Felleshus: The Architecture
Maple Wood, Glass, and Exposed Concrete
The Felleshus / Pan Nordic Building, which is open to the public,
combines the security, working and representation functions of all five
embassies. The house also serves as central passageway to the embassies.
The name »Felleshus« (Danish) denotes the sense the building
imbues and what it is used for – a house for all, a house in which to
meet and interact. The Felleshus has an auditorium for concerts,
readings, film viewings and conferences, exhibition spaces, conference
rooms, a spacious terrace and a public canteen. The facade of
the building is panelled with maple wood. The entrance opens up in the
form of a centrally placed glass front as high as the building. The
glass-roofed entrance hall spans all floors and is flanked by slender
columns. On the second floor an extensive exhibition area and the
terrace open up. On the next floor is the Nordic canteen. The
walls and columns in the Felleshus are made of exposed concrete.
Complementing this, the use of maple wood imparts a warm, bright
atmosphere. The floor is of light-coloured Swedish marble. The building
is the public space for the entire complex and presents a functional,
modern and inviting ambience to visitors. Embassy Complex: The ConceptConnections
between countries and political alliances in Northern Europe have a
long history. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden comprise the
so-called Nordic Region and have a common representation of interests in
the Nordic Council (since 1952) and in the Nordic Council of Ministers
(since 1971). After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German
Parliament's resolution to relocate the capital from Bonn to Berlin, the
often considered idea of a common Nordic embassy complex was able to be
realised. The vision of five national embassy office buildings with one
common building open to the public, the Felleshus / Pan Nordic
Building, enclosed by a band of copper, corresponded to the fundamental
idea of individual freedom, combined with a feeling of unity. The
almost 230 metres long and 15 metres broad copper band is the
distinguishing feature of the design of Berger and Parkkinen. It
consists of approximately 4,000 pre-patinated lamellas and gives the
complex a unified appearance from the outside. The area inside
the copper band, the plaza, is transected by geometric lines. The area
within these lines forms the plaza, and the sides of the four
intersecting lane strips are defined by the sides of the buildings. The
lane strips form streets between the individual embassy buildings. Three
water basins between the buildings are an architectural reference to
the connecting seas between the Nordic countries. The embassy buildings,
in turn, are grouped to correspond to the arrangement of the countries
on the map.
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The Nordic Countries
Nordic Facts
The countries of northern Europe and their autonomous territories are
often referred to as the Nordic countries. They include Denmark,
Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Åland, Iceland, Norway and
Sweden. The Faroe Islands and Greenland belong to Denmark. Åland is part
of Finland.
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The countries of northern Europe and their autonomous areas are often
referred to as the Nordic countries. They include Denmark, Greenland,
the Faeroe Islands, Finland, Åland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The
Faroe Islands and Greenland both belong to Denmark. Åland is part of
Finland.
Altogether, about 25 million people live in the Nordic
countries. The population density varies greatly: Iceland has about 3.4
inhabitants per km2, Finland 17.4 and Denmark 127.6 inhabitants per km2
(as of 2007 / 2008). The population of the capital cities ranges between
one and two million with the exception of Reykjavík, Iceland, which has
191,000 inhabitants. Copenhagen, Denmark, has about 1.6 million people,
Helsinki, Finland, 1 million, Oslo, Norway, 1.05 million and Stockholm,
Sweden, 1.9 million people.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden are
constitutional monarchies; Iceland and Finland are republics. All of the
countries have democratic constitutions with roots dating back to the
19th century. The heads of state in the Nordic countries have relatively
little power.
The flags of the Nordic countries have a common
feature: the Scandinavian cross. The horizontal bar divides the area of
the flags into two equal upper and lower halves, while the vertical bar
is off-centre, closer to the hoist side. The Scandinavian cross first
appeared on a Nordic flag in 1219, on the Danish Dannebrog.
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Nordic Cooperation
Nordic cooperation is based on a common cultural heritage, a common
history and common values with regard to people, democracy and justice ...
