From 2017 to 2024, Zurich-based architecture practice Lütjens Padmanabhan completed three projects for Swiss representations abroad: a new residence for the Swiss ambassador to Algiers; the Swiss consulate in Stuttgart, Germany; and most recently, a concise and colorful renovation of the Swiss ambassador’s residence in Bogotá, Colombia.
The Bogotá residence, Lütjens Padmanabahn’s first project in the Americas, is a 2,550-square-foot reimagination of an existing villa that started with the need to meet earthquake resistance standards. To disguise the new reinforcements, the designers got creative: colorful geometric ceiling mirrors were installed in all main rooms.
But the villa was also updated in other ways that reflect a contemporary sensibility. For example, the existing service kitchen transitioned into a new family hub, seamlessly connecting to the garden. There, a new glass-roofed space was also debuted for receptions. The first floor’s interventions dissolve the rigid separation between ambassadorial and staff areas and underline an egalitarian way of living and working. Unique, character-filled furniture pieces inhabit the representative rooms, which can be composed easily according to daily needs, embracing the mobility that’s intrinsic to the life of a diplomat.
Read more about the residence on aninteriormag.com.
