DIPLOMPROGRAM VÅR 2012 Oslo, 19. januar 2012

Diplomkandidat: Ingunn Marie Berg-Nordlie Tittel: Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi m: 992 44 404 e: [email protected] Ingress: A new embassy with ambassador’s residence in Kenya’s capital

Ansvarlig veileder: Neven Fuchs-Mikac Ekstrakt: The Norwegian embassy is moving out of the city centre for t: 22 99 70 72 security reasons and relocating to a spaceous site in suburban m: 920 21 765 Nairobi. e: [email protected] This research seeks to shed light on what a Norwegian embassy in an African capital is and should be today. It discusses to what Annen veileder: extent an embassy can showcase the ideals and the cultural t: values of the country it represents, what is its role, and to what m: extent it is a building that should try to conform to the local e: setting.

Ekstern veileder: t: m: e: Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi Ingunn Marie Berg-Nordlie

2 Table of Contents 1. THEME 4 1.1. Introduction 4 1.2. Statement 5

2. RESEARCH 6 2.1. Nairobi, Kenya 6 2.1.1. Architecture and history in Nairobi 6 2.1.2. Climate in Nairobi 15 2.1.3. The site in Gigiri 17 2.1.4. Norway and Kenya 20

2.2. Embassy as a typology 22 2.2.1. The Role of Embassies 22 2.2.2. Security issues 23 2.2.3. “Representativt” - a discussion of the book 24 2.2.4. Reference projects dealing with the embassy typology 25

2.3. Other research: 29 2.3.1. Reference projects dealing with national or local identity 29 2.3.2. Architecture theory 30

3. DISCUSSION 31

4. PROJECT INFORMATION 32 4.1. Who- the client and users 32 4.2. What- Project and room programme 33

5. AMBITIONS 34 5.1. Qualitative aims 34 5.2. Quantitative aims 34

6. Litterature List and Contacts 35 7. Appendix: Detailed room programme 37

3 1. THEME

1.1. Introduction What is a Norwegian Embassy about? Norway has more than 80 embassies abroad. Many of these rent existing buildings for their location, but sometimes the buildings are designed specifically for the purpose of housing the functions of the Norwegian Embassy. It is Statsbygg (The Directorate of Public Construction and Property) that commission and own the buildings, but they are developed in close cooperation with the institution that will use them, the Norwegian MFA. The traditions of Norwegian consular service go back to one of the discussions that led to the break with Sweden in 1905. It was the demand for a separate foreign policy that levered Norway to full independence from Sweden (Jenssen 2008, p11).

An embassy program is interesting in several ways. It has the duality of both being the private home of the ambassador, sometimes with family, and being an office and representational space. An example is the embassy in , where 4-5000 guests are received in the representative residence every year (Seljeseth 2009). It could be challenging is to combine this hospitality and homeliness with the necessary security precautions.

The buildings are often filled with Norwegian furniture and art, for example the toilets in Berli(n have been decorated by the artist Magne Furuholmen. UD also has a significant collection of Norwegian art which is displayed in the different embassies. Some embassies have sitting rooms called “the Munch-room”, because of the art. One can argue that the building itself has a potential to show off Norwegian culture and values.

http://www.munch.museum.no/work.aspx?id=17&wid=17#imagetops 4 It is an interesting challenge to find out how nationality and culture can reflect in the buildings we make. The embassy is a building where the culture of the country that owns it will be showcased and promoted. At the same time, it is set into another culture, sometimes far away from home, and this interaction could be very interesting.

To be able to express Norwegian values or culture through architecture one has to determine what these values are, or what aspect of the culture is most universal in Norway. One set of values which has been important since this summer and has been talked about a lot, is openness, compassion and democracy. This type of question has probably been raised by the whole team of architects and planners every time a new embassy is on the drawing table. Some of the answers that have come up in these processes are to be found in the book “Representativt” by Hugo Lauritz Jenssen. I will look closer at this book in chapter 2.2.3.

In some countries Norway is especially interested in having a representative building. These are typically countries where Norway has some specific economical or business interests. For example in Nepal Norway is very involved in their development of dams and waterpower. In such cases the business people often have contact with the embassy, and it needs to be an impressive and representative building. At the same time, the MFA finds it is unsuitable to have palace-like embassies in counties where the difference between high and low income groups is large (Kvandal, 2007). This can be the situation in some African countries, for example.

1.2. Statement: An embassy is in a way the formal clothing of the Foreign Service. You would not want to meet the leaders of another country in dirty overalls. In the same way, an embassy shows respect to the host country by having a formal, stately and representative character. But I find Norway wishes to express themselves unpretentiously, also showing the egalitarian values in the Norwegian society.

5 2. RESEARCH In my knowledge base I have gathered information in two main groups: One where I look at what I should know about the setting in Nairobi, Kenya, and one where I explore what has been done before in my areas of interest. The information is gathered from the internet, magazines, interviews and books. 2.1. Nairobi, Kenya 2.1.1. Architecture and history in Nairobi

Nairobi, the Capital city of Kenya, was founded in 1899. Its name comes from the Maasai place-name Enkare Neerobi, meaning “place of cool waters” (www. nairobicity.go.ke). The area where the city was founded was Maasai and Kikuyu dominated. The place was chosen by the engineers working on the British Railway for a railway depot with repair yards and workshops, positioned about halfway on the line from Mombasa on the coast, to Lake Victoria. It became a stopover for Europeans traveling in Africa, and quickly grew into a city. After only 8 years of existence and despite being almost erased by fire and plague in its first years, the city replaced Mombasa The Stanley Hotel in the late 1890’s http://architecturekenya.com as capital of the British East Africa in 1907.

