THE EMBASSY OF CZECH REPUBLIC - ADDIS ABABA

Project idea

Designing embassy building turns out to be far more challenging and responsible task than designing any other governmental object. First of all, it serves as a showcase of a country outside its borders. Hence, it is supposed to be ageless and representative. In contrast to any other type of the building of power, the embassy complex is not dedicated to a narrow, precisely defined function. It is rather a hybrid of a workspace, living space and recreational one, which is also ready to host visitors and educate them about the country.

Project description

The strategy for this design was to reconcile the traditional and modern culture of the Czech Republic, bearing in mind the African context of the project, with the board functional requirements and international standards.Czech Republic is known worldwide for its openness and hospitality. Moreover, in XXI century thepolitics should also be open and transparent, rather than isolated and covered in mystery. For that reason a lot of glazing was used in the design, together with see-through partitions. Even the residential building and the house of the Ambassador are facing the street, opening up to the surrounding.
It is widely believed that providing the audience with the actual insight into the political life and giving them the sense of closeness to the politicians, increases the credibility of the country. That was one of the priorities of the project, surely conditioned by the safety requirements.
Fire and water:
The Czech Republic takes pride of its breathtaking natural landscapes and its residents appreciateto relax in harmony with nature, for example in one of the national parks. Nowadays, the awareness of human beings being actually a part of the nature and the necessity to unite with the nature are prominent. For that reason, the project provides its users with the possibility to get
inspired by the closeness to nature, just as in Czech Republic, at that some time reminding them bout the urgent need to protect it. In order to diversify the natural landscape, not only greenery, but also the elements such as fire and water were used in the design.
Modernity:
Since the Czech Republic is known for its liberal and progressive policy, also the architecture of the buildings is modern, and at times, futuristic. The minimalistic, flat roof buildings were perfected by aslope details, adding dynamism to the classic structures. The aim was to obtain elegant, but athat some time extravagant building. Also geometrical motives of Czech flag were used in design: entrance zones around facing, dynamic shape od the building, details like pavement, shape of rails of the entrance gate etc.
Nevertheless, the author did not want to ignore the Czech tradition and culture. The movies, paintings, essays and sculptures by the Czech artists are the world famous icons. It would be a negligence not to make use of them in the project. The seemingly modern and plain building structures were enriched with mosaics and floorings inspired by the great painter František Kupka.
The gardens, on the other hand, were inspired by the principles of urban design Camillo Sitte, who payed attention to the scale of the outdoor spaces and compared their design to the design of the interiors.

Technical information

Although the building represents the Czech Republic, it is located in Ethiopia, what was not ignoredin the design. The greenery is typical for the region, the water basin aim to help the workers to deal with the heat as well as the cantilevered parts of the buildings, which provide wast shaded areas.
The most of technical devices and rooms (e.g: 34, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47 and 48) should be located in the basement becouse of lower temperature.
The room numbering on plans is in accordance with the list provided by the organizer.