
Generative Design Foundations LinkedIn Jun 2022 Navisworks Advanced LinkedIn
Jan 2022
BIM Essentials | Rhino | Dynamo | Grasshopper The Institute of Digital Design Australian
Feb 2020
Terraviva Workshop, Tactical Urbanism|Milan, Italy Politecnico Di Milano
Nov 2018
World Youth Forum|Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt World Youth Forum -WYF
Feb 2022 - Dec 2022
American Institute of Architects|AIA Philadelphia Chapter
Mar 2022 - Present
Construction Management Association of America|CMAA Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Intermittent Metamorphosis focuses on the transformation and mutation of the High Line in New York City to reinterpret and break its reality based on big data processing, data representation and information systems. The project is developed in the Computational Technologies Studio, the first Advanced Architectural Design Studio led by Professor Pablo Lorenzo-Eiroa (Dr) in the Master of Science in Architecture, Computational Technologies program at New York Tech.
New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design MS - ACT, Computational Technologies Studio
The urban complexity of New York City is a result of progressive change and grand visions that evolved and mutated over time. The noble transformation of an abandoned railway into a park in the sky which become to be famously known as ‘The High Line’ is a result of such progressive changes. However, beyond the positive alteration of the High Line into a tourist attraction and active public space for New Yorkers, its overcrowding by the pedestrian visitors is a symptom of severe lack of open public spaces in New York City. The linear movement of the pedestrians which is imposed by the form of the original railway infrastructure is the primary cause of the overcrowding. This challenge presents the opportunity to explore topological and structural transformation of the High Line reinterpreting its reality through computational tools using swarm and agent based algorithms.
Image 1.2 - Point Cloud Representation: The High Line, New York City
The High Line is located on west side Manhattan and its contextual representation in the project is a hybrid between point clouds indexing urban density as a substance and an urban morphology map on the east side of the city. The hybrid is a result of an unforeseen certainty in the process of generating the point cloud representation at the urban scale. The color texture representation avoids formal references as a strategy and the non-dimensional element of the urban space – color is represented.
Drawing 1.1 - Urban Survey Analysis
The primary condition for displacing the surveyed reality is to find contextual references that could activate a certain degree of displacement that is emergent and traceable. The point clouds are displaced in reference to location of galleries near and around the High Line: Washington Gallery, High Line Nine, and Lisson Gallery activating swarm behaviors. Bundles of strands trace the trajectories of the displaced point clouds in relation to the degree of displacement and direction which is activated by the attractor points. The displacement is the difference between the positional vector of each point in the point cloud and the vectors of the attractor points. This transformation activates a relationship between the zero-dimensional point clouds and the one-dimensional strands.
Diagram 1.1 - Point clouds degree of displacement
The abstract representation of the High Line is accentuated by manipulating the point clouds from the survey. The particles as agents have swarm behaviors where their motion and displacement are activated by attractor forces. This is the preceding step before further manipulation of the point clouds to generate architectural form that is topologically in contrast with the linear configuration of the High Line.
Drawing 1.3 - Swarm Particles
There is a continuous physical, visual and perceptual interaction between the elevated park, the High Line, which used to be a railway infrastructure, and its surrounding context. On an urban scale the High Line is a negative space situated along multiple conditions. While protruding through buildings and floating over street levels it also blends with ground level on its lower end. Its physical presence is not only marked by the park on the railway infrastructure but also the facades and building blocks dictate its boundary and context. These interactions are multi-dimensional and without any perceptual limitations. The agent based swarms are activated at the urban scale creating potential topological configuration in the urban context.
Drawing 1.4 - Swarm Configuration at Urban Scale
The project is developed at Politecnico di Milano – School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering and suggests housing as a key revitalization tool for inner city redevelopment.
