"The design proposal for the Canadian Embassy in Berlin was developed to reflect the openness of Canadian society and represent the beauty of its natural landscape. The project was designed for an urban site in the heart of Berlin. Located on a corner fronting Leipziger Platz, the building opened at grade in an attempt to make the public functions of the Embassy visible. The design of the main facade was developed as a 14m thick carved solid. It contains activities that support cultural exchange and provides views into and out of a newly created inner garden courtyard. This courtyard also provides access to the different activities planned for the building office, retail and residential spaces. The commercial space has been planned on several floors on the north side of the courtyard with frontage to both Ebertstrasse and Vosstrasse. A series of residential units front onto Ebertstrasse, Vosstrasse and Leipziger Platz, where they have good views and gain natural ventilation.
The ground plane of the courtyard consists of sculpted plates of stone that connect the two sides of the site. The garden courtyard has been designed to represent four symbolic elements of the Canadian landscape – water, rock, plain and the forest. These abstracted gardens serve as a memory of the landscape that molded Canadian culture, and are the heart of the Embassy. The design proposal for the Canadian Embassy in Berlin was developed to reflect the openness of Canadian society and represent the beauty of its natural landscape. The project was designed for an urban site in the heart of Berlin. Located on a corner fronting Leipziger Platz, the building opened at grade in an attempt to make the public functions of the Embassy visible. The design of the main facade was developed as a 14m thick carved solid. It contains activities that support cultural exchange and provides views into and out of a newly created inner garden courtyard. This courtyard also provides access to the different activities planned for the building – office, retail and residential spaces. The commercial space has been planned on several floors on the north side of the courtyard with frontage to both Ebertstrasse and Vosstrasse. A series of residential units front onto Ebertstrasse, Vosstrasse and Leipziger Platz, where they have good views and gain natural ventilation.
The ground plane of the courtyard consists of sculpted plates of stone that connect the two sides of the site. The garden courtyard has been designed to represent four symbolic elements of the Canadian landscape – water, rock, plain and the forest. These abstracted gardens serve as a memory of the landscape that molded Canadian culture, and are the heart of the Embassy. Three of these elements ( rock, plain and water ) are within the ground plane that leads the visitor through the court into the Embassy reception level. The forest defines the Embassy reception space, and extends up through the full height of the building, connecting the reception areas at each floor. Aligned with the structural grid, a glass lens extends upward from the sculpted ground. Both reflective and transparent, this is the essential line of security between the public and private spaces of the Embassy. It also defines the principal linear circulation route at each floor. Primary public functions are located on one side, allowing access from the open courtyard or controlled access through the Embassy. The Embassy spaces that require security are distributed to the west and south of the courtyard, between floors one and five. Security is zoned vertically, with the most public functions at the lower levels. In addition, each floor has been designed to allow for growth and change within the Embassy without compromising security. "
(From competitor's text)
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