Scandinavian EmbassiesBotschaften der Nordischen Länder

Regionalism and cooperation


courtyard
left:Norway Embassie,
right Finish Embassie and Swedish Embassies
Photo by Aoki Tsukasa
Scandinavia in miniature
In the south of Tiergarten, the forest park in the heart of Berlin, there is a "diplomats' block" where many embassies are located. The 5 Scandinavian embassies, which stand closest to Tiergarten, were built at the site of the former Finish and Swedish Embassies. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark had cooperated on several earlier enterprises, such as the joint air transportation services, and so decided to have a united embassy complex in Berlin.
Except for the southern side, the three surfaces of the buildings are covered with copper panels (15 meters in height), which produce a unified atmosphere and harmony with the surroundings. Some of the panels are fitted with automatic light-adjusting louvers, which can be opened. Each of the embassies, however, was individually designed by different architectural competitions held by each country. Their designs and materials reflect the identify of each nation represented here.
In terms of geographical layout, all of the embassies stand surrounding a courtyard, which imitates the Ostsee, the Sea. The main entrance to the embassies stands only at the southern point of the lot. Common facilities such as the event hall, pressrooms and others, are constructed at the southeast of the place, which corresponds to Germany on a map.

Glass curtain wall with distinguished features
As to the use of glass, what interests an observer is the Finnish, Swedish and Danish Embassies. In the Finnish Embassy, the louvers made of larch cover all of the glass curtain walls. In the Swedish and Danish Embassies, the horizontal glass louvers control the sunshine.
Glass panes installed in the Finnish Embassy are double glazed (40mm in thickness) at the opening, but three-ply 42mm-thick glazing at the spandrel ( u-value 0.8W/m2k, 32dB at sound insulation). These full glass panes have high qualities in insulating. In the inside of the timber louvers, sprinklers are provided, as a precaution against fires, as enforced by the Berlin authorities, or the Rathaus Berlin. The glass louvers of the Norwegian Embassy are composed of two frosted 8 mm tempered glass panels. Their inner glass facade is double-glazing ( u-value 1.2W/m2k, 32dB at sound insulation).


Finish Embassie facade
Photo by Aoki Tsukasa

Data of this building

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