An Expression of Individuality

Project: Embassies of the Nordic Countries, Berlin

Architects: Berger+Parkkinen Architekten, Helsinki

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The fall of the wall in Berlin created a unique situation, —all the Nordic countries were suddenly in need for a new embassy. The decision by the five Nordic countries on building their embassies jointly resulted from several years of co-operation and mutual trust. Financial reasons, including the possibility of utilising the expensive prime location site efficiently, contributed to quick decision-making.

Despite the fact that the project was a joint venture of five countries, each country wished to express its sovereignty and individual culture. The inherent conflict in the task brought out the inevitable questions: what would represent the unity of the Nordic countries and how to express the individuality of nations? This leads the architects directly to the idea behind the design.

The power of the embassy compound relies in the union – in the community. It was clear, that an addition of five rather small buildings in the context of the rapid “Aufbau” of Berlin during the 90s would not make use of the potentials of the site, and could not express the specific idea of a community between the five embassies.

Thus the project started from the idea of a whole – a virtual volume – that was developed on the site.

The shape of this virtual volume developed from the specific conditions of the site, the position in the structure of the town, on edge between town and the huge “Tiergarten” park, between architecture and landscape. This amorphous volume can be understood as a critical mass in the town.

Taking out volume allows to create a void. With huge cuts an empty space is shaped in the centre. As a result,the shape of the void isolates six individual volumes. The sharp lines of the continuous cutting edges establish a geometric relation between the plane facades inside and to the outside.