The consideration of design remain significant in low cost housing projects in  developed or developing countries. They are being faced by challenges of shelter provision for everyone including the urban poor. This situation brings unprecedented increase in rates of urban migration and urbanization being experience the world over. Ethiopia.  Addis Ababa is a city has  modern building erected side by side dilapidated slum settlements. The Addis Ababa city administration launched grand low cost condominium housing projects through the Integrated Housing Development Programmed to minimize housing backlog, slums, and to provide decent shelter to middle and low income groups. The Addis Ababa city government designed condominium housing project as a response to acute housing shortage in the city due to avoid affordability problems and  gap between the demand and supply of housing in the city. Currently 33,000 condominium housing units have been constructed and transferred to beneficiaries in Addis Ababa city.

The idea of condominium housing is a new phenomenon in Ethiopia. It is just as old as the IHDP. It emerged as a strategic response to rapid urban population growth, high prevalence of urban poverty, and urban unemployment in major Ethiopian cities; because only 30% of the urban house stock was regarded to be in fair condition; and the housing shortage is being estimated to be between 900 000 and 1 000 000 (MWUD, 2006, IHDP 2008). The condominium housing project thus aims at meeting the elements of Millennium Goal 7 on Environmental Sustainability, target 11 which seeks to achieve a significant “improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers” in Addis Ababa city more than 70% of the population lives in slums and the houses are made predominantly from mud and straw (IHDP 2008).