Nairobi has two nick-names. One is positive: “Green city in the sun”, while the other is more cynical: “Nai-robbery”. The city has relatively many public parks, but it is not always recommended to walk outside after dark. Many middle class or high- income neighbourhoods show that both nick-names have relevance – richly planted lawns and trees lining the roads along with security guards and high fences. Perhaps this is a result of a large income gap between those who earn least and those who earn most.

6 Kenya Railways Headquarters http://architecturekenya.com/2011/11/04/a-stoned-history-of-nairobi-by-kamau-mutunga/

In the first years of the city’s history, there were plans of changing the site for the city, for health reasons, but no decision was ever made. City planning was weak and neglected from the outset. The first city plans included housing areas for Europeans, a European business district, an Asian Bazaar with mixed housing and commerce, and the railway yards (Emig & Ismail, 1973).

The bazaar was not serviced by any garbage collection or police, and was overcrowded. The bad conditions led to three outbreaks of plague in the bazaar, and the colonial solution to the problem was to burn the entire bazaar to the ground. That happened in 1900 and again in 1902 (Anyamba, 2006, p 53).

There were no areas formally set aside or planned for the African population in the beginning. After WW1 a group of Nubian war veterans were given the land that now is Kibera, one of the World’s largest slums. The African population in Nairobi grew rapidly, because white farmers took the land around Nairobi, and the colonial power introduced wage labour. As there were no official plots for these people to settle, informal settlements had to be established. Since the beginning of Nairobi these informal settlements have been dismantled to make space for formal space (Anyamba, 2006, p 63), just to pop up in another place.

Illustration adapted from Emig & Ismail,1973 7 The formal growth of the city was far too slow for the real growth in population, and urban planning continued to spend resources on things like race- tracks and the National theatre while thousands lived in ridiculously sub- standard accommodation.

The Kenya National Theatre (1952) http://architecturekenya.com

Nairobi as a Colonial Capital Illustration from Emig & Ismail,1973

After independence, the practice of informal was well established and prevails because it is much more effective in catering for the needs of the market than the formal strategies. Informal development is not only about slums like Kibera or Mathare, but also encompasses informal densification of existing formal neighbourhoods, or the development of highly affluent areas such as Runda (neighbouring Gigiri to the north) where luxury housing is built without following the formal procedure (Anyanmba, 2006, p 159). All the varieties of informal development put a strain on the city infrastructure. In poorer areas water and power is stolen from the official grid, while waste management is non- existent. In well-of areas, there has never been set aside space for recreation or business, and the inhabitants clog the streets every day to drive to schools, shopping and Kibera, a slum area in central Nairobi Photo: Wikipedia Commons work.

8 Modernist and “Indian” architecture

“Indian type” building in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Photo: Ingunn Berg-Nordlie

Considering Nairobi’s early history it is hardly sur- prising that the oldest architecture in the city is very European. The architectural styles follow the same development as in Europe. Ernst May had been a successful architect and city planner in Frankfurt before the Third Reich was established. His architecture was modernistic and functionalistic, and his city planning was inspired by the garden city movement in England. After an ide- alistic but failed stay in the Soviet Union, he moved to Tanzania and then to Nairobi and continued his work there. For example his design Apartments, “Kenwood House”, were realized in 1937 (Filler, 2011), and “Delamere Flats” in 1951. The Indian- inspired architecture and European modernism was so widely used in Africa that one can almost find a modernist or Indian architecture that has become African, and differs from modernism elsewhere. Delamere Flats Photos: Benjamin TIiven Modernist and Art Deco buildings in Bujumbura, Burundi Photos: Øyvind Nordlie 9 After Kenya gained independence in 1963, Nairobi became the Conference centre Kenyatta International capital of the new republic. Also after the independence, new buildings continued to use a European or Indian style of architec- ture. In fact all the practicing architects were Indian or European, there was only one African architect, David Muoka Mutiso edu- cated in England and the US (Byggekunst,1974, p 61). In 1974 he explained that Architecture was not a popular course at the university because in was an unknown profession and nothing in the school system prepared you for it (Byggekunst, 1974, p 61).

At the same time there were 11 Norwegian architects in Kenya, working through NORAD (Byggekunst, 1974, p 86), Danish architects came through DANIDA, and naturally many British architects had practices there.

There are some examples of post-colonial architecture which I find shares some aesthetics with architecture from similar times in Tanzania. source:wikimedia commons

One of the most prominent buildings in central Nairobi from the early post-colonial times is the KICC tower = Kenyatta International Conference Centre. This 30-floor building was designed as the headquarters of Jomo Kenyatta’s political party KANU. It was designed by David Muoka Mutiso, Kenyas first African architect, together with the Norwegian architect Karl Henrik Nøstvik and finished in 1974. He stayed

Market, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania source: http://www.searchingafricanarchitecture.org/fr/node/35 on and established his architetural practice in Nairobi. 10 St Peters Church in Dar es Salaam by architect H.L. Shah, 1960

Holy Family Cathedral Basilica, from the 1960’s photo: Brian J. McMorrow Holy Family Cathedral Basilica (Interior) http://timinkenya.blogspot.com/2007/03/nairobi-big-city.html 11 Structural layout of a Kikuyu family Traditional Maasai and Kikuyu architecture 10 did not have a typology for the kind of homestead (adapted from Ochieng, 5 1999, p 9): 6 9 buildings the colonial city consisted of. 8 11 Traditional Maasai houses are made with 1) Man’s house daub and wattle. Kikuyu architecture also 2) 1st wife’s house 3 7 utilizes that technique, but also stone 3) 2nd wife’s house 11 masonry and mud-bricks. 4) 3rd wife’s house 5) 2nd wife’s son’s house 4 6) son’s wife’s house 2 7) 1st wife’s son’s house 8) son’s wife’s house 9) grandson’s house 10) grandson’s wife’s house 1 13 11) granaries 12) manger 13) cattle 12

11

Kikuyu and Masai lands around Nairobi (http://mukuyu.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/) Kikuyu houses http://mukuyu.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/ 12 Daub and wattle wall construction None of the traditional buildings are very durable, but have to be repaired or rebuilt every year, for example after the rainy season. Wattle and daub constructions are vulnerable both to the rain and to termites, who eat their way through the wooden poles from the ground. The homes are designed for nomadic or semi-nomadic owners, and the climate is so good that housing does not belong to the first priority concerns.

