Victims of 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Crash Honored With Contemplative Memorial Park

Victims of 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Crash Honored With Contemplative Memorial Park On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (ET-302) took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route to Nairobi, Kenya. After only six minutes in the air, the aircraft crashed into a quiet farmland in Gimbichu, claiming the lives of all 149 passengers and the eight crew members on board. In the days following the […] READ: Victims of 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Crash Honored With Contemplative Memorial Park

Art Aug 31, 2025 0 1 Add to Reading List

Victims of 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Crash Honored With Contemplative Memorial Park

ET-302 Memorial Monument and Park in Ethiopia

Photo: Aron Simeneh

On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (ET-302) took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route to Nairobi, Kenya. After only six minutes in the air, the aircraft crashed into a quiet farmland in Gimbichu, claiming the lives of all 149 passengers and the eight crew members on board. In the days following the crash, families and loved ones gathered at the site, murmuring prayers and leaving behind flowers, photos, and other signs of remembrance. Now, six years later, the burial ground has finally been transformed into a memorial monument and park, preserving the memories of those who tragically passed away.

Spearheaded by Alebel Desta Consulting Architects and Engineers, the ET-302 Memorial Monument and Park seamlessly weaves through its surroundings, honoring the landscape where ET-302 passengers experienced their final moments. The park unfolds across a radial layout, where a primary path traces the flight’s trajectory while channeling visitors toward the main monument. Flanking this paved path are other circular walkways and lush gardens, offering a variety of settings in which to reflect and heal.

Grounding the park are five discrete monuments, each of which embodies grief and memory in different yet equally poignant ways. The Healing Monument, for instance, resembles a weathered sheet, its steel frame delicately bent to echo the fluid, aerodynamic movement of flight. Perforations pepper its surface, filtering light through to the ground below and creating patterns that “symbolize the transition from sorrow to healing,” per the studio. Beside this sculptural centerpiece is an amphitheater, complete with concentric seating platforms that can host more than 360 people for memorial ceremonies, storytelling sessions, and other collective events. Nearby sits a rock garden sprawling with massive stones sourced from the site itself, all standing upright as “silent witnesses to the lives lost.”

“Each space has a distinct emotional quality—some open and public, others quiet and personal,” Alebel Desta told Dezeen in a recent interview. “The landscape ties everything together, guiding visitors through a sequence of spaces that reflect different phases of grief, memory, and resilience.”

One such space is more somber than the rest. The park’s burial ground was intentionally left untouched as a gesture of reverence, framed only by steel rails and a pigmented concrete path. These protective boundaries emphasize the area’s sacrality without being intimidating or obstructive.

At the heart of ET-302 Memorial Park is its Main Monument, encompassing four inclined structures that symbolize the victims’ continents of origin: Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. Adorning these earth-red concrete structures are bronze plaques bearing the names, birth years, and nationalities of each victim, designed to resemble the windows of a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Raised cubicles within the monument provide additional “sanctuaries for quiet contemplation,” according to the studio.

“The material palette was deeply influenced by the natural and cultural landscape of Ethiopia. We looked to the earth tones of the Rift Valley as a grounding reference,” Alebel Desta explained. “We wanted the materials to feel familiar yet monumental, drawing strength from the land while speaking to both memory and continuity.”

Beyond these monuments, the park also features a facility building, where parking, multipurpose rooms, storage and reception spaces, and restrooms can be found. Taken in its entirety, it’s clear that the park prioritizes a poetic, geometric flow, all while recognizing the gravity of grief.

“The ET-302 Memorial Monument and Park stands at the intersection of art and architecture, where space becomes a vessel for remembrance, healing, and reflection,” the studio says in a statement. “It is a living artwork, [where] architecture transcends function, becoming a medium for storytelling, symbolism, and emotional engagement.”

To learn more about the ET-302 Memorial Monument and Park, check out Alebel Desta’s Instagram page.