Revealed: The new $1billion high-security U.S. London embassy... complete with moat

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 06:45 EDT, 24 February 2010

The new U.S. Embassy in London will be a $1billion modernist glass cube protected from attack by an earth bank, a semi-circular lake and bomb-resistant glazing, it was revealed yesterday.

The embassy must move from its current central London location because the 1950s building is too small, outdated and hard to defend from security threats, U.S. Ambassador to Britain Louis Susman said.

Its new neighbours in Wandsworth, south London, will include the disused Battersea Power Station and Britain's biggest fruit and vegetable market.

The 'boring glass cube': The new U.S. Embassy will be located on the southern bank of the Thames just east of the iconic Battersea Power station

Mr Susman said: 'We will replace our current embassy, which has become overcrowded, does not meet modern office needs and required security standards - and, after 50 years, is showing signs of wear and tear.

'This effort has special significance in that we are creating a new home and focal point for one of our most cherished and bilateral relationships.'

The new 12-storey building, which will be able to house 1,000 staff, covers 45,000 square metres.

Acclaimed American architect firm Kieran Timberlake was selected to design the carbon-neutral structure.

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 and centuries.

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Energy efficient: The building is a towering glass cube covered with a thin sheath of photo-voltaic cells

'But it's not a fortress. We are able to use the landscape as a security device. There's no wall and no fences.'

In environmental terms, it will be nearly self-sufficient in energy production and even capable of operating off-grid 'for an extended period', according to officials.

Unlike most glass office buildings, which appear slick and hard-edged, this one will look soft and pillowy thanks to the lightweight plastic scrims that will be attached to the facade like boat sails.

The scrims will do triple duty. They are made from the same 'Etfe' fabric that was quilted on to the Beijing Watercube for the Olympics, they will be embedded with photovoltaic cells that can convert sunlight into energy, even in soggy London.

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Focus for protest: The current U.S. sits on Grosvenor Square, Mayfair. Post 9/11 security was beefed up but it still fails to meet legal requirements

They will also act as sunscreens to keep interiors from overheating. And because the fins are pinched at regular intervals, they create a rippling, sculptural effect on the glass surface.

Building work is due to begin in 2013 and be completed in 2017.

The present embassy is a Modernist landmark by Eero Saarinen that takes up the entire western end of Grosvenor Square, Mayfair.

Critics says its main facade sits uncomfortably alongside the Georgian-style town houses that flank the park to the north and south.

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The Embassy is moving from the heart of Mayfair to the south bank of the River Thames

The embassy also falls short of current security requirements, which include a 100ft defensive perimeter around the building.

The design controversially won out over submissions by architects Richard Meier and Thom Mayne of Morphosis, who both turned in far more sophisticated ideas.

Mr Meier broke the building mass down into a Cubist composition of curves and planes, which critics said is one of his best in recent years.

Thom Mayne’s presented a distorted horseshoe wrapped around a deconstructed version of the Capitol dome in Washington.

The only two British members of the seven-strong design jury 'fought to the death' against their five American counterparts over the choice.

Lord Rogers, the architect of Heathrow Terminal Five, the property developer Lord Palumbo submitted a 'minority report' challenging the selection.

They urged the Obama administration to select Mayne's design - which they said was 'touched by genius - but the Britons were overruled.

Rogers and Palumbo said Kieran Timberlake submission was boring and 'not good enough to represent one of the great nations in London'.

The U.S. State Department has been harshly criticised at home and abroad for its dreary embassies.
During a U.S. Senate hearing last year, Senator John Kerry said he 'cringed' at the sight of some recent embassies.

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Lords Rogers and Palumbo urged the State Department to choose the design by Thom Mayne of San Diegi-based architecture firm Morphosis

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Not good enough: The committee also rejected this design by the firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

'We're building fortresses around the world,' Kerry complained. 'We're separating ourselves from people in these countries.'

American officials consulted with Wandsworth Borough to make sure they were happy with the plan for the five-acre site. Councillors said they hoped that the project will kick-start the redevelopment of the former industrial area.

Adam Namm, acting director of the U.S. government's overseas building operations, said the project would be built by a U.S. construction firm.

But he said it was likely that work would be sub-contracted to British companies.

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Rejected: The design by Richard Meier & Partners attracted widespread critical acclaim

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Inside the new embassy: The main entrance will feature a light, airy entry hall

He said the budget for the project was among the most expensive taken on to build a new embassy, alongside recent developments in Baghdad and Islamabad.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new design in central London, he said U.S. officials did not expect to pay VAT on the scheme.

'We feel we should not be subject to VAT,' he said. 'We've made this view known to Her Majesty's Government.

'I'm not involved in all those discussions, as the bricks and mortar guy.

'There have been various conversations.'

He said American officials were awaiting a response on the matter from the UK Government.

A Treasury spokesman said: 'We cannot comment on the tax affairs of individuals or specific organisations.'

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Architect James Timberlake, of design company Kieran Timberlake shows his winning design for the proposed new American Embassy for London