Outside the urban areas, trees have always provided a perfect location forwork or gatherings. Traditional building typologies are not so much shaped by the need of protection from the elements as the need for protection from wild animals Maasai houses http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=100425 or hostile neighbours, note the fence surrounding the maasai houses in the illustrations. The shape or layout of the buildings is aslo the result of the urge to mark hierarchies and follow social codes. Crispino Ochieng argues that spatial hierarchies are utilized to communicate the divisions between public, semi- public and private (Ochieng 1999, p 60). In many Kenyan cultures it is taboo for grown up children to see inside the houses of their parents and vice versa, so the built environment has to offer an alternative space for these two social groups to meet. It could be under a tree, which is sometimes considered to to be an element in similar stignificance to a building (Ochieng 1999, p 13) In a more modern urban context a verandah could Maasai houses Notes from a lecture by Børre Skodvin AHO, 2011 provide that kind of meeting space (Ochieng 1999, p 86)

Structural layout of a Mijikenda traditional family homestead with ancestral shrine in the centre (adapted from Ochieng, 1999, p 10).

13 There are some materials that are found locally and have a long history of use in Nairobi (Architects Journal, 1969, p 1012):

Local Nairobi stone: It is volcanic rock which is relatively soft and can easily be shaped by hand. It is cheap. There is also a harder volcanic stone avail- able, called Nairobi blue stone (Jan Thews, 2011, p 7).

Mudbrick: sometimes stabilized with 5% cement for increased strength

Fired bricks: Clay rooftiles are also common.

Local wood: for example locally grown cypress. Timber has to be treated against termite attacks before being used structurally, but is fine for furnishing, doors, etc.

Concrete: Kenya produces enough cement to cover her home market and export. Mudbrick http://www.mueni.com/Pictures/Kenya/index.html Cement blocks

Corrugated metal sheets: A low-cost classic, known as “Mabati” in Nairobi (www.glue.co.ke). Also an export product in Kenya.

Local Stone http://machine-cut-stone.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=89400473 Photograph: Marina Dodis 14 2.1.2. Climate in Nairobi Temperature in oC Precipitation in mm Nairobi has a stable climate with daily temperatures between 20,6 30 400 and 25,6 C and about 10-13 at night. Since it is close to the equator, the seasons change mainly between dry and rainy instead of cold 25 350 and warm. For comparison, the daily temperatures in Oslo vary between 21,5 in July and -1,8 in January. While the rainiest month in Nairobi, April, gets nearly 220 mm of precipitation, Oslo gets 89 mm 20 300 at the peak in August. Bergen, however, has about double as much rain in one year as Nairobi. 15 250 The climatic conditions give these impulses to the character of the embassy buildings: 10 200 - The buildings should be able to stabilize the temperature changes between day and night. This is done by choosing some heavy 5 150 building materials since they have a high thermal storage capacity.

- Some extra heating may be required in the living areas for cold 0 100 days in July/August, it could be 12 degrees. Solar heat could be collected and used for this purpose. -5 50 -The buildings can have a close relationship between interior and exterior spaces, since it will be temperate enough to open the buildings most days of the year. -10 0

- Facades facing east or west will get most direct sun since its path Percipitation Nairobi Percipitation Oslo is so high in the sky compared to here in Norway. Windows on those Temp. max. Nairobi Temp. min. Nairobi Temp. max. Oslo Temp. min. Oslo facades must have adequate possibilities for sun screening.

15 NAIROBI OSLO

22:00

20:00

18:00

16:00

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12:00

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02:00 00:00 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Daylight Dawn Dusk Daylight Dawn Dusk

- The graphs above show hours of daylight in Nairobi versus Oslo. The daylight hours last through a standard working day in Nairobi and this fact should mean that the offices should be designed to need minimal electric lighting during the day. Glare should be prevented.

- The rainwater should be collected during the wet season and made to last over the dry months. That could be solved with a system that let all hard surfaces lead the water to a cistern, for example. The problem one has to avoid is that the earth gets so dry in the dry season that the water is not able to sink into the earth when it comes, but floods instead. This is especially a problem in areas with black cotton soil, which is common in south and eastern Nairobi.

- Graywater could be recycled and reused for toilet flushing etc.

16 2.1.3. The site in Gigiri The reason that Statsbygg are building a new embassy is that the old more centrally placed one Site was considered to be in an insecure area (Jan Thews, 28.02.2011, p1). Karura Forest Gigiri is a high-income neighbourhood to the north- east of the city centre in Nairobi. It is a relatively newly developed; it is not included on city maps from the early 70’s (Emig &Ismail, 1973, p 71). It is separated from the more central parts of the city by the Karura Forest. The urban forest is under threat of the expanding city, but plans to decimate its size in favour of housing have met protest, for example from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai. The forest is home to local flora and wild animals including monkeys, dik-diks, and African civets.

Statsbygg’s choice of this area could perhaps be criticized, as it is an unsustainable choice: It is hard Dusk to reach by public transport (against the MFA’s policy of access (Landsem, in meeting 2011)) aggravating the already congested traffic situation in the capital. It contributes to the process of urban sprawl.

