Design Report

BulgarianEmbassy Berlin

Architectureasawaytodopoliticsandpoliticsinthemeaningofchangingpeople’slives.

LinaBoBardi

TheembassyprojectislocatedinBerlin,Germany.Withfoursiteoptions in the center of the German capital the Bulgarian embassy sits on site one whichislocatedsouthoftheTiergartenParkintheDiplomaten Viertel.Theprojectinvestigatesthe‘villa’typeofabuildingaswellas theembassyasaformalscheduleofaccommodation,madeoftwo mainparts: thechancery asanadministrationbuildingcontaining threezones:awhite(public/semi-public)zone;agreen(private)zone, andared(restricted)zone;andsecondly,theambassador’s residence.

Thearchitecturehastoreflecttheculturalandarchitecturaltraditionsof thecountryitrepresents,whilealsoincorporatingelementsofthelocal styleandmaterials.

Clients,stakeholdersandtheirroles

BulgarianembassyinBerlinistheclientoftheproject,howeveritinvites manyusersofthespaceeachwithdifferentrequirementsandneeds whichthedesignoftheprojectaimstoserve.

Ambassador ofBulgariainGermanyistheclientthatwouldbeusingthe spacemostwiththeofficesaswellastheresidencyitself.

Staffmembers oftheembassy,towhomalltheofficespacesinthe mainblockaredesignedfor.

Formalguests visitingforevents,conferences,privatemeetings,ormight havetobeaccommodatedintheresidency.

Bulgariannationals livinginGermanyattendingculturalevents.

Foreigncitizens applyingattheconsularvisasection.

Visitors whowouldusetheexterior.

Siteissuesandcontext

LocatednexttothebiggestparkinBerlin,thesiteisatacornerofa mainroadwithembassiesandastreetofresidencyvilla-typeofbuildigs whichrequiresamore flexiblefacadeexteriordesignrelatingtoboth theformalandtheinformalbuildingsurroundings.

Thebigparktothenorthsideofthesideofthesidecontraststhe privacyacrossthemainroad.Thereisaboundarybetweenthetwo makingthesitemoreopentotheNorthandWest.

Designapproach

Thecoredesignstrategyoftheprojectistocreateamoreopenand invitingembassy, preconditioningforequalaccessibility for everyonebutespeciallythediplomaticmissionofBulgariainGermany. Thisisachievedthroughthestone-glazingmaterialitycontrast,space circulationallowingthjepublictohaveafullyfreeaccessuptoa certainpointwhichwillbeformedspaciallybythestructuregrid.

Procurement

Steelframestructurethatisinstalledonsite.Thedeliveryandthe constructionofthe1200x400mmsteelbeamsallowingthecantileverwill requiremoretimeduringtheconstructionprocess.

Granitewillbelocallysourced,andprefabricatedinto2x2mpanels whichwouldbeinstalledtogetheronthefacadeofthebuilding.

Theprojectaimstoproduceahighqualitybuildingabletoendurefor thenext50years.

Thespecialistteamincludes:

•Servicesengineer

•Excavationandgroundworkexpert

•Graniteandsteelstructurespecialists

•Bulletproofglazinginspectorspecialist

APPENDIX

CONCEPT

TIERGARTEN

ThemajorparkinthecenterofBerlin

Late17thcenturywasturnedfromroyalhunting groundsjustoutsidethecityintoa“parkforthe pleasureofthegeneralpopulation” DestroyedinWorldWarII,butithasbeenreplanted; its“Englishgarden”wasdonatedbytheBritish.

Contrastingtraditionalembassydesignsthataremoresecretiveto thegeneralpublic,thedesignoftheBulgarianembassyaimstobe moreopenandinviting, preconditioningforequalaccessibility for everyonebutespeciallythediplomaticmissioninGermany.Also, keeparealisticrepresentationofBulgaria’sidentityandvaluesin thecultural,andhistoricalareas,whileblendinginthenewcontext.

