New Finnish Embassy in Tokyo

The aim of the design of the new Finnish embassy in Tokyo is to create a building which is not seen as a bureaucratic fortress, but rather as a place for meeting and sharing ideas. The design creates spaces, backgrounds and platforms of presenting Finland, it’s designs, culture and people.

The embassy stands proudly on a beautiful site in Minami Azabu, inviting the people to see and experience things about Finland and the co-operation between our two countries. The architecture is contemporary, but also carries within itself the heritage of Finnish modernism.

Residential building surrounds the site from two edges. It forms the background of the embassy. Residential building envelope represents the maximum allowed floor area. There are numerous alternatives to develop the housing project within this envelope totally independently from embassy and its outside areas. Entrances to apartments are on the north and east sides of the site.

The new embassy building is terraced; the floors get smaller towards the top. Each floor has long terraces to diminish the barrier between inside and outside. These terraces with plants and vegetation are used for recreation and they function as heat equalizers.

The entire embassy building can be covered with technical sun screen textiles. These textile screens are motorised and computer controlled to optimise excess solar heat cutting and to provide optimal natural light indoor environment. The screens can be steered to ensure the privacy of the embassy during nighttime. Special occasions can be celebrated by turning the embassy building into a huge lantern with the screens down and lights on.

The white color of the exterior is a reference to pure white Finnish snow and traditional Japanese architecture. Technical, always varying, translucent and transparent façades convey a positive image of the inhabitants of the embassy.