Graduate Thesis Work Project Year - 2021 Area - 29,685 m 2
As described in the book ‘Africa’s Urban Revolution’, by 2030 over half of Africa’s population will be living in urban areas and the current population will grow by 350 million people. The current urbanization trend in the continent has already had negative social, economic, and environmental impacts with consequences of extreme urban pollution, urban poverty, informal settlements, housing crisis, inadequate public services, and insufficient infrastructure. Fueled by the need for economic development and overall growth this wave of urbanization is escalating at a very fast pace. As a political and financial center, the Ethiopian capital – Addis Ababa continues to attract residents from all around the country which means the need for an urgent response to the problems associated with rapid urbanization is crucial. The thesis proposed an urban redevelopment scheme with a regeneration strategy as a convenient tool to address critical issues of rapid urbanization. The goal was to demonstrate how an urban integrated architectural approach to housing development can be a key strategy to revitalize inner urban areas and address contemporary urban phenomena: quality public open spaces and community facilities.
The project started with an analysis of the existing urban realm and mapping of the physical, urban and environmental conditions in the capital, Addis Ababa. Illustrated here, the settlement density and peripheral expansion mapping give a broad overview of the existing context that are relevant to the subject matter of population growth, rapid urbanization, urban regeneration, and housing. The increasing population number and the uncontrolled urbanization rate exerted an exceptional degree of influence on the natural systems, public and urban infrastructure, physical form, environmental condition, and likewise, influenced the social fabric of the city.
Urban Components - Mobility Urban Components - Ecology Urban Components - Land Use
The urban setting of the project site, since it is located in the middle of the city is well connected through primary and secondary roads adjacent to the surrounding neighborhood. However, due to the narrow width and inconvenient ground conditions of the pedestrian accesses, the site remained inactive, and the overall potential to create points of interest for the general public along the riverside has been overlooked. The multitude of pedestrian and road networks; the proximity of the site to the surrounding urban services; the lavishly green environmental context was leveraged in the proposed design to make the housing scheme an integral part of the existing urban fabric.
The design strategy promotes walkability and pedestrianization. The building volume is extruded and elevated from the ground following the shape of the site’s perimeter. The elevated building mass allows a visual connection between opposite sides of the pedestrian lanes and the green open ground beneath functions as a park and a communal place for residents. In the process of visiting the proposed site, it was apparent that the building mass has to be placed facing the topographic dip. In order to bring the building into a relationship with the surrounding context, its horizontality is emphasized rather than the building height with a comfortable sense of scale.
From afar the building complex creates the impression of a sculptural mass sitting near the approximate center of the surrounding context oriented along the site’s diagonal axis (see next page). Outdoor public terraces cascade at multiple levels facing the riverfront and pedestrian path. The open areas between the agglomerated masses and the roofscapes offer spaces that can be customized and used for different events and activities. These cascading open areas are the primary social condensing spaces in the housing complex. The open spaces correspond to the extraction of the cuts and carve from the extruded building mass. The subtracted carves and cuts open and connects the building mass to the surrounding context while providing deep natural light, common areas, and circulation spaces.
Diagram 2.1 - Design and Site Development Strategy
The housing complex is shaped by an overlapping cluster of open spaces which makes both the horizontal and vertical circulation as well as common areas that work as social condensers. Carves and cuts are merged to form a single cutting mass and subtract a void space from the base volume creating a compact housing complex characterized by deep cuts and openings. A series of interconnected and adulating spaces are formed as a result of the subtraction. The resulting design composition forms adulating building mass with different open spaces at every floor level for maximum visual connection and community interaction.
Section - A
Section - B
Top Mount Steel Post Support and Base Plate
Plasterboard and Plaster Skim
Prefabricated Concrete Panel Continuous Rail
Drilled Screw To Anchor Rail Leveling Screed Parquet Boards Screed 0 Stroked Precast Concrete Beam
Concrete Wall
Stroked Concrete Floor Panel
Drilled Anchor
Precast Concrete Slab
Thermoplastic Waterproofing Membrane
Exposed Concrete Lining To Match Vertical Panel
Steel Frame To Support Glass
Double Glazing Glued To Steel Frame
Venetian Blinds
A thesis submitted to the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Architecture.