EMBASSIES

EMBASSYSTUDY&VISITS

● Mainfunctionistoassistcitizenslivingabroad

● Neutralterritoryofsafety

● Symbolsofprotectionaswellaspower

● Symbolofcommitmentandrespecttothefutureofthecountry

● Architectureofdemocracy,powerandaccountability

● Privacyandsecurity,protectionandsafety

● Easilyaccessible

● Mainbuildingcomponents:

○ Residence

○ Chancery

○ Culturalmission

Waterbody Courtyard

Atrium Boundary

BULGARIANEMBASSIESSTUDY

Eitherlocatedinoldbuildings,orinnewly builtinbrutaliststyle,withconcreteblocks andcubicshapes.

Brazil

Ukraine

France

BULGARIA-GERMANYRELATIONSSTUDY

● Closepartneringcountriesthroughhistory

● Bulgariaasasmallcountryestablishinga connectionwithGermanyasamoredeveloped countryinCentralEurope

→theembassybuilding-theplacewhereallmain eventsdefiningtheeconomyofthecountrywillbeheld, andconnectionsandreputationabroadestablished

SITEANALYSIS

WATER&VEGETATION

PUBLIC&PRIVATEBOUNDARIES

PEDESTRIAN&VEHICLESACCESS

Assumingonlypolitical figuresandafew employeeswillbeusingvehicleaccess

PUBLICTRANSPORT

INFRASTRUCTURE

EMBASSYBUILDINGS

ELEVATIONSTUDY

DESIGNSTRATEGY

Ground floor-Privateback Publicfront

Upper floors-Publicfront Privateback

Theprojectaimstoformasecureandfunctionaldesignofanembassy,with featuressuchasreinforcedwalls,controlledaccesspoints,andsecure communicationsystemswhilealsocarryingthesymbolofacountry's presenceinaforeignland,promotingculturalexchangeand understanding,hostculturaleventsandexhibitionsthatshowcasetheart, music,andtraditionsofBulgaria.

Mainusersofthespacesintheproject:

Theambassadorandtheirfamilywhowillbelivingonsite, Thestaffmembersoftheembassyworking5daysaweekthere, Theformalguestswhomighthavetobeaccommodatedonsite ThecountrynationalslivinginGermanyattendingculturalevents. Foreigncitizensapplyingattheconsularvisasection. Pedestrianswhowouldusetheexterior.

FINNISHEMBASSYCANBERRAPRECENDENTSTUDY FUNCTION&TRANSPARENCY

Onelinearblockbrokenintwowiththesecondpartbeingthe residencyslightlydetatchedfromtheembassybuilding.

Theembassyblockitselfisbrokenintwo-atransparentglazedfront andcoveredmoreprivatebackwheretheoff cesarelocated.This differenceinspacesisalsotranslatedintheelevationswherethefront tothemainentranceisfullyglazedwhiletherestisonconcrete,or timber,orthebackcoveredinmeatlsheets.

Landscapingisusedtoaddprivacyespeciallytotheresidencyblock.

Planstrategyofvoid-cabinoff cesputinanalternatingpatternto minimizestructureandmaxmimizetransparency.Theyhaveusedlong ribbonwindowsalongthefacadeconnectingallofficeroomsand shapingavisuallyopenspaceinthebacktotheroomsaroundand other f oorstoo,

residency embassy

cabin void

corridor

MASSINGCONCEPTS

Puzzlepieces

Waterfencebarrier 2accesspoints

Terracedesign

Residentialsectionin theback 2accesspoints

Checkerboardyards

Residentialsectionin theback 2accesspoints

MASSINGDEVELOPMENT

Concept1 Concept2 Concept3

Concept5

MASSINGDEVELOPMENT

INTERIMREVIEWCONCEPTDEVELOPMENT

Embassy Consularsection Securityandexhibition Residency

MAINFEATURES

•Splitinfourblocks;

•Connectedbyanatrium withtwocourtyardgap breaksinplan;

•Verticalcirculationintheembassybuilding;

•Waterboundarytothefrontforsecurityreasons;

•Twomainaccesspoints-oneforthestaffandpoliticalguests, andoneforthepublic;

•Terracedblockstoaddsunlightandmorenaturetotheinterior;

•Privategardentotheback

•Consularasthemostpublicpartisputinthemostprivatearea oftheplantoencouragetransparencyintheembassy.

