German Consulat General in Yekaterinburg, Russia
Organizer
BRD vertreten durch das Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung vertreten durch das Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung, Berlin
Competition
2009
Team
Therese Silberkuhl
Technical Planner
Zickler + Jakob Planungen GmbH & Co. KG Munich
The new Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Yekaterinburg presents itself as a pavilion-type structure in park-like surroundings – self-confident, open and inviting. The grounds and the building are harmoniously integrated in the tree-studded environment with historic timber constructions in the neighbourhood. A simple wooden structure “floats” above a glazed ground-floor base, surrounded by a garden designed to represent a typically German cultivated landscape.
The main consular premises are accommodated in the two-storey wooden structure above the glass entrance level containing the visa section. The upper floors are enclosed by vertical protruding and movable wooden slats, reminiscent of the traditional style of construction in the early years of the city. In the offices, the narrow window elements between the wooden partitions look like glazed images decorating the walls. The contrast between glass and wood imparts the building with a uniqueness and special significance appropriate for a consular building
The influence of the extreme climatic conditions in Yekaterinburg, is particularly evident in the façade design: the second façade layer composed of insulated wooden slats responds to the different climatic conditions in summer and winter, as well as during the day and at night. During the day, the rotatable wooden slats offer sun protection by following the position of the sun, while at night they are closed to provide weather-protection for night-time cooling. In winter, the "façade cladding" is closed tightly at night and forms a second thermal shell