
GERMAN EMBASSY CAIRO
Outside the embassy
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Client: Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, Berlin/Bonn
Competition: 2nd Prize (open realization competition, I. phase: 105 participants, II. phase: 13 participants)
Year: 2014
Area: 3.400 m²
Architecture: Bernd Bess Architekten, Berlin
The special feature of the site of the German Embassy in Cairo is the large garden with its magnificent old trees and its privileged, inner-city location between the Nile, the Aquarium and Gezira Park in the Zamalek district. In terms of urban planning, the design is based on the villa structure of the early 20th century and creates two almost equally large structures in the large contiguous garden: the chancellery and the residence. Special emphasis is placed on the spatial experience of the overall complex. The spanning tree population of the property forms the connecting framework. This creates a differentiated structure of outdoor spaces with high spatial qualities. The outdoor spaces are formed by the forecourt (central element with water surface), the residence garden (flowing and depth-graded), the chancellery garden (clear geometry and spatial enclosure) and the garden courtyard, Visastelle (green extension of the waiting area into the open).
