Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Abeba / Ethiopia

CTU in Prague - Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

Our design of the Czech Embassy complex in Addis Ababa should express representation, safety, functionality and should continue the tradition of Czech embassies at Brasilia, London, Stockholm and Tbilisi. We divided the plot into individual zones – from official and representative through residential to recreational. Three main separate functional units – official building, residence and apartment building – in the central part of the plot are connected by arcades and form an integral structure.

Project description

The orientation of the objects is set by the eastern boundary of the plot. The zones (official, representative, residential, housing, recreational and zone of the local workforce) are gradually arranged next to each other from this boundary.

Driveway to the office building is from the east street and it is lined by an alley. Long concrete wall with only one opening should express safety and impregnability of the whole complex. We assume that the design of this wall might come from an art competition. From the entrance hall, there are meeting rooms on the left side and representative spaces on the right side. The rooms (meeting rooms, representative room and offices) face three atriums. Each atrium has its own individual character – the first atrium between the apartment building and office building with nonformal greenery, the second atrium with the fountain in the front of the two-storey high assembly hall and the third atrium with only one tree. Accessories are attached to the solid wall. Office sections are on the second floor connected by a long corridor with a skylight.

Consular and visa department is situated at the southern boundary of the plot and ensures simple entry of the applicants through a niche in the fence. The visitor's parking is at the south-east corner of the plot.

Access to the ambassador's residence is also through a niche in the fence from the north side. The main entrance is located on the axis of the building. At the end of this axis, there are representative spaces with a connection to the atrium. The private living room relates to the terrace in the garden. The bedrooms, the guest room and the ambassador's office are on the second floor.

The apartment building is divided into nine modules, due to the number of required apartments. The flats are duplex, always with living rooms on the ground floor with access to the garden and with bedrooms upstairs.

The recreational zone (a swimming pool, a tukul and a tennis court) is separated from the private garden by a band of eucalyptus trees that prevent the spread of noise from the playground.

The last zone we designed is for the local workforce. The apartment building for the workforce has only one floor and is as high as the fence.

Technical information

The complex is designed as a monolithic reinforced concrete structure based on a 4.05 x 4.05 metres grid. The facade is made of exposed concrete with a strong relief from timber formwork. The sun shading of the loggias is aluminium and it is adjustable.

Co-authors

Supervisor:
doc. Ing. Arch. Zdeněk Rothbauer
Ing. Arch. Vojtěch Sosna
Ing. Arch. Karel Filsak

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