The winning design for a new £650m US Embassy to be built in west
London has been revealed.
Pennsylvania firm KieranTimberlake beat 36 companies in the contest
to build the embassy in Nine Elms, Wandsworth.
But critics have described the winning design as being “like a
fortress” and derided similarities between it and the old embassy in
Mayfair.
Wandsworth Council must approve the new design. The US hopes to start
building in 2013 and complete work by 2017.
A US Embassy spokesman said: “KieranTimberlake’s design met the goal
of creating a modern, welcoming, timeless, safe and energy-efficient
embassy for the 21st Century.
“Their concept holds the greatest potential for developing a truly
iconic embassy and is on the leading edge of sustainable design.”
But Antony Lorenz, chairman of the Mayfair residents’ association –
which has criticised onerous security measures at the old embassy –
said: “It seems amazing the architects have followed a plan of the
existing embassy.
“It looks almost identical with its concrete looking structure.”
He added: “Unless they are restricted to designing a building to look
like a fortress it is not what I would expect for what is supposed to
be the greatest embassy building in the world.
“I am absolutely shocked.”
Wandsworth Council granted outline permission for the embassy in
September 2009, hoping it would “kick-start wider regeneration of the
area”.
Some 1,000 people will be able to work in the 12-storey, 45,000
square metre building.
It is being designed with the risk of terrorist attacks as a strong
consideration.
It is set among landscaping including a pond, which acts as a natural
security measure, the design team said.
James Timberlake, of Kieran Timberlake, said: “It meets and exceeds
all the security requirements.
“We are using elements of landscaping that have been around for
centuries. But it’s not a fortress – we are able to use the landscape
as a security device.”
The embassy will be in the centre of the site and set back 30 metres
from its boundaries to create a blast-proof zone.