African Civet Photo: Phil Perry Dik-dik Photo: David Dennis Train tracks in Kibera http://lori4twb.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/394/ Runda http://www.ireypg.com/blog/wp-content/ uploads/2009/02/runda-kenya1.jpg 17 Gigiri was historically a preferred neighbourhood for British residents, and it is still an expat area, with many embassies situated in the same area, for example the Canadian and American ones. The UN Habitat headquarters are also located in Gigiri. Nairobi’s most up-marked shopping mall is found close by, and there are several international schools. The neighbourhoods are characterized by large villas in spacious gardens, making it a green and lush area.

18 The site is almost a perfect square, There are some trees on the site flanked by a main road on the east (Thews, 2011, p4): side, and a smaller feeder road on Two Erithryna trees, Jacaranda, Grevilla the west side. The embassy is sup- tree, Khamba, Avocado, Neem Ficus. posed to be accessed from this latter road. The site drops about ten metres in altitude from the south end to the north, making the site an even, north- facing slope. That is, it would have been even, had not a large part in the middle been dug out – someone has stolen earth from the site.

The soil on the site is not black cotton soil, but the other typical Nairobi soil: red volcanic soil. It is very red, and contrary to the black cotton soil it is highly suitable for gardening.

Erithryna flowering Photo.: Mauro Peixoto

The access road, Gardenia Road Photo: Jan Thews The sloping site, facing North Photo: Jan Thews The closest neighbour, Romanian Embassy Photo: Jan Thews

19 2.1.4. Norway and Kenya

Norway was one of the first countries that established diplomatic relations to Kenya after the independence in 1963. Karl Henrik Nøstvik , the architect be- hind the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, came to Kenya as a part of the Norwegian development assistance in 1965. The history of Norwegian development assistance had just begun, the organisation which later became NORAD was established in 1962 (www.norad.no). In 1990 there was a diplomatic crisis, and the relations were broken, and all development aid halted. The diplomatic relations were re-established four years later, but the development cooperation did not resume until 2004.

According to information from UD, the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi distributed 36 million NOK worth of development funding last year (Landsider. no). The Norwegian support is given to peace and reconciliation processes after the political unrest following the elections in Kenya in 2007, but also to more basic work to strengthen the civil society and human rights. They also assist the process of planning the next elections in 2012. About 44 million NOK more development funding also went from Norway to Kenya last year, but not through the Embassy. It is handled by Norwegians NGO’s present in Kenya, as well as Kenyan coffee http://coffee-food-beverage.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html by different UN programs.

Norway imported Kenyan goods worth about 240 million NOK last year. The most common imports are flowers, for example roses, and agricultural produce, notably coffee and tea. Norway is one of the most coffe-drinking nations in the world, and Kenya is one of the countries exporting our favourite arabica beans. In 2009 Kenya exported almost the excact same number of 60 kg sacks of coffee as Norway imported: 574 173 / 578 129 (http://www.ico.org/profiles_e.asp).

Kenya imported Norwegian chemical products (fertilizers, for example) and machinery worth about 120 million NOK (Landsider.no).

20 Norfund and Fredskorpset are two subordinate organizations answering to the Foreign Ministry. Both do work in Kenya. Norfund invests money in to help develop and establish businesses in markets where other investors deem the risk is too high. They have four regional headquarter around the world, one of them is in Nairobi. They invest in financial institutions, funds financing small and medium sized businesses, projects dealing with renewable energy, and industrial partnerships dealing with agriculture. They have chosen these sectors because they believe this is what will strengthen the economy in the best way, and because they are sectors in which Norway has some special competence Basecamp Explorer’s safaris http://www.basecampkenya.com/cms.cfm?nPageNo=55147 to share (norfund.no). List of companies supported by Norfund: The Norwegian companies present in Kenya include: Giertsen Hallsystem, Norfund, Yara, Telemedia, Barwil Agencies, Euro Techbridge and Basecamp Explorer (www.norway.or.ke).

There exist numerous friendship municipality agreements between Norway and Kenya : Drømtorp-Nairobi, Haugesund-Nairobi, Melhus-Taveta, Oppegård-Mombasa, Samnanger-Sigowet, Skodje-Voi, Stjørdal-Thika, Vefsn-Naitiri, Verdal-Alara. An example of what is done within this framework is the cooperation between MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association) in Nairobi with Drømtorp secondary school in Ski. Norwegian youth collect funds for MYSA, visit them, and have common educational projects (http://dromtorpkenya.wordpress.com/about/). The youth from Mathare regularly visit Haugesund to teach children about Drømtorp-student in Nairobi http://dromtorpkenya.wordpress.com/# Kenyan culture (www.haugesund.kommune.no).

21 2.2. Embassy as a Typology: 2.2.1. The Role of Embassies I have interviewed two people who have worked in Norwegian Embassies, Anja Salo, who was assisting the Cultural attaché in Moscow, and Jon Sigurd Kvello, who was a student trainee in Astana. I asked them what kind of people use an embassy, and what the work in the embassy is about. The work at an embassy differs a lot between the host countries.

In some countries, military cooperation and military conferences at the embassy is com- mon, while in other countries that never happens. is a neighbouring country, so there military cooperation is a part of the embassy work. The Embassies have a con- nection to the Norwegian businesses working in the host country. In Kazakhstan, Statoil representatives often come to the embassy, while in Kathmandu the embassy is visited by Norwegians involved in Hydro-electric power. The employees of Norwegian NGO's working in the host country also come by the embassy for meetings and support. The “Mirror Hall in Moscow http://www.statsbygg.no/ Norwegian citizens living abroad can use the embassy to vote in the Norwegian elections. They can also come to the embassy to get married. In Moscow, one of the representative sitting rooms is used for this purpose. Visa applicants come to the embassies to apply for visas to Norway, or to apply for family reunification if their family is in Norway. The embassy in Moscow is the Norwegian embassy that extends the most visas every year. The embassy buildings are no longer big enough to handle the queues of visa applicants, so this function will be relocated to another place in Moscow. It is not uncommon that different parts of the embassy function is located in different buildings. In Moscow, the Norwegian seafood council (Eksportutvalget for fisk) is in a different location than the embassy, while in other countries it has an office in the embassy, and yet in other countries (for example Kenya) it is not represented at all.

