The Nordic Embassy Complex
Berlin, Germany
1999
The Danish Embassy
Arkitekterne 3xNielsen A/S, Kim Herforth Nielsen
The Swedish Embassy
Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, Gert Wing?rdh
The Finnish Embassy
VIIVA Arkkitehtuuri Oy, Rauno Lehtinen, Pekka MŠki and Toni Peltola
The Norwegian Embassy
SNØHETTA; Craig Dykers, Christoph Kapeller, Kjetil Thorsen.
The Icelandic Embassy
Arkitekt Palmar Kristmundsson
Photo: Christian Richters
On October 20th five Nordic heads of state assembled in Berlin to inaugurate the Nordic Embassy Complex.
The Heads of State, Queen Margrete the Second of Denmark, King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden, King Harald of Norway, President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland and President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson of Iceland, each officially inaugurated their respective Embassies.
The night before the inauguratin there was a Gala performance at the Berlin Philharmonic. Okko Kamu from Finland conducted the orchestra Norden, with the young musicians playing works by Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, Karolina Eiriksdottir and Carl Nielsen.
When the five embassies joined forces for the Nordic Embassy Complex they announced a competition for the Master Plan.
The competition was won by Austrian/Finnish architects Adolf Berger and Tiina Parkkinen who, besides the Master Plan, also designed the shared reception and exhibition building.
Each individual Embassy is designed by architects chosen by their respective countries.
The Master Plan ties the complex together by wrapping a "Wall" of 4.000 non-adjustable copper louvers around the buildings and their joint reception and exhibition areas.
The verdigris copper louvers also act as a transition from the compact city to Tiergarten, Berlins central park.
