Embassy of Czech Republic in Ethiopia

Project idea

Czech and Ethiopian culture. On one hand the project reflects the traditions and perspective of the Czech Republic, by implementing loci inside the embassy, in the interior design. On the other hand the outside is designed with an Ethiopian focus.
Ethiopia is a country that nowadays lives its traditions quotidianly. A major part
of its population are part of tribes, which provide and conserve native culture richness.
The project partially based on its dwelling structures and textile patterns, which
inspired the facade of the main Embassy building. The slopes in the complex were designed to evoque the regional churches -which are carved in the stone and sunken building a low a platform underneath the natural ground level. The principal garden of the embassy follows this parameter, this creates an open and dynamic space, which is not just an area with no design, but a space that can be discovered and interacted with. It is more a controlled forest than a garden.

Project description

The project is formed by 4 main areas: The Embassy Building, that is in the front, and has its own access; The dwelling area, which is totally independent from the Embassy. It is divided on the staff´s department and the private ambassadors residence; The consular building and lastly the Local Workforce Building, that is separated from the rest by the interior road. The west area of the complex is for service proposes.
All the entrances to the complex are secured by the embassy’s personal and a
CCTV control, they are to be closed at night. The cars the are allowed inside the complex, are just the ones with an special permission or the residents.
The ambassador´s dwelling has independent systems -electrical and drainage,
pool and garden. The main floor was designed for receiving guests, as a public area, while the second floor is the housing. They both cover the required spaces.
The staff building has a central entrance where the protagonist is an open stair
that leads to the higher levels. Each apartment count with one or two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and living room. The local workforce dwelling building has the same structure, but with smaller dimensions and a central ventilation garden.
Te embassy’s building entrance is located on the left corner, with makes
possible the division of the main floor in two sections, the official one -offices- and the services -maintenance and kitchen-. It has an open staircase to the second floor, likewise divided in two, the representative area -meant for gatherings-, that requires a connection with the kitchen, and the rest of the official part -offices-.

Technical information

The study has been developed for the functionality of the sanitary drain of a dwelling building from its connection with the sanitary ware to the disposal of the sewage in the pipeline.
NORMA PROY-NMX-E-199/1-CNCP-2005
This is a Mexican specification that applies to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes -without plasticizers- which are used to build gravity drainage systems: domestic or industrial sewage, stormwater.
The PVC will be used for pipes from the sanitary ware that are up to 4".
To avoid obstructions, the minimum diameter of the sewage drainage pipes must be 17.5 cm, the maximum diameter depends on the permitted speed, taking full advantage of the hydraulic capacity of the pipe by working on a free surface.
The drainage pipes must have a diameter of not less than 32 mm, neither less than the one of the drainage nozzle of each sanitary furniture. They will be placed with a minimum slope of 2% in the direction of flow.
The pipes or sewers that carry wastewater from a building outside the boundaries of the property must have a diameter of 15 cm, with a minimum slope of 2% in the flow direction.
The registers are elements of the sanitary pipeline, whose function is the facilitation of the maintenance of the pipeline. The sewers must have registers placed at distances no greater than 10 m between each one and at any change of direction. The registers will have the following minimum dimensions depending on their depth:

Co-authors

Natalia Mariana Domínguez Méndez, Carla Nayely Arguello Castañeda, Alejandro García Guzmán