The representative areas at the embassy are used for meetings, galas, and other arrangements. In some countries they are used for cultural hap- penings, such as concerts promoting Norwegian music. In Moscow they try to limit the use of the representational halls for such purposes, as there are many other venues that could be used in the city. The embassies often host Christmas dinners and 17th of May parties with up to 300 visitors. In Astana the embassy did not have room for its 150 17th of May guests and the event had to take place at the SAS hotel.

In many embassies the rooms are furnished with Norwegian furniture and decorated with Norwegian art. This is to promote Norway abroad, which is one role of the embassies. It also serves as an ice-breaker at meetings and informal visits, since it is an easy topic for conversation. In Moscow they have an icon of Saint Olav that serves this purpose, as well as art by Munch in the sitting room with a fireplace.

22 2.2.2. Security issues

The work at an embassy deals with a lot of sensitive information. The offices of the ambassador and diplomats are classified, and cannot be entered by any person who is not security cleared. Many of the employees at the embassy do not have security clearance (student trainees, for example, or local staff), and the embassy areas are thus divided into more secure and less secure areas (Anja Salo in interwiew, 2012). To get to the most secure offices you usually have to pass through security sluices. These parts of an embassy could in some cases be counted as Norwegian territory (www.regjeringen.no). Visa applications are often handled at the embassy premises. In most cases the applicants have no access to any other part of the embassy complex than the waiting room and eventually interview boxes, they seldom come to the same reception desk as invited visitors . The embassy staff is always on the other side of a wall without doors, and only communicate with the applicants through a window. In Nairobi, most embassies let the visa applicants be scanned with metal detectors as they enter the premises (Thews, Oct 2011, p 4).

Most commonly, the embassy areas contain three levels of security: 1) The areas that can be accessed by visa-applicants. 2) The areas that can be accessed by invited visitors and embassy staff. 3) The areas that can only be accessed by Norwegian diplomats, embassy employees with a security clearance.

Some embassies there do not have open-able windows, for security reasons, but it is not desirable, because of the climate. It is possible to avoid mechanical cooling if one can open windows. The only common security measure in connection to windows is a splinter protecting film on the inside. In a report from a MFA meeting in February 2011, Jan Thews, the project director from Statsbygg, it is concluded that the Norwegian embassy will have open-able windows, and that no part of the building has to be designed as "blast proof" (Thews, Feb 2011, p 4). In a travel report from October 2011, Thews writes that the embassy windows do not need to be burglar proof, since the site will be protected by a perimeter wall and electrical fence (Thews, Oct. 2011, p 4). In the last week of January I will have a meeting with the MFA's security expert, whom I could not get hold of earlier because he is in Nairobi to evaluate the level of security needed. The situation in the city has become more insecure after Kenya sent troops into neighbouring Somalia in October The former American Embassy in Nairobi after an Al-Qaida attack 1998 2011, and received threats from the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab in return (Tandstad 2011).

23 2.2.3. “Representativt” a Discussion of the Book These are some of the words used As part of my research i read the book Representativt by Hugo Lauritz Jenssen, published by to describe that a building repre- Forlaget Press in 2008. It is a book about Norwegian embassy buildings. sents Norway in the book: In the opening pages the book says: “The new building must express a specific culture and project a politically defined image of Norway- the Norway we wish the world to appreciate. This is not a simple picture; it is a Kathmandu: complex ide based on a set of values and cultural indicators. These include a certain restraint Modest, quiet, unpretentious and and a lack of ostentation and extravagance, but also a contemporary approach devoid of unostentatious, but still representa- nostalgia. A Norwegian embassy must express the decent, forward-looking Norway of today.” tive and monumental. (Jenssen, p 9) Stockholm: It also says that it is a risky to make generalisations about a “national character” (Jenssen, p 10). Quiet, friendly, serene like a moun- After this introductory chapter, the book presents 15 of Norway’s embassies. The history of the tain pasture, surprisingly open, houses is described, and if available some comments from the architect as to the ideas behind the modest, diffident, sober, with a architecture. Some of the embassies are old and have been chosen for the book because of their "down-to-earth elegance that classical beauty, examples are the embassies in Moscow and London, dating from 1880 and 1905 reflects the egalitarian principles respectively. These buildings have the style of palaces. Other buildings in the book are examples of of socialism as expressed by the good modernist architecture, like the embassies in Stockholm and in (built 1952 and labour party" 1934 respectively). Eight of the projects are built for the purpose of housing embassies; the other seven were originally residences for representatives of the privileged class, except for the building Berlin: in Brussels which was first a normal office building. "Norwegian coolness"

Knut Knutsen, the labour party Washington DC: architect behind the embassy in It was mostly designed to be an Sweden, has apparently stated that American building, but anyhow he wanted his embassy building described as: intimate and informal, to be invisible (Jenssen, p 19). The dignified and friendly. discussion in the chapter about the embassy in Brussels starts in the opposite end, where the author New Delhi: claims that a ‘struggle to become Austere, peaceful oasis, sober, visible ‘ is a trait in the Norwegian calm. national character (Jenssen, p 61). The Norwegian Embassy in Stockholm www.norge.se

24 2.2.4. Reference projects dealing with the typology: Embassy

I will point to two recently built Norwegian Embassies, the one in Kathmandu, Nepal, by Kristin Jarmund architects, and the other in Berlin by Snøhetta. My attention was also caught by the British High Commissions in Kampala, Uganda and in Nairobi.

