The Americans have built a real fortress by the Thames for the price of a huge skyscraper. The new US embassy in London has been surrounded by a garden… and a moat because of the growing terrorist threat. What’s more, the ‘fortress’ is situated on a hill and a winding path leads to its door. In addition to its defensive nature, architect Kieran Timberlake’s design is intriguing with its massive glass block and plastic facade arranged in an hourglass pattern. It is worth mentioning that the previous facility was designed by the famous modernist Eero Saarinen, and there is a Polish accent on the roof of the old embassy.
Little America
The history of the American diplomatic post in London dates back to the late 18th century, almost the beginning of the United States. Slightly earlier, diplomatic missions were started in The Hague and Paris, but over time it was the London embassy that became the most significant foreign post of the United States. Interestingly, the location of the ambassador’s office changed several times until finally, just before the Second World War, the Americans moved to Grosvenor Square in London’s Mayfair.
The buildings of ‘Little America’ grew after the war, and in 1960 a substantial building designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen was completed. The modernist edifice consists of a series of glazed windows with concrete frames. At the top is a sculpture of an eagle by Theodore Roszak, an American sculptor of Polish origin.
Increasing terrorist attacks in the 1980s and 1990s began to threaten embassy staff. After a series of arrests of would-be assassins, the US authorities decided to move their diplomatic post to another, more secure location. The modernist embassy was sold to the Qatari royal family, and in 2008 a plot of land across the river in Nine Elms was purchased. Interestingly, the plot lies close to the historic Battersea Power Station. The task of designing the new, highly secure facility was given to Pennsylvania-based architect Kieran Timberlake. The architect is responsible for the design of many university buildings, including the Department of Sculpture at Yale and New York University.
Glass fortress
The 60 m tall glass cube sits on a small rise, with the main body further raised on metal pillars. What’s more, the embassy has been set back 30 m from the street. The road to the building leads through gardens inspired by the vegetation of different regions of the USA. Small clearings are covered with prairie grass, cacti, shrubs and trees from Oregon and New England. A pond with a waterfall also extends around the building, which from a certain perspective resembles a moat. The defensive buffer zone contrasts with the architect’s words about ‘openness and transparency’, but it must be said that the area around the embassy appears to be a pleasant place to walk.
Speaking of the embassy’s architecture, it is worth noting the compactness of the block. Timberlake chose this shape in order to fit as many offices as possible into the rather limited plot of land. From the river side, the glass walls of the facade do not particularly stand out, but the real ‘face’ of the building is at the back. Plastic panels bent into the shape of a trailing hourglass are suspended from special cantilevers. The ethylenetetrafluoroethylene film is a durable material that reduces heat build-up inside the building. 800 people work in the well-lit offices and the embassy receives around 1,000 visitors a day.
The price of security
The Embassy at Nine Elms boasts LEED Gold and BREAM energy efficiency certifications. The building obtains its energy from photovoltaic panels and heat pumps are responsible for some of the heating. What’s more, intelligent lighting systems switch lamps on and off at appropriate times. The park pond does not only have an aesthetic function, but is also responsible for irrigating the nearby vegetation. Plants are watered through an irrigation and rainwater retention system.
The American diplomatic ‘fortress’ thus secured cost one billion dollars, making it the most expensive diplomatic facility in the world. Such a high price was the reason for the fierce criticism directed against the Obama administration. By comparison, the largest facility of its kind in the world, the US embassy in Baghdad, cost $750 million. The difference is that the cheaper facility occupies a larger area than the entire Vatican. However, the 2017 London embassy is by far one of the best-secured buildings in the world. In this facility, even the windows of the twelfth floor are blast-proof.
Source: US Embassy
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