The French Diplomatic Campus

The French Embassy Campus designed by Richard+Schoeller Architects, with ATO Architects Ltd as the counterpart Architect in Nigeria. The Campus, set on a plot of 7450sqm, with a built-up density of 28% is composed of structures planned around a garden courtyard.
There are five main blocks on the site, the Security building, Administrative building, the accommodation of security personnel, Guest rooms, and the Ambassador’s residence. These are separated by courtyards, vegetation, parking spaces, gardens, swimming pool and patios to allow dual-aspect ventilation and night cooling.
There is a clear differentiation of the distinct functions on the campus, from the entrance: Chancellery, Ambassador’s house and Security guards’ accommodations which allows for
an easy sense of direction. The façade is characterized by “shelves of light” that shade windows for cross ventilation whilst allowing natural light into the space.

The various building design on the campus embodies a rational approach to the function of buildings,
with a coherent use of materials, structural innovation. Clean lines define the design aesthetic, put together with vertical wood sun breakers and swathes of green space, vegetation, and green roofs for the various buildings.

The buildings were designed to reduce the use energy, water, minimize waste, reduce maintenance and upkeep. The aim was achieving a reduction of 50 % the energy, optimize natural ventilation, a strong security reinforcement, high information technology, easy maintenance and high sustainability of the site.
The facades are shaded with cast in-situ concrete fins with placed perpendicularly and horizontally along with windows, which allow direct protection from solar radiation and good natural lighting through the entire depth of rooms. The walls are of white exposed concrete cast insitu in Pieri wooden
formwork. Glazing was done by Phoenicia. The buildings were fully insulated with Knauff mineral wool, external wall finishes were nero marquina stone striated for upper levels, polished for
ground floors and Egyptian stone for floor finish.

The green roof was created with 100% plant covered waterproofing Soprema with local soil, landscaped with local gardeners and soil enriched with organic waste from the construction site.
The embassy has been in service since November 2019.