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Nordic cooperation is based on a common cultural heritage, a common
history and common values with regard to people, democracy and justice. Political
cooperation between the Nordic countries was initiated in 1952 with the
founding of the Nordic Council. The Nordic Council is a form of
cooperation of the Nordic parliaments with the Council of Ministers as
the organ of the governments. Each country is represented in the
Council of Ministers with its own minister. Nordic cooperation
also takes place in areas such as economics, research, education, the
labour market, the environment and culture. Among other things, an
agreement exists concerning a common labour market, a common social
network, access to higher education, and the right to vote on a
communal level. Since 1954 citizens of the Nordic countries have been
able to cross regional borders without a passport. Denmark,
Finland and Sweden are members of the European Union. Finland uses the
euro as currency. Denmark, Iceland and Norway are members of NATO. Here you will find further information about Nordic cooperation:www.norden.orgwww.norden.iswww.norden.nowww.norden.sewww.hallonorden.orgwww.skandinavien.deNordic Houses in the Nordic Countries:www.bryggen.dk The North Atlantic House in Copenhagen www.napa.gl Nordic Institute of Greenland www.nifin.helsinki.fi The Nordic Institute in Finnland www.nipa.ax The Nordic Institute on Åland www.nlh.fo The Nordic House on the Faroe Islands www.nordice.is The Nordic House in Iceland Nordic institutes in Berlin:www.kulturhus-berlin.de www.finnland-institut.de < less
Nordic Climate
The northerly latitude and the influence of the Gulf Stream determine the climate in the Nordic countries. Generally, it is cooler than in central Europe, but the warm currents of the Gulf Stream are responsible for mild temperatures.
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The northerly latitude and the influence of the Gulf Stream determine
the climate in the Nordic countries. Generally, it is cooler than in
central Europe, but the warm currents of the Gulf Stream are responsible
for mild temperatures.
The average annual temperatures are
relatively low. Helsinki in Finland, for instance, has an average annual
temperature of 5.3°C. The Nordic countries are situated in the
temperate climate zone; only Greenland, which is situated for the most
part above the Arctic Circle, has a polar and subpolar climate.
In
the inland areas of Norway, Sweden and Finland a typical continental
climate prevails with cold winters and warm summers. Denmark, the Faroe
Islands and Åland, on the other hand, have a pronounced maritime
climate. Considering their latitude, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the
coast of Norway have relatively high temperatures – that is because of
the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.
Nordic summers are cooler
than in central Europe. Summer begins later and ends earlier; the season
is relatively short for fruit to mature. Nevertheless there are still
some very hot summer days with temperatures over 30°C. The farther north
you travel the colder it becomes. Reykjavík in Iceland, for example,
has a mean July temperature of 11.2°C.
Nordic summers are
characterised by extremely long, light days. From June on, north of the
Arctic Circle the sun never sets. Depending on the location, the sun
shines round the clock for up to four months (e. g. on Spitzbergen).
In
winter, by contrast, there are long, dark polar nights. The sun remains
below the horizon for many weeks at a time. In many regions there are
only a few hours of daylight. For instance, Iceland has only three to
four hours of daylight from November to January. The winter temperatures
in the Nordic countries vary to quite an extent. In Iceland, for
instance, winters are unexpectedly mild. The mean temperature in January
is -0.4°C. In Finland, by contrast, temperatures of -20°C are not
unusual.
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Nordic Languages
Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish are North Germanic languages and have their origin in Old Norse. Today, modern Icelandic is the closest language to Old Norse. In the Viking age ...
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Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish are North Germanic languages
and have their origin in Old Norse. Today, modern Icelandic is the
closest language to Old Norse. In the Viking age (from around 750 to
1000 A. D.) and in the Early Middle Ages, dialects rather than
individual languages were spoken within the Nordic linguistic area.
These dialects evolved over time into individual languages that became
more and more distinct from each other. Finnish belongs to the
Finno-Ugric languages; it is not an Indo-European language and therefore
is not a Nordic language in the linguistic sense.
People with
Danish, Norwegian and Swedish as mother tongue can understand each other
even when each person speaks his own language. It takes some practice,
however, to achieve full understanding.
The basic vocabulary is
more or less the same in the Nordic languages, although Swedish
sometimes diverges from this common vocabulary. Danish differs more in
the pronunciation.
Within »inter-Nordic« communication,
Norwegian-speakers have the best advantage. Finns and Icelanders tend to
have more difficulty with inter-Nordic communication. However, Finnish
and Icelandic children usually learn one of the Nordic languages in
school and are often able to communicate with Danish, Norwegian and
Swedish speakers.
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Architecture
 of the Nordic Embassies
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Architecture
of Felleshus
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Facts: Nordic countries
Summary of all the themes
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