Embassy of the Czech Republic- Addis Abeba

Catholic University of Colombia, Faculty of Architecture, RIBA

Project idea

Our proposal aims to introduce the Czech Republic to the Ethiopian population, improving the urban space adjacent to the embassy with new public spaces, and bringing new opportunities of knowledge and development to the native population.
As for its conceptual aspect, the embassy project develops synergy between Czech and Ethiopian culture. Its duality and unity in the project design creates a dynamic relationship between the architecture of the two countries, inspired by the contemporary design that pays its respects to the shape and style of the site.

Project description

The proposal is based on an architecture concept that is open, functional and attractive. The shape of the residential and workforce building are of a cloister type morphology, where a void is highlighted in the center. This improves the lighting and ventilation. The embassy and the consulate appear to be a single building since their morphology is a bridge that is juxtaposed on two volumes, each independent. The bridge is for the exclusive use of the embassy, where the offices and representative rooms are.
The urban proposal consists of circular mirrors of water (an analogy to the Christian Ethiopian Orthodox calendar). These delimit the green areas and small squares. The pedestrian footpaths connect and distribute each building in an axial way that covers the entire site, creating a relationship between the internal and external space.

Technical information

The embassy project has three buildings, these are divided according to their use for security reasons, each of them does not exceed 3 floors (approximately 12mts) as required by local regulations.
The structural system of the buildings are thought with contributed elements, with lights between 5 and 7 meters, structure in concrete, and a simple foundation (insulated footings) and a metal spatial truss system.
The facades are proposed in white concrete, tempered safety glass of 10mm thickness and a pvc lattice type wood to have an adequate climate control and natural lighting. At an urban level levels are leveled in the squares according to the slope of the terrain.

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