Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Ababa

Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture

Project idea

Designing the embassy, we were guided by the design assignment provided by the conditions of the competition, as well as by rational site zoning. Our idea is based on the creation of a closed area from the surroundings, but at the same time open and comfortable for people who are in it. That is why a perimeter development of the site with a large outdoor garden inside appeared. We want people not only to sense the importance of this place as an institution of a foreign state, but also to relax and feel the hospitality of the Czech Republic there. This aspect is especially important for people who will work and live there, since they will spend most of their time on the embassy’s territory.
For the same reasons, we decided to make buildings of low height and without massive monolithic elements. We wanted to combine architecture with nature as much as possible, to make it cozy and engaging.
What is more, we wanted to create comfortable conditions not only outside the buildings, but also inside, so we thought about different ventilation systems, water storage and protection from excessive sunlight. Of course, it’s difficult to accommodate all the technical details in the design-project, but we needed to understand how this complex will function in the future, and not only how beautiful it will look on paper.

Project description

The project consists of three main buildings: the official embassy building combined with the consular and visa department, the residence (ambassador's house) and the residential building for the embassy staff. Additionally, the plot has parking, social housing for the local workforce, a building serving the complex, children’s playgrounds, a swimming pool, a tennis court and a garden.
The official embassy building is located opposite the main entrance, so visitors and staff do not have to go through the entire site. From the main entrance there is also a direct road to the underground parking for 10 cars under the embassy. The embassy building consists of three floors. On the underground floor there is a parking, a boiler room, an air conditioning room and other service rooms. On the first floor there are rooms for visitors and representative spaces for guests. We enter the building through a security vestibule. From there we can immediately go to the meeting room, or to the entrance hall. From here you can also get into the meeting rooms (there are 3 ones). There is also a toilet for visitors. Behind the glass doors is the representative hall, which serves as a distributor to the rest of the premises. This place is located inside the building, but it has sufficient lighting thanks to a skylight and double light at the top. From the representative hall you can get into the lounge, the assembly hall with a height of two floors, designed for 150 people, and the dining room, designed for 30 people. The food comes to the dining room from the kitchen, which is also on the that floor. There is also a guest toilet and a cloakroom where you can leave your outerwear. In the lounges, the assembly hall and the dining room there are exits to the open terrace near the picturesque garden.
The second floor of the embassy can be reached via two staircases (they also lead to the underground floor), located in the representative hall. On the second floor there are four office sections, which is necessary for the embassy. The largest section A is located above the embassy part and above the visa and consular department. All offices are equipped with toilets and tea kitchens.
The visa and consular department is located on the ground floor and has a separate entrance. This can be accessed from the main entrance to the station, but for greater convenience, there is a passage in front of the department’s entrance. It is assumed that it will be used by embassy staff, local workforce and visitors who left their cars in the parking placed behind the fence. From the entrance of the visa and consular department, the visitor enters the large waiting room, around which the remaining premises of the department are located. From here the visitor can get to the special window to leave a request. If necessary, he will be called into the meeting room. The hall is also equipped with a toilet for visitors.
Residence of the ambassador is located in the eastern part of the site. On the ground floor there are representative rooms (hall, dining room, lounge, cloakroom). Also there is space for a garage for two ambassador’s cars. The second floor can be reached by a staircase located outside the building. On the second floor are the apartments of the ambassador. They include a large living room combined with a kitchen, with access to a balcony, 3 bedrooms and the ambassador’s office for receiving visitors.
The residential building for the embassy staff has two entrances and two staircases (for fire safety purposes). From the main entrance (located to the north) we get to the common restroom, where the tenants took to each other, read and arrange film screening in the evening. From this hall, the attendants can get into the technical room. In that part of the building are also storage rooms for bicycles and other things that tenants do not wish to bring into their apartments.
To the residential house of the embassy staff adjoins an active recreation area. Here you can swim in the pool, play tennis or just sit on the grass, admiring the garden.
Social housing of local workforce is adjacent to the embassy, but is located outside its territory. We tried to make this place such that the residents had a large common space, which they would decide how to use. This should unite them and make a friendly team.
The facades of all buildings are equipped with special protection from the sun. We decided that large wooden blinds would be the best option, since the lighting can be adjusted separately for each room. In addition, it is not very expensive construction and it is environmentally friendly.
In general, we tried to make all the elements of our design ergonomic for a human and his activities. For us, the aspect of comfort is very important, because the quality of life of people, their desire to strive for something, and the most important thing – happiness—depends on it.

Technical information

We envisage that a reservoir for the accumulation of rain water with its subsequent filtration will be located under the site. The most suitable place for it is the eastern part of the garden, since it is at the same distance from all the main buildings of the site. The tank will be located at a distance of 6 meters from the nearest basement. Water will be collected in the grooves along the edges of the paths and from the slopes artificially created in the garden.
On the roofs will be placed solar panels with a slope of 9 degrees to the horizon. Once in 3 months they will need to be replaced in front of sunlight.
For protection from the sun we decided to use wood panels-blinds, which are installed in special slats, mounted in the facade of the building.
All drawings and visualizations are created using such programs: Revit, 3DsMax + CoronaRenderer and Adobe Photoshop. Thanks to the developers for providing free student versions of the programs.

Co-authors

We are a team of students from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Our names are Andrii, Ivan and Olexii. At a certain point we realized that student course projects were not enough for us, and we decided to try ourselves in designing a real object. We hope we did it well.
Organization of work, leadership - Andrii Savchenko.
Concept development, zoning, layouts, shapes - Andrii Savchenko, Ivan Svitsa, Olexii Turovets.
Masterplan - Olexii Turovets.
Technical drawings - Ivan Svitsa.
Visualization - Andrii Savchenko.
English integration - Olexii Turovets.