New Embassy in Nairobi

Project information

  1. Location Nairobi, Kenya
  2. Area2.600 m²

Project details

  1. Design by Kristin Jarmund Architects (now part of Nordic)
  2. Year2015 — ongoing
  3. StatusUnder development
  4. Client Statsbygg,
    The Directorate of Public Construction and Property
  5. Enquiries Graeme Ferguson
    Ola Helle

Initially appointed in 2011 to design the embassy complex in Nairobi, KJ-A were then asked to provide revised proposals specifically for the new joint embassy for Norway and the Netherlands, in 2015.

The requirement for security and the constraints of the site are resolved through a design move in which the building is literally carved into the plot itself. The design is a subtle fusion of building and landscape, with a series of volumes and terraces negotiating the gently sloping terrain. At the heart of the scheme, a formal, open atrium space is equally overlooked by the two embassies and is spanned by a ‘friendship bridge’ linking the two together, symbolising the unity of two nations standing in solidarity.

The requirement for security and the constraints of the site are resolved through a design move in which the building is literally carved into the plot itself. The design is a subtle fusion of building and landscape, with a series of volumes and terraces negotiating the gently sloping terrain. At the heart of the scheme, a formal, open atrium space is equally overlooked by the two embassies and is spanned by a ‘friendship bridge’ linking the two together, symbolising the unity of two nations standing in solidarity.