2.2.4.1. Embassy in Kathmandu, Kristin Jarmund Architects The Norwegian embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, was built in two stages. First, a new office and visa building was built in the garden of the old embassy. Later, the old residence was removed to build a new one. The embassy is knit into the structure of the Patan neighbourhood in central Kathmandu. It is a dense situation, where the walls surrounding the em- bassy almost touch the walls of the neighbouring houses. The office and consular building almost parts the site in two, with an open patio to wel- come visitors on one side, and the ambassador's residence and its garden more privately situated on the other side. The ambitions of the project was to let the sloping site influence the floor plan of the buildings (achdaily.com), and to use local materials like different types of stone, locally fired bricks and indigenous types of wood. Still, one of the most prominent materials is travertine stone from (Jenssen, p 193). It marks the buildings edge against the sky in an added volume that holds the ambassadors office, forming a kind of canopy over the entrance underneath. The ambassador's office also has a characteristic zig-zag window, which is the only place on the site from which one gets a glimpse of the Himalayas. Earthquakes is a special challenge and the building is constructed like a boat floating on the site, with 50cm concrete foundation (Jenssen, p193).

“ The aim of the projects was to create a representative yet modest building which presents Norway in a modern and qual- ity conscious way…This form [the added volume of the ambassador's office] gives the house a ”face” while at the same time allowing the rooms on the first floor to have a view to the Himalayas. The zig-zag formed ”Himalayan window” mirrors the mountain range in the distance.” - Kristin Jarmund Architects (plusmood.com)

Another choice made to reflect Norwegian culture is to use glass partitions to divide rooms in the office spaces, to achieve an http://plusmood.com/2009/08/the-royal-norwegian-embassy-kristin-jarmund-architects/the-royal-norwegian-embassy_kristin-jarmund-architects_plusmood/ open and transparent working environment where the use of glass partitions has been used to divide rooms (plusmood.com). Water and stone are two elements that are common in both Norway and Nepal; Norway has invested much money and knowl- edge into the waterpower industry in Nepal. Both elements have been given their place in the project. A small stream runs along the embassy's stone façade, and you have to cross a little bridge to enter (Jenssen, p190). 25 Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu Images and plans/section/elevation from: http://plusmood.com/2009/08/the-royal-norwegian-embassy-kristin-jarmund-architects/the-royal-norwegian-embassy_kristin-jarmund-architects_plusmood/ 26 2.2.4.2. Embassy in Berlin, Snøhetta The Norwegian embassy in Berlin is part of a build- ing complex that gathers all the Nordic counties together in one location. Berger and Parkkinen, an Austrian and a Finnish architect in cooperation, won a competition for the overall design of the complex in 1996 (Jenssen, p 74). Their most visually strik- ing contribution is an outer wall that encircles all the five embassies in a curved shape clad with copper “scales”. Inside this “Nordic enclave”, the slice be- longing to Norway was designed by Snøhetta, and finished in 1999 (Arkitektur DK, 2000). Their basic idea was to be inspired by the ice age formation of Norway’s landscape, and the building introduces itself with a 14 meter high piece of solid rock carved from the coastline close to Halden. The scratches made by the glacier are still visible upon its surface. The “coolness” of Norway is further expressed through the cool shade of green in the glass lamel- las on the façade facing the inner courtyard of the embassy complex (Jenssen, p81). The successful colocation of the Nordic embassies led to and Norway building together in Mozambique in 2001 (Jenssen, p 154).

Norwegian and Danish Embassy in Maputo http://www.statsbygg.no/prosjekter/prosjekt- katalog/632_maputo/index.html Norwegian Embassy in Berlin: Picture, plans and section from Arkitektur DK 2000, v 44. no. 1, p 1-5

27 http://www.cullumnightingale.com/ourwork/articles/articles0306/RIBA2008.html http://www.fbwgroup.com/ 2.2.4.3. British High Commissions, Kampala, Uganda, and Nairobi, Kenya Cullum and Nightingale Architects in London have designed the British embassies in both Nairobi and Kampala in Kenya's neighbouring country Uganda (finished 1997 and 2006 respectively). Both projects focus on consuming little energy, for example the project in Kampala is designed to be naturally ventilated (cullumnightingale.com), while their buildings in Nairobi are orientated on the east-west axis, so that the sun when it is low only hits the shortest walls of the complex (Slessor, 1997, p 66). Both draw on local building skills and local materials. In Nairobi that resulted in stone walls with very precise dry joins (1mm), a façade of local volcanic stone because there existed an established tradition of stone masonry locally (Slessor, 1997, p 64). The main material used for their buildings in Kampala is red bricks. It won the RIBA International award in 2008. The http://www.cullumnightingale.com/ourwork/current/nbhckam- pala.html text on RIBA's homepage describes the qualities of the project: "Instead of 'arriving in a box' (as embassies so often do) they one arises out of an explo- ration by architect, client and local contrac- tors of the vernacular and the ways in which it can be adapted to the needs of sophisticated building types such as this. By using and adapting local materials, this project seems literally to grow out of the red earth of Africa." (architecture.com)

Images and sun diagram from Slessor, Catherine: Diplomatic Service, Architectural Review, v.202, 1997 28 2.3. Other Research 2.3.1. Reference project dealing with national and local identity 2.3.1.1. The Kaedi Regional Hospital in Mauretania The Kaedi Regional Hospital was something I found in the December 1995 copy of Architectural review while looking for another article in the same magazine. It caught my attention and I want to keep it as a reference project. It was designed by 'Association pour le Développement naturel d'une Architecture et d'un Urbanisme Africains' (ADAUA) and was finished in 1989. The project was to make an extension to an existing hospital, and had a very small budget. It became an experimental project, where some of the main objectives were to develop a local, low-cost mate- rial and use local skills and local labour, thus giving the community some techniques they could benefit from beyond the construction of the hospital extension. The material they developed were bricks made from local earth burnt in kilns fired with rice husks, a waste material from rice production. This allowed the extension to be built with minimal use of wood, which is scarce and valuable in the area, or concrete, which would have had to be imported and expensive.