MAINFEATURES

•Onlyone mainentrance movedto thecorner ofthesite,orientredtothemainroad;

PLANDEVELOPMENTSUMMARY

GROUNDFLOOR

Changeinentrancepointtothenorth

UPPERFLOORS

Changeintheorientationoftheatriumtrothe northforabetterconnectiontotheTiergarten.

HOWITFUNCTIONSINTERNALLY

BIBLIOTHÈQUENATIONALEDEFRANCEPRECENDENTSTUDY

Fourhighriseblocksatabigdistancefromoneanotheryetconnected.The ground floorlevelisraisedformingawalledcourtyardspacebetweenthefour blockswhichactsastheunifyingpiecebetweenthem.Thiswayaninternal environmentisshapedontheinsideofthebuilding.

Centercourtyardshapinganinformal enclosedspace forthe usersof thebuilding. Thiswaytheelevationpatternscanform formalandinformalversionsdependingon whethertheyarefacingthecourtyardor thestreet.

Atriumspacestothesouthelevationsof bothblockshelpaddmoresunlighttothe roomsonthenorthfacadeoftheplan.

Bothhelpestablishconnectiontothe surroundingsandnatureenhancingthe countryrepresentationandembassy transparencyelementsfromthedesign strategy.

atrium

informal facade

formal facade

Concept7

GARDENS

ACCESSPOINTS

ACCESSPOINTS

Puttingthedesignconceptofademocratic spaceencouragingequalityandtransparency aswellassafetyandcomfortinamore practicalwaythroughaccessandcirculation. Pushingthefullypublicareastothefront facadeofthebuildingmakingthemopento everyonevisuallyandtousewithoutrequiring peopletopassthroughsecurity. Straightforwardcirculationforthegeneral publicaswellstaffandprivateguests.

Gradientofprivacy throughgreenspaces

ZONESPLANDEVELOPMENT

A. HEADOFMISSION

B. POLITICALSECTION

C. DEFENSESECTION

D. STAFFSUPPORTAREA

E. COMMERCIALSECTION

F. PRESS&PUBLICAFFAIRS

G. SECURITY&RECEPTION

H. EUSECTION

I. MANAGEMENT

J. LIAISONSECTION

K. CONSULAR&VISA

L. MISCELLANEOUS

M. RESIDENCE

1. VERTICALCIRCULATION

2. HORIZONTALCIRCULATION

3. ATRIUMS

4. WCs

MAINCIRCULATIONEXPLORATION

Lookingatdifferent stairsorientationbetween each f oorinthebigatriumspacethatare alsoconnectedtotheground f oorwithout closingthemaincorridortotheprivate.

NEUENATIONALGALERIE

STRUCTURE(BEAMS&GLAZING)

no bearing shor s ee fins above the mullion posts

Vertikalschnitt Maßstab 1:20

Horizontalschnit Maßstab 1:5

1 Stahlträge 1800/500 mm

2 Kie s

Abdichtung Bitumenbahn zweilagig Dämmung Schaumglas 60 mm

Abdichtung Bitumen

Stahldach (Bestand)

Innendämmung Schaumglas 120 mm

3 Gitterrost Aluminium 250 mm (Bestand)

4 Leuchte(Bestand)

5 Flachstahl 6/100 mm mi Unterflansch des Dachträgers verschweißt (Bestand)

6 Membrandichtung EPDM

7 Flachstahl 100/35/300 mm im Bereich der Pfosten

8 VSG aus 2× TVG Weißglas 12 mm

9 Vorhang (Bestand)

10 Fassadenpfosten zusammengesetz aus zwei Stahlvollprofilen 50/125 mm (Bestand)

11 Glashalteleiste 25/45 mm (gekürzt)

12 Rahmen Stahlvollprofi 40/80 mm (Bestand)

13 Granitplatte1200/1200/400 mm (Bestand)

Splittbett 60 mm

Drainage 16 mm

Abdichtung Bitumenbahn zweilagig GefälledämmungSchaumglas 60–120 mm

Stahlbetonkassettendecke (Bestand)

14 Kondensatrinne Stahlblech lackiert

3 mm (Bestand)

