You Be the Design Ambassador: What Should U.S. Embassies Look Like in the Future? (The Angle)

You Be the Design Ambassador: What Should U.S. Embassies Look Like in the Future?

The State Department's Office of Overseas Building Operations (OBO) is in charge of the design, construction, and operation of U.S. missions abroad. Following the recent retirement of Maj. Gen. Charles Williams, Richard Shinnick, a retired Foreign Service Officer with experience in operations and management, has been named Interim Director/Chief Operation Officer for OBO.

In response to concerns that OBO was not building embassies fast or safe enough, former Director Maj. Gen. Williams re-organized the building operation along a corporate business model, using design-build contracts to build and modernize diplomatic missions under a tight timeframe and developing the "Standard Embassy Design" (SED) template for all new U.S. embassy buildings. While the State Department maintains that using the SED template saves time, money, and uncertainty, the new building program has been criticized by many in the building and diplomatic communities as not being particularly imaginative, resulting in a reduction in design quality and a failure to meet the varied needs of U.S. diplomatic missions around the world.

With the retirement of Maj. Gen. Williams, do you think OBO should continue to use the Standard Embassy Design template for all new embassy buildings? How do you think U.S. embassies should be designed in the future?

Posted by Hannah Wesolowski on January 17, 2008 3:12 PM | Permalink

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Comments (13)

Brian Ivy:

The US should absolutly not use a standard template for the design of their embassies. The US embassies should be considered as an opportunity to express what it means to be in the United States. US Embassies are considered to be American Soile therefore, the vast majority of the citizens in any given country will never have the opportunity to visit the US. Obvoiusly this is the only tangable part of the United States that they will ever have the opportunity to experience first handedly. With that in mind I believe that the US has the responsibility to put its best foot forward. I believe that the embassies should be required to be designed to achieve a minimum of a Platinum LEED Certification. Embody a uniquely american perspective and still be respectful of the context in which the Embassy is sited in. This will help set a positive example for America to LEED (Pun intended) by example regarding being environmentally, technically and architecturally a cut above. By the American government setting the standard for all Future US Embassies to simply meet the status Quoe is in my mind irresponsible.

Posted by Brian Ivy | January 17, 2008 4:32 PM

Posted on January 17, 2008 16:32

Felix Bastidas:

As Brian stated before, the US Embassy building should be the expression of the US itself. As you see and experience any of these buildings you should see and experience America. As an example, the US Embassy in Venezuela, in my opinion, express only modernity and progress, that´s what we see but we experience restrictions when we go inside (rather than experiencing security and opportunities, terms for what US should be known). I think that the architecture can respond to many standards to make the embassy safe, operational, etc, but the template constraints the possibilities to express the idiosincracy of the people, the style of living and the values of the society.

Posted by Felix Bastidas | January 17, 2008 5:34 PM

Posted on January 17, 2008 17:34

Brian Schroeder:

Our embassies are typically built like fortresses--architects who work on them spend more time on value-engineering, blast-resistant glazing and defensible perimeter security than they spend on anything that even remotely resembles "design." An embassy--anywhere in the world--should be an opportuinty for two cultures to meet and work together. A team of architects from both countries should participate in a collaborative design process in the same way that our best historic efforts of diplomacy bring two cultures and two governments together. Unfortuantely, until our government changes its adversarial foreign policies, our embassies might as well look just like our prisons.

Posted by Brian Schroeder | January 17, 2008 5:35 PM

Posted on January 17, 2008 17:35

Bill Klene:

Having worked at drafting of a couple of our embassy buildings between semesters around 1950, I got a good feeling how the design contracts were awarded then - it was pure politics. In spite of this, the buildings did a fairly good job of reflecting construction characteristics of the countries where they were built. They were not mimicking local buildings but they did a reasonable job of reflecting their locale. Since all architectural design should reflect the climate and construction materials and methods prevalent in the vicinity, I think it is essential that our embassies reflect both, their locale, and the USA. While several templates (to accommodate different sizes, etc.) may possibly be a starting point for a design, they cant possibly be used to dictate the outcome. There are too