In the plan, one might almost think that the square buildings are the modern ones, while the clusters of huts are traditional and old. The experiments with vaults and cupolas they could construct with the bricks have a playful effect on the plan which I find inspiring. What I also like about the project is that it takes the local culture and climate seriously, as one can see for example in the accommodation for relatives which are small domes with open sides. I like the use of local materials and skills, and the fact that they allow goats to benefit from the shade.

2.3.1.2. Francis Kere's school in Gando, Burkina Faso Another interesting project is the school Francis Kere helped to build in Gando, Burkina Faso. The people in the village painted every window a different colour. Kere had his designs and ideas on how to accommodate a modern program in a local architecture. The previous schools were built in a west- ern typology because it was a western program. The village architecture had no solution for this pro- gram. The European building types did not function well in the local climate, and used materials from far away, concrete and corrugated iron sheets, expensive and environmentally unsound. Kere solves the problem by making a building shaped with local materials and local labour, some local techniques and some new ones, using modern technology and learning to improve the methods and knowledge that is already there.

29 2.3.2. Architecture Theory

I also want to include in my knowledge base some pure architecture theory which is relevant in all subject areas. For this I have chosen one book only: "Thinking Architecture" by Peter Zumthor. I have some quotes from the chapters in this book that I want to keep as theoretical inspira- tion for my diploma. The first one:

"We throw a stone into water. Sand swirls up and settles again. The stir was necessary. The stone has found its place. But the pond is no longer the same." (From Completed Landscapes Zumthor, 2006, p 18)

This is about how what is built finds its place in the environment that was there from before of. It expresses a kind of modesty, yet complete self-confidence of the new building. The building does not need to shout that it is new, with loud architectural language. But on the other hand it is no small thing to claim that the place would not have been complete without the new building. With this theory in mind it would be a compliment to remark that you thought the new building was the oldest one.

The second quote is about quality:

"To a large degree, the quality of the finished object is determined by the quality of the joins." (From Chinks in sealed objects, Zumthor, 2006, p 13)

It just reminds me that there should never be any short-cuts. Even though only a very small detail is not properly thought through, it could still destroy the whole building.

The last quote speaks for itself, I think:

"Architecture has its own realm. It has a special physical relationship with life. I do not think of it primarily as either a message or symbol, but as an envelope and background for life which goes on in and around it, a sensitive container for the rhythm of footsteps on the floor, for the concentration of work, for the silence of sleep." (From For the silence of sleep, Zumthor, 2006, p 12)

30 3. DISCUSSION The Swedish equivalent to Statsbygg, the National Property board, It is clear that Kenyan architects are also concerned with sustainable expresses its aims for Swedish embassies very clearly: they have buildings, as can be seen from such sites as “Kenya Architect” (ken- aimed to replace as many as possible of their embassy buildings with yaarchitect.com), and “Architecture Kenya” (architecturekenya.com). new ones built by Swedish architects, to be able to promote Swed- ish architecture as well as Swedish furniture and design. Their foreign “Materials should as far as possible be chosen for their lack of ‘world-de- stroying properties’. Free us from all the old forms of expression, especially division has worked out a policy for embassy architecture, which the baroque and the rococo, free us from the mentality behind expressions firstly prioritizes functionality and technology; secondly seeks to apply that cultivate inequity, aggravate poverty and destroy the world in so many Swedish materials; and thirdly aims to express “democracy, equality, ways. Free us from the idea that beauty lies in costliness. Let us stop wor- openness and accessibility.” The head of their foreign division, Jan shipping the unrealistic vision that can only be realised by the very few. Down Thews, says: with autocracy!” -Knut Knutsen (Jenssen, p 30)

“Palaces are built to impress and overwhelm. This is not what Swe- I would actually say that modesty is not a characteristic trait in Norwe- den desires. We want to come across as a democratic country where gians. The whole idea of expressing national character in an embassy equality rules. For the same cost, we can achieve a building more building is in itself not very modest, the MFA is quite open about the along the lines of what Sweden wishes to represent .” (Jensfelt) embassies’ role in promoting Norwegian design and ideas. Maybe many have an idea about embassy life as a kind of unattain- Interestingly, Jan Thews has been hired by Statsbygg to be the pro- able, elevated sphere, costly and with a stiff etiquette. But this is only an ject manager for the embassy in Nairobi. impression of a world that is necessary in the communication between The MFA in Norway also started with a similar process of finding out states, where a certain representativeness is required in formal relations. what kind of “Norwegianness” they wanted to express abroad, but Besides, the common man can in fact apply for a visa to travel some- the project was abandoned . In the book “Representativt” the impres- where, and he can take an education and work in the embassy, if not sion is given that quite a lot of thought is dedicated to the national as ambassador, then as cultural attaché, secretary, or student trainee. character that the embassy buildings express. The main trend is that That is why I aim to make the areas of the embassy where most people the buildings are described as modest, and the opposite of palace- are in contact with the architecture to be as generous, comfortable and like. These qualities are chosen as the Norwegian national character- aesthetically soothing as the representative and private parts of the em- istics that the country wants to be represented with abroad. bassy, which could be quite pragmatically solved to give more attention I believe such “modesty” should also include designing the building to the publicly available areas. according to the principles of sustainability, especially focusing on adjusting to local climatic conditions. This could be done in a low- I find the traditional way of arranging kinship homesteads in rural Kenya tech- low maintenance way, and not so much to show off Norway has an intigueng parrallell to the embassy life of today. Both are commu- as environmentally conscious as to follow the global need to avoid nities that protect themselves from outside threats, and have an internal worsening the climate catastrophe. spatial and social hierarchy. Modesty in a building’s case could be to relate to the local surroundings and history in an apprehensive way.