15 LüftungsgitterAluminium (Bestand)

16 Granitplatte1200/1200/400 mm (Bestand)

Mörtelschich 10 mm

Heizestrich 60 mm

Wärmedämmung EPS 40 mm

KassettendeckeStahlbeton (Bestand)

17 Eckpfosten130/130mm, zusammengesetzt aus Stahlprofilen (Bestand)

1 500 1800 mm s ee beam

2 gravel wo-laye bitumen shee sealing 60 mm foam glass insulation bitumious seal stee roo existing)

120 mm oam glass in erior insulation

3 250 mm aluminium grating existing)

4 ight xture (existing)

5 6 100 mm s ee fla welded o the bo om flange o the roo girder existing)

6 EPDM memb ane seal

7 35 100/300 mm s ee flat above the mullion posts

8 aminated safe y glass o 2× 12 mm pa tia y empe ed white glass

9 curtain (existing)

10 acade mullion buil up of two 50 125 mm solid stee pro les existing)

11 25/45 mm glazing bead (cut)

12 rame o 40/80 mm solid stee pro le existing)

13 1200/1200/400 mm granite slabs existing)

60 mm crushed stone bed

16 mm drainage

wo-laye bituminen shee sealing

60–120 mm foam glass tape ed insulation

co fe ed einfo ced concre e slab existing)

14 condensa e gu e o 3 mm sheet stee pain ed existing)

15 aluminium ventilation grille existing)

16 1200/1200/400 mm granite slabs existing)

10 mm morta layer 60 mm hea ed screed

40 mm EPS therma insulation

co fe ed einfo ced concre e slab existing)

17 130/130 mm corner mullion, built up o s ee angles existing)

STRUCTUREGRID

Primarysteelframestructurewitha spanon7x7mmadeof400x400mm steelI-shapedbeamsandcollumns.

Toallowa13x10mcantileveratthe entrance,thereneedstobeasteel beambetweenthegroundand first floorwithathicknessof1200mmin ordertosupporttheloadofthe upper f oorsandreplacethefour collumnspartofthegridinthearea.

ThebeamwouldlooksimilartotheIshapedsteelbeamsintheNeue Nationalalerie,Berlinthathave measurementsof500x1800mm.

Ground floor

1st floor

2nd floor

3rd floor

4th floor

ENVIRONMENTALSCHEME

ATRIUMS moderatetheinterior environmentofthebuilding, addcrossventilation,control thethermalcomfort

GREENSPACES

Eachwithdifferentlevelofprivacy;helpsoftenthe hardurbanlandscapeofthecity;aswellasprovide aheatislandsolutionandcreateasocialbond betweentheusersofthespace

GLAZEDGF

Addslighttotheinterioraswellaskeepsthe urbancontextmoreopenandthusencourages civitytothebusinessarea

Publictransportaccess

Connectedtothecentralheatingsystemwhich makestheheatingmoreenvironmentallyefficient andaffordabletomaintain

PONDS

Aboundarythataddstothesafety andsecurityofthebuilding,withan upstandattheendthatworksasa socialpointforthepublic

RAINWATERRECYCLING

Collectingtherainwaterandusingittorefillthe pondsinsummertime

ENVIRONMENTALSCHEME

FACADEMATERIALITY

Waterwallsthatcanbeturnedonandoffasafountainalongthecurtain facadeonground f oorbythewaterboundary.Theycanaddprivacyto theinsidewhenturnedon.

ELEVATIONDEVELOPMENT

NORTHFACADE WESTFACADE

ACCESSIBILITY

BULGARIANCULTURALELEMENTS

Aletterfromthe firstversionoftheCyrillic alphabetorSlavicscriptfrom1300years agothatwasfoundinBulgariaandused nowadaysbymostSlaviccountries. Theformof theletterwill beusedto shape thelandscapinginfrontoftheembassy formingapathtotheentrance.

Forthelandscapingwillbeused rosebushes,asBulgariaisknows internationallybyroseoil.

MadaraRider-amedievalrockreliefofa famousBulgarianrulerfrom9th century carved25mabovetheground,andis knownasanationalsymbol.

Similartechniwueisusedtoshow thepatternoftheMadararider ontheground floorofthemain facadenexttotheentrancewith thegranitecladding.