BSc Degree Thesis Work Project Year - 2018 Area - 3,200 m 2
Homelessness is one of the major social problems in urban areas of the developing world. Population growth, migration to urban areas, domestic or family violence, and insufficient financial resources have contributed to the impacts of homelessness in Ethiopia. Hence, possible responses have to be considered to reduce vulnerability to homelessness and expand social services to the homeless. But ending homelessness is not only about putting a roof over their head for the homeless people, it’s more about providing them with structured support to equip them with the tools and skills to sustain themselves on a solid and stable foundation and make them productive member of the society. This project was developed with the objective to address the problems of homelessness and satisfy the financial and psychological needs of homeless people through hybrid architectural programs after identifying the demographic characteristics and socio-economic status of the homeless population in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The site is located in the busiest part of the city with a heavy commuting activities, Megenagna, a place for a spatial interaction between people, retail and traffic, the formal and the informal, and buyers and sellers. In terms of urban planning, a nonresidential land use policy is applied with medium and high rise buildings around the site. Two major streets define the site: Megenagna – Semit street and Megenagna – Kotebe Street. Although there is a rapid and chaotic urban evolution happening in the surrounding, the project site is however reserved without much construction. The topography is relatively steep in cross-section, and the architecture was carefully calibrated with a sensitivity to the topographic context to be in harmony with the natural landscape.
Drawing 3.1 - Context and Topography
The overall program is considered as a cluster of building functions. The aim was to create a close proximity between each building for easy access and circulation with a common entrance. Each building has its own individual form and volumetric character with specific function. The dormitory building is a system of modular units supported by a steel frame structure. It has also an independent access unlike the other buildings which are connected by a linear system of indoor and outdoor
There is a spatial and visual continuity between indoor and shaded outdoor areas which provide spaces to socialize and interact. The shutters that open and close plays a protective role. These vertical shades control the level of sunlight that enters into the dormitory units and further enhance the visual dynamism of the facade. The irregularly shaped openings on the shutters also create an interplay of light and shadow on the building surface. The meeting room has a system of custom steel column and frame structure with full height perimeter glass panels to allow an unobscured daylight and views to the surrounding context.
The material palate is reduced to steel, concrete and wood to convey materiality, craft and structural integrity. Light colored concrete added to the tactility of the surfaces throughout the training hub while wood made the spaces warm and enveloping.
The modular units employ a steel structural system with a standard span. Custom beams and columns are put together to form the modular system and are revealed to contribute to the overall aesthetics. The interaction between the horizontal surfaces and the structural elements added a delicate sense of rhythm to the overall composition. These modular units create a more iconic expression on the facade stretching east to west facing the urban environment.
A museum designed to promote public activity and sense of community providing spaces for recreational and shopping activities as an escape from the stress and strain of everyday life.
Undergraduate 4th Year Design Studio Work Project Year - 2018 Area - 10,000 m 2
The museum was designed to provide spaces for artworks and a place for social activities. Two types of different spaces, orthogonal plates on each level which are optimized for art galleries, and a circular ramp shaped like a tornado that coils through the heart of the building, met the functional necessities for temporary and permanent art exhibitions. Located along an extremely busy avenue, it also encourages visiting for reasons other than exhibitions and art galleries. As a result, it opted to perform less like a museum and more like a community center. In order to achieve this, spaces that host educational, commercial, and exhibition activities were integrated together on each level. There are a series of gallery spaces, meeting rooms, shops, restaurants, and libraries that are tangent and interconnected with each other. Ultimately, the museum promotes the necessity of social interaction and consciously maintains a healthy sociological relationship through deliberate interactions among different user groups.
African Avenue is one of the major avenues in the city stretching between the international airport and the national palace. The avenue has busy traffic throughout the day and is rich in urban character. The site for the museum project is located on one edge of this avenue along with other cultural buildings with singular functions. However, the design of the new contemporary art museum integrates retail and educational programs to encourage visiting for reasons other than conventional museum activities.
Vernal Equinox 20th March
Summer Solstice 21st June
Autumnal Equinox 23rd September
Winter Solstice 21st December
Diagram 4.2 - Shadow Analysis
The ground floor which houses shops, galleries and restaurants is the cohesive level connecting visitors varying in age and interest. It is a collection spaces merging socializing and exhibition areas. The winding ramp starts from this level and intersects with every floor up to the fourth level 16m above the ground. There are also gallery spaces on the ground floor which hosts digital and interactive art works.
