EU-Embassy

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Client: EU
Team: Stig L. Andersson, Henrik Jørgensen, Mette Hoffmann Bertelsen, Stine Poulsen
Design phase: 1995-2002
Construction: 2003-2004

The landscape in the European Embassy Complex in Nigeria ’s capital Abuja consists partly of several large communal spaces, partly of individual courtyards belonging to the Embassies of the various countries. Each garden is inspired by the particular identity of the member country, its nature and culture. In Abuja the year is divided into a rainy and a dry season. Therefore local materials and plants are used in consideration of the climatic conditions.

The courtyard of the Embassy of the Netherlands is a strictly articulated garden consisting of various objects: low hedges, works of art and reflecting pools. Granite paving creates unity, whilst trimmed trees with colourful fruits filter the light.

The garden in the German Chancellery is inspired by German Romanticism and the work of the famous German landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné. Planted with palms and other luxuriant plants it is designed as an exotic winter garden reminiscent of Wilhelm III’s palm house at Pfaueninsel near Berlin. ‘Carpets’ of granite create an intimate atmosphere in a garden designed for pleasure and recreation.

Inspired by historical gardens such as Villa Lante and Ville d’Este, the unifying element in the Italian garden is a wall intersected by countless fountains. The water falls into a long granite basin with a waved edge. Fruit trees and jardinières filled with flowers create a luxuriant, sensory atmosphere.