Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

STU in Bratislava - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Architecture

Project idea

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Ababa dealt with it as a pavilion object because the land is large enough and the surrounding urbanism is scattered. The land is hierarchically divided from the main entrance to the representative zone and the residential zone. I used the recommended plot of land for the location of a local force building and a consular building with a boarding space for visitors and applicants. There is a central gatehouse in the southern part of the consular building. There are located an official building, residence and apartment building in the eastern part of the land. The layout of the buildings creates a boarding representative space in front of the official building, a representative garden between the buildings and a quiet private zone around the perimeter. There is a common sports area in the southeast. As the embassy represents Czech and European culture, I chose to compose a French formal garden complemented by an English garden that were typical for the European lands, such as the Lednice Czech Republic castle garden. These gardens are complemented by elements of a typical ethiopian architecture such as tukul, shelters but also flora. The architecture of the buildings is inspired by the Czechoslovak pavilion of EXPO 1937 in Paris by Jaromír Krajcar, which was well received in the world and influenced the modern architecture in Czechoslovakia significantly. I used rounded edges, glazed surfaces that shine at night and the roof construction from this construction.

Project description

The development of the mass of the official building was based on the recommended parameters and flooring of the building. The rounding of the corners and the uniform rhythm of the windows give the impression of an endless facade divided by a representative hall across two floors. The representative hall has a special roofing design inspired by the Royal Poinciana tree. The glazing is filled with a shielding fabric that reduces overheating and transparency. There are two pátios for better lighting of the premises in the offices. There is also a conference room in section A. The theme of rounded corners, roofing and glazed entrance hall is used on all objects. This makes them different from residential objects. Representative halls of an official building and residence determine the axes of the garden. Along the main axis, two places are created to accommodate the artwork created in collaboration between Czech and Ethiopian artists. The composite axes are finished with tukul.

Technical information

The official building is divided into three floors. Parking, warehouses and technical facilities are located in the basement. The above-ground floors are divided by a representative hall. There are repre rooms, lounges, kitchen and chauffeur on the ground floor. The second floor contains offices which are connected by a footbridge over a repre hall. The residence is ground floor and divided by a representative hall to a private apartment and private representative spaces with its own kitchen. The consular building is functionally separate from the official building and is divided into a consular and a visa department with its own waiting room. The apartment building has three floors. There is technical with storerooms and a gardener's space on first floor. The other two floors contain flats for officials. The local forces object is a simple house with four equal apartments.

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