The spatial composition on the third floor integrates vertical void elements to maintain a visual continuity, the flow of natural light and minimize the gross floor area. This eventually keeps a balance between the solidity and porosity in the architecture of the museum. The third floor primarily hosts workspaces like curators office, temporary display areas and additional spaces for artists and creative directors. It has also a platform that affords a view to the city skyline and can be used for outdoor events and activities.
The Museum primarily follows a centralized system of circulation and the organization of the programs is based on horizontal layers intersecting a winding vertical circulation. This created the possibilities for control and surveillance as well as a flow of controlled movement since the circular ramp became the predominant path. The flow of movement from the adjacent street into the building also continues on the ramp taking visitors from the ground floor all the way up to fourth level giving the visitors the possibility to move freely up and down the building, and bringing the immediate urban experience into the museum.
Winding ramp and horizontal plates
The functional programs are clustered on a vertical arrangement integrating programs like library and research centers which are beyond the idea of a conventional museum. The circular ramp connects the floor levels in a way as cohesive element in the museum becoming the main form. The programmatic complexity is managed by organizing the spaces around the ramp as it is conceived both as a circulation element and an informal public meeting area giving visitors different vantage points as they ascend and descend vertically and discover different types of facilities on every floor level.
A project recognized as 1st place wining architectural proposal award in Adama Science and Technology University Students Recreational Complex Design Competition held on June 28, 2017.
Design Competetion Project Year - 2017 Area - 2,030 m 2
As part of a plan initiated by Adama Science and Technology University to provide recreational spaces on campus for its students, the recreational pavilions were conceived as an open yet enclosed plaza to allow small-scale events, as well as different exhibitions organized by students. The pavilions are divided into multiple parts with multipurpose areas and spaces for active games. The most recognizable feature of these pavilions is their vertical perforated façade. The design placed an emphasis on the external surfaces to create a common design language between the pavilions and to passively respond to the local climate condition with natural ventilation by bringing filtered light into the building and an unimpeded flow of air into the internal spaces. The perforated façade also defines the entrance and connects the outdoor with the indoor, in an almost literal sense, creating a neutral surface that is in harmony with the natural setting.
The perforated metal facade is the main design element of the pavilions. It actively performs in controlling the local climate reducing direct sunlight exposure and allowing cooler wind breezes to flow through the perforations into the building and as a result, the climate comfort of the building is maintained on every level throughout the day. Alternating slender columns placed between the perforated metal mesh define the facade and structurally support the flat roof. Together with these slender structural elements, the metal facade also unifies the design creating a lantern-like effect and a beacon of light at night.
Monthly
Monthly
The pavilions have two levels, and the permeable metal perforations extends floor to ceiling and between floors wrapping the facade as screen accentuating the horizontality of the building. Most of the building elements are left raw including the slim vertical elements between the perforated metal mesh. The pavilions have no inner lining of glass walls behind the metal screens since the building was intended to perform as a semi-indoor and semi-outdoor hub for the students. As demonstrated by the “Exterior Solar Radiation Analysis” made on one of the pavilions (next page), the perforated metal screens enhance the climate comfort of the building by mitigating the direct solar heat gain and glare from the sun.
Direct Sunlight Hours - December
South-East - 1/12 6:00am - 31/12 18:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - March
South-East - 1/3 6:00am - 31/3 18:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - December
South-West - 1/12 6:00am - 31/12 18:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - March
South-West - 1/3 6:00am - 31/3 18:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - December
North-West - 1/12 6:00am - 31/12 18:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - March
North-West - 1/3 6:00am - 31/3 18:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - June
South-East - 1/6 6:00am - 30/6 20:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - June
South-West - 1/6 6:00am - 30/6 20:00pm
Direct Sunlight Hours - June
North-West - 1/6 6:00am - 30/6 20:00pm
BEKEN AMDE Architect / BIM Technician MSc.
bekenkefyalew@gmail.com 267.773.1214