Embajada de República Checa - Playground Embassy

Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Tucumán

Project idea

The project of the Embassy of the Czech Republic finds its idea split in the ancient Ethiopian churches carved into the rock of lalibela integrally, which form a group and are connected by tunnels. Based on this, we decided to excavate the land on which the building would be located and to set up patios as a means of communication between the different premises and the different plants, as well as using them as a resource to provide natural lighting and ventilation to the whole building, and to ensure permanent contact of its users with nature. * However, the Embassy is also located at the highest point of the terrain, which is not a coincidence since it imitates the ancient medieval castles of the Czech Republic. which were built on high and unreachable sites as a symbol of power and in search of security. *As a computer principle a square grid of 6mts x 6mts module was used.

Project description

ZONING:
Functionally, the building was organized by levels, which determined a functional configuration organized as follows:
- Ground floor: Consulate and Visa + services + residences of the embassy staff.
- First floor: Official part + residences of the embassy staff.
- Second floor: recreation areas exclusively for the ambassador and his family.
- Third floor: residence of the ambassador (social areas)
- Fourth floor: residence of the ambassador (private areas)
On the other side of the land were residences of local strength and workshops for literacy, vocational training, among other activities.

Technical information

ESTRUCTURAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE SYSTEM:
For the materialization of the building, both constructive and structural technologies were chosen that were known and learned by the locals, so that it could be built by Ethiopian labor. The same applies to the materials to be used, since the use of materials that were within reach was prioritized in the project.
Constructively the envelope is materialized through walls of brick. Reversed solid marble with a substructure attached to it that will support the ventilated façade.
Ventilated façade: composed of fiber cement sheets on a substructure of metal profiles, leaving an air chamber that ventilates by natural convection with the main enclosure, dissipates much of the energy absorbed by the outer layer.
SUSTAINABILITY:
Another of the premises was to show through design to the Czech Republic as a conscious country responsible for the impact caused by human activities on our planet and the challenge of reducing this impact is proposed. For this it is proposed:
- Design according to parameters of the bioclimatic architecture: it allows the optimal thermal behavior of the building to achieve greater energy efficiency and lower environmental impact on its environment.
-Patios (Playground): ensure ventilation and natural lighting to all the premises as well as enabling the constant contact of users with nature.
- Reuse of water: in order to avoid unnecessary waste of it, since in the place where the building is located, this resource is very scarce.
- Water collection: taking advantage of the recurrent rainfall and granting the possibility to the Ethiopian people to invest less time in the search for drinking water.
- Solar Light: Maximum use of sunlight, taking advantage of the solar path
- Ventilated fronts: with them we managed to avoid the heat gains by means of the envelope, optimizing the thermal behavior of it and reducing the energy demands for refrigeration, since in a large part of the year the temperatures are high.
- Green terrace: it aims to absorb pollutants and generate oxygen producing a positive effect on the environment. It also significantly improves the thermal and acoustic insulation of the roof, helping to achieve important comfort conditions in the interior.
- Skin: it is constituted as an element of protection to prevent the heating of the facades. Added to this said skin acts as a filter for visuals and allows the regulation of natural light that enters. In addition to its execution, eucalyptus wood, the material of the place, would be used.
Compact volume: in this way the envelope surface is reduced in relation to the volume of the building, the smaller the envelope surface, the lower the thermal losses.
- Solar panels: the application of renewable energies in this case, the photovoltaic solar energy allows the generation of energy from a renewable and clean source; and that also because of the climatic characteristics of the area its use is fundamental.

Created in: