From 2009 to 2011 the Holcim Foundation is supporting the NEST project with a grant. The concept of NEST – New Energy Self-sufficient Town – in Ethiopia was devised by Swiss architect and urban planner Franz Oswald. The professor emeritus of the ETH Zurich coordinates the development work of the interdisciplinary project team for NEST with experts from various fields.
NEST is the concept for the pilot city Buranest in Ethiopia, envisioned for 20,000 citizens and as a model city for other settlements. The investments in the suitable infrastructure of the model city should create new income sources for the inhabitants and simultaneously develop their abilities and skills. NEST will efficiently use natural resources for energy recovery, construction, and agriculture, and thanks to comprehensive waste management will incorporate recycling from the start.
The groundbreaking ceremony for Buranest was held June 2010 in the metropolitan district of Addis Ababa, near Bura on Lake Tana. The stimulus for this project was given by the Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP). The reform program is being financed by the German government and aims to support the economy and education in Ethiopia. In 2006 the ECBP asked the Architecture department of the ETH Zurich for support and found an open ear with Franz Oswald, who had served for several years as a consultant to Addis Ababa University when it was reforming its architecture curriculum.