Swiss diplomacy at home

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Moscow, embassy and residence, Ogorodnaya Sloboda 2 / Gouciatnikov 5 In 2005, the Swiss government purchased the mansion built by Russian architect Nikolay Ivanovich Yakunin in 1892. Housed in nearby buildings, the residence and the chancellery that are being refurbished surround a large inner courtyard. (© Rainer Sohlbank, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Moscow, embassy and residence, Ogorodnaya Sloboda 2 / Gouciatnikov 5 A number of receptions have been organised at the embassy this year to commemorate the bicentenary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Russia. (© Rainer Sohlbank, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Washington, residence, 20008-3499 Washington (NW), 2900 Cathedral Avenue The site of the buildings is a vast, hilly plot of land. The ambassador's residence, a jigsaw of horizontal grey stone and glass, dominates its surroundings. (© Adrien Barakat, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Washington, residence, 20008-3499 Washington (NW), 2900 Cathedral Avenue The residence was built between 2004 and 2006 based on plans drawn up by American architect Steven Holl and Rüssli Architekten in Switzerland (© Adrien Barakat, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

La Paz, embassy, Calle 13 No 455 esq. Av. 14 de Sept. The Swiss embassy in the world's highest capital, built in 2002 and 2003, was designed by Swiss architects Ueli Brauen and Doris Wälchli. Their project was awarded the city's culture prize (© Laurence Bonvin, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

La Paz, embassy, Calle 13 No 455 esq. Av. 14 de Sept. The perforated and coulourful metal sheets designed by Swiss artist Daniel Schlaepfer protect from the sunlight and provide a transition between inside and outside (© Laurence Bonvin, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Paris, embassy, 75007 Paris, 142 rue de Grenelle. In 1938, the government bought the Chanac de Pompadour mansion, built in 1705 by architect Pierre-Alexis Delamair (© Renaud Sterchi, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Paris, embassy, 75007 Paris, 142 rue de Grenelle One of the previous owners was the baron Pierre-Victor de Besenval, originally from Solothurn, lieutenant-general of the royal armies, inspector-general of the King's Swiss guard and major art collector, who bought it in 1767 (© Renaud Sterchi, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

New Delhi, embassy, 110021 New Delhi, Nyaya Marg Chanakyapuri The concrete building is actually two under one roof. It was built after the death of its Swiss architect, Hans Hofmann (© Thomas Jentscher, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

New Delhi, embassy, 110021 New Delhi, Nyaya Marg Chanakyapuri Inside, skylights provide illumination for water features (© Thomas Jentscher, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Berlin, embassy and residence, 10557 Berlin (Tiergarten), Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee 4A Purchased by the government in 1919, the building in the heart of Berlin managed to escape Second World War bombings unscathed (© Rainer Sohlbank, BBL/OFCL) BBL

Berlin, embassy and residence, 10557 Berlin (Tiergarten), Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee 4A The original building dating back to 1871 was extended in 2001 with an autonomous concrete cube section designed by Swiss architects Diener & Diener (© Rainer Sohlbank, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Riyadh, residence, 11693 Riyadh - diplomatic quarter Made of concrete and sandstone, the ambassador's residence designed by Zurich's W.R. Hunziker architects' practice and Gherzi Engineering was built between 1982 and 1984 (© Léo Fabrizio, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Riyadh, residence, 11693 Riyadh - diplomatic quarter Safe from sand, heat and sun, a porch protected by braided aluminium mashrabiya opens onto the patio (© Léo Fabrizio, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Tokyo, residence and embassy, 1068589 Tokyo (Minato-ku), Minami Azabu 5-9-12 The red-and-grey brick residence was designed in 1983 by Swiss architect Rolf Kaiser. The doors and sliding windows were inspired by traditional Japanese construction techniques (© Hannes Henz, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Tokyo, residence and embassy, 1068589 Tokyo (Minato-ku), Minami Azabu 5-9-12 The residence is home to a 1953 Le Corbusier tapestry, "Les musiciennes" (The musicians) (© Hannes Henz, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Brasilia, embassy, 70448-900 Brasilia (Asa-Sul), Av. Das Naçoes Lot 41, SES, Qd.811 The buildings designed by Swiss architects Hans and Annemarie Hubacher were built on land donated by the Brazilian government to Switzerland after Brasilia became the new capital in 1960 (© Laurence Bonvin, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Brasilia, embassy, 70448-900 Brasilia (Asa-Sul), Av. Das Naçoes Lot 41, SES, Qd.811 The embassy and chancellery are entirely covered in blue tiles, even the swimming pool that is decorated with ceramics by Jean Baier (© Laurence Bonvin, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Beijing, visa section, 100600 Beijing, Sanlitun Dongwujie 3 Built on one level, the small visa building is especially noticeable at night thanks to its interior lighting (© Hannes Henz, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

Pékin, residence, 100600 Beijing, Sanlitun Dongwujie 3 Designed by Swiss firm Hartmann+Co, the residence has three linked reception rooms that open on to the terrace and garden (© Hannes Henz, BBL/OFCL) BBL GSK

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An embassy has been described by specialists as much more than a building or a work of architecture, representing the universal language of diplomacy. For Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, it should not be extravagant, just a symbol of quality and of a job well done.

A new book about Swiss representations abroad highlights 34 embassies, chancelleries, residences and consulates of patrimonial, historical as well as architectural interest. Among Swiss diplomacy’s most emblematic sites, these buildings are often considered to be real jewels of Switzerland’s 150 outposts on five continents.

Among those buildings are a number of palaces and mansions. “Some buildings already had close ties to Switzerland because they had belonged to Swiss noblemen who lived in Paris, Berlin or Rome,” says the book’s author, Catherine Courtiau. But there are also magnificent contemporary buildings such the townhouse built by a Zurich banker in Havana in the 1950s and rented out to the Swiss government in 1959.

Since the last century, the government has often called on Swiss architects for new buildings as well as to help adapt older ones to the technological, security and functional requirements of today.

Cortiau wasn’t able to visit each representation because of budget restrictions, but worked with the help of archives. “It’s difficult for an art historian to work with just photos: how do you see the difference between marble and stone, silk from wallpaper?” she explains.

“But this virtual journey turned out to be exciting because thanks to the research I was able to talk to many architects working abroad and meet all kinds of people.”

(Photos: BBL/OFCL – Text: Isabelle Eichenberger and Catherine Courtiau)