"The Frame
The new Canadian Embassy in Berlin is a frame for the experience of Canadian culture abroad. Its prestigious site, at the symbolic crossroads of an increasingly united Europe, also carries the imprint of the Berlin authorities' strong will to recreate the homogenous and enclosing base configuration, which has important consequences in the type of environment and use of the built space. Into this complex, interdependent and interacting context, Canadian officials have chosen to insert the embassy as a symbol of our openness, closeness and appreciation of the direct context.
Both the opportunities and the constraints of the perimeter block are developed into a strategy of framing, in both plan and section. Our scheme identifies, groups and regroups the components of the program in two main categories: Public and Private. Each of these, in turn, frames an exterior space: the Civic Court and the Garden Court, stacked to establish a central unifying element. The perimeter building consists of a series of stacked bands, programmatically autonomous while evoking a sense of commonality through the relationships established to the courtyard.
A respectful volumetric exterior is juxtaposed with an animated courtyard space carved from the "stone" of the strictly controlled envelope, expressive of essential but curiously contradictory characteristics of Canadian identity: a simultaneous appreciation for both urbanity and the landscape. The dynamic diagonal glass screen cuts through the site, occupied, arcade-like, by the surrounding commercial and embassy program (which occasionally opens completely to claim the whole court). Further up the building the idea of landscape is re-interpreted, even tamed, as a formal topiary and sculpture garden serving the more secure Embassy program, a civilized outdoor reception area.
The focus of attention varies according to the nature of the program: the ground floor functions, emblematic of unity, diversity, flexibility, transparency, concentrate views and attention inward to a highly animated courtyard. The next vertical zone, the Upper Embassy, also focuses its energy inward, toward the private garden. Finally, the uppermost level of residential turns ,views out, discouraging overlook to the security-sensitive areas of the Upper Embassy.
Civic Court.
The public spaces of the Embassy program, the commercial and the office spaces are organized around a ceremonial court, which frames a central element, the entrance of the Embassy, accentuated by four totems. The entrance is strategically located to be identified from both Leipzeiger Platz and Eberstrasse.
Within the frame of the court, a strong diagonal gesture (represented by a dynamic glass screen) defines the territory of the Embassy, cutting across the site to both divide and unite. (It engages the building in the life of the city as a gateway into Leipziger Platz while separating ground-related programmatic elements). This liquid crystal glass screen, simultaneously an artwork, a showcase of technology, an element of ritual, and a conveyor of Canadian culture. The screen combines Canadian and German technologies, the Germanpriva-lite system and full-colour flat LED screen by Smart Vision of SACO. We imagine it instrumental in the full range of celebrations—a projection screen onto Canadian events and images can be observed while sitting at an adjacent café. Or in a more ceremonial display, as the panels slide open, the embassy transforms the passage into one unified space. It is our hope that on such occasions (like Canada Day), ceremonial drop-off will be permitted in this court d'honneur
Key elements at this most public level convey the spirit of the Canadian presence in Berlin.
A secondary grain is established perpendicular to the strong axis of the screen, between a grove of maples (acer platanoides 'crimson sentry') on an inclined plane to the south, and the abstracted forest of columns of the Embassy, on axis with a Canadian flag. These elements, unified by a continuous ground plane of Canadian shield-like granite, give an abstracted sense of the vastness of Canadian space.
A sense of grandeur and ceremony is established by the scala reggia, a stair to the piano nobile. This open mezzanine overlooks the activities of the courtyard, and connects a conference room at one end with a large multi-purpose room ("Canada Room") at the corner of Ebertstrasse and Vosse-Strasse (with views north towards the Tiergarten, and Reichstag beyond).
A portal of carved totems marks the entrance to the Embassy.
The space is defined above by a light regulator—a metal structure with a translucent and transparent glass floor. The contrast between the strong mass of the perimeter frame, and the immateriality of the transparent structure inside provides the elemental character of this space.
This hovering floor represents the ground for the second component of the program:
The Private Court
Since Zones 3 and 4 require a degree of privacy, they are grouped around a private upper level court, designed as a sculpture garden. At the level of the Upper Embassy, the court rationalizes the irregular form of the perimeter, introducing a pure square space to the building's centre. The private court can be used as an intimate outdoor area for special receptions. Its topiary and trees give a sense of protection from views of the adjacent buildings. The court is surrounded by the main circulation for a pleasant interior promenade, from which the main functions are accessible—the ambassador at one end, and the Dining Room at the other.
The Zone 4 Secure Area is located on the 5th floor—protected by vault-like separation, and isolated by creating a raised interstitial mechanical above so adequate security between it and the housing can be achieved.
To resolve the complex security issues involved with the proximity of residential and embassy functions, the uppermost residential component is configured as single-loaded, single-storey apartment units oriented outward only. The units are accessed from a primary residential entrance with its address off Leipzeiger Platz. A continuous single-loaded corridor, with transluscent glass shielding the court, gives access to the units from two sets of elevators, in case of mechanical breakdown.
External Expression
The strictness and rigour of the vertical grid extends from the ground floor up the face of the building, reinforced by a zinc lattice which overlays the openings. However, the variations in program behind this rigourous, geometric order are indicated by variations in the height and character of the openings. The windows of the lower court program are tall, thin openings which extend up a full three storeys above street level. The offices are fenestrated with smaller, operable windows. Finally, generous French doors distinguish the openings at the upper court embassy levels.
The ground floor entrances act as a counterpoint to the order of the elevation: the main entrance off Leipziger Platz is a tall triangular fissure, and the Ebertstrasse corner entrance an elongated rectangular void.
(From competitor's text)
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