THE EMBASSY COMPLEX OF CZECH REPUBLIC IN ADDIS ABABA (ETHIOPIA)

Centro Universitário Izabela Hendrix, Belo Horizonte

Project idea

An embassy, as a representative space, should express in its form the essence of the nation it represents.
In the process of getting to know how an embassy works, and, more importantly Czech Republic’s history and cultural values, I was presented to a rich architectural history, with relevant buildings from many different architectural styles. Amongst them, the rustic and astonishing stone castles and their fortresses with sloping walls and recesses, and their sinuous design that expresses so well the country’s history, even though vibrant, majestic and harmonic. The emergence of new design, ideas and values is also presente in Czech Republic, and as a result, this project aims to mix this rich architectural past and present, and contextualizes and harmonizes it in its background, Ethiopia.

Project description

The Embassy Complex is composed of four buildings: three in the east side of the plot, and one in the west side.
The first building houses the Embassy itself and the Consular and Visa Department. Although sharing the same structure, these sectors don’t integrate internally. The Embassy area is divided into 3 sectors: the first one is the representative sector, housing events; the second one is the offices and work areas and meeting rooms; and the third one is a service area, which is seamlessly integrated to other buildings in the complex.
The Embassy sector has sealed windows and central HVAC system. Its south façade, which receives most of the solar incidence, is equipped with smart brise-soleils that can rotate themselves in order to optimize light incidence. These are supplied by a photovoltaic energy system, whose solar panels are located in the rooftop. This system helps to decrease the electric consumption of the HVAC system.
The consulate area is designed to visa applicants flow. There are two accesses: one from the embassy complex, the working entrance; and one from the side street, to the applicants use. Its aesthetic form is composed of sloping walls in the east and west façades, coated in stone, making it imponent. The fence is substituted by 3-meter deep moat with a drawbridge controlled by a hydraulic piston. The passage is closed at the off-working hours.
Positioning of the Embassy and Consulate building were chosen in order to optimize its energy efficiency and also by the plot form, preserving boundary axes in sight of welcoming looks and good faith.
The second building is the Ambassador’s house. There are two sections: the first is a representative area, for receptions and events, with a support area equipped with a dumbwaiter lift to a tunnel with shared deposit and freezing areas; the second is the private home part, with the personal and family rooms. The bridge between those areas is the garden, that can be used to various means, depending on necessity. It’s aesthetic composition tends to preserve plot boundary axes and to integrate to the other buildings, using concrete and wood coating, dark windows and door structures and translucent glasses.
The third building, and last one of the east portion of the plot, is the Apartment Building. Floor plans and integrations were designed to meet the criteria specified in its briefing framework. There are solar photovoltaic panels to supply the building power demand. This building aesthetic has common characteristics to the other ones, some balconies to the inner leisure areas, that have a playground, a swimming pool, a tennis court and a sports court.
The fourth building is located in the west portion of the plot, segregated from the other buildings and with an individual access. This building is meant to house the Local Workforce Apartments, with four flats and, with a separate access, there is a support area with locker rooms to other workers that don’t live around the complex.

Technical information

The complex was designed to meet the required criteria with quality of spaces, good aesthetic forms and respect to economic and energy efficiency, and also architectural flexibility to host more layout solutions. To meet these standards, the structure system is based on steel structure. There’s also attention to the brise-soleils efficiency and theirs automation, to the solar and photovoltaic energy system, to the green roof with rainwater catchment to use in irrigation systems. Besides that, all landscaping is developed to adapt to Ethiopian climate, using native vegetation species.
The pedestrian and car flows comply with functionality of the complex, and the buildings express all excellency that is Czech Republic.