31 4. PROJECT INFORMATION 4.1. Who- the client and users:

The client in this case is UD, the Norwegian Ministry of foreign affairs. In reality it is Statsbygg that commission and own the buildings, the MFA are only ten- ants in the buildings.

I have been in contact with the MFA, and I had a meeting with Lene Landsem at UD on 21 nov. 2011. I asked whether the MFA was interested in express- ing Norwegianness in Embassy design. She said it is more important that the The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi has a staff of 10 Nor- architecture blends in with the surroundings than that it is Norwegian. It was wegian diplomats in addition to local employees . These are the important to use local materials. Before, they would even import parquet floor- Norwegian diplomatic positions in Nairobi: ing from Norway, but now they trust in local solutions. Inside the buildings it is Ambassador, Permanent Representative to UNEP & UN-HABITAT important to show Norwegian furniture and art, as a conversation starter, for H.E. Mr Per Ludvig Magnus example. She said a traditional Norwegian log cabin construction would not Minister Counsellor (Deputy Head of Mission) fit in Nairobi. Still she argued some aspects of the architecture could only be Ms Hilde Solbakken described as Norwegian, naming an example where local architects had not Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative to UNEP & UN-HABITAT intuitively understood that the Norwegians would not want a 30m2 bedroom TBC with a sitting group inside. Counsellor (Somalia) Mr Jan-Petter Holtedahl Landsem was most interested in solutions as how to make an effective securi- Counsellor (Development Assistance) ty boundary without building two sets of high walls around the building, some- Mrs Rigmor Koti thing that would claim the whole site and leave no space for the embassy. She Counsellor (Administrative) said the site was very lush and green, and that perhaps the green could be Mrs Inger Lisbeth Sørensen used as security boundaries as well. She was enthusiastic about "green" archi- First Secretary (Political Affairs, Human Rights) tecture. She said power-cuts is a problem that could be solved with an energy Ms Wera Helstrøm efficient building. First Secretary (UN/Humanitarian Affairs/Gender) Mr Geir Arne Schei First Secretary (Immigration) I learned that 22 people, local and Norwegian, work at the embassy, and that Mr Dag Petterson the employees and visa applicants come to the embassy mainly by public Attaché (Integration) transport. Landsem told me that the building has to follow Norwegian laws Ms Sidsel Rønning and regulations, thus she meant universal access laws could be a challenge on such a steep site (9m height difference).

32 4.2. What - Project and Room Programme

I have been given a room programme from the MFA. In total the program will need about 1800m2.

The functions will be organized in different zones according to if they are public, classified for security reasons, or private. If the areas are ranged from most public to most private, the visitors space, for example for visa applicants comes first, then comes offices, the representative rooms for invited guests, then the most private rooms for the ambassadors personal use. The outdoor space must similarly have different privacy zones, and the landscaping of the whole site will be part of the project.

The areas are divided into groups: A) Embassy: 1378m2 Perimeter (sluices & guard space): 55m2 Consular section (visa application): 84m2 Entrance (waiting room): 30m2 Reception: 47m2 Offices: 442m2 Meeting rooms / representation: 262m2 Kitchen / kafeteria: 173m2 Gym / swimmingpool: 79m2 Storage: 55m2 Technical: 141m2 B) Ambassador’s Residence: 267m2 C) Servant Quarters: 125m2

D) 33 parking spaces: 825m2

33 5. AMBITIONS

5.1. Qualitative aims 5.2. Quantitative aims -

My ambition is to design an embassy that relates to its Kenyan setting in a specific way. Material to be delivered I want it to incorporate pre-colonial ideas about spatial organization, and lessen the gap Situation model in 1:500 between traditional and modern solutions for an African architecture in the area where Model 1:100 Nairobi was founded. Sketch models I would lice to focus on the complex logistics of private, public, representative, living Diagrams: sustainable concepts, security concept, areas and working areas with different security classifications, and to work with the spatial concepts, etc spatial transitions between these zones. Situation plan 1:1000 By working with the architectural qualities 'solidity' and 'openness' I will focus on the Plans, sections, facades 1:100 relationship between outside/inside, materiality and tectonics, at the same time creating Drawings of selected area 1:50 comfortable microclimates. Details 1:25 I have chosen solidity and openness because they could say something metaphorically Perspective representation outdoor/ indoor, about how Norway wants to represent herself, as a stable state with long traditions, but model photos, illustrations open to the world and to new impulses. The relationship between outside and inside is Sketchbook not always about a climatic barrier, but could also be about security or access barriers. Description The materials and tectonics chosen can create these different barriers according to different spatial ideas and according to what is needed. Microclimates can be created by using architectural and landscape elements to shape airflows, shades, and humidity.

The design will be informed by the principles of sustainability. These include using local materials, maximizing natural ventilation and natural lighting, and aiming for self- Prioritised themes: sufficiency in regards to electricity and water. Climatic qualities I aim to create comfortable working environments, welcoming areas for visitors, and quiet Local materials private zones. Representing Norway in Kenya Spatial hierarchy

34 6. LITTERATURE LIST AND CONTACTS

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Emig, Søren and Ismail, Zahir: Notes on the Urban Planning of Nairobi, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, Copenhagen 1980

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35 New British High Commission, Kampala, Uganda, http://www.cullumnightingale.com/ourwork/current/nbhckampala.html

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CONTACTS:

Lene Landsem and Turid Mellemstrand at the MFA

Siri Berg and Jan Thews at Statsbygg

Anja Salo and Jon Sigurd Kvello, who have worked in Norwegian embassies- Moscow and Astana

Nils Haugstveit, the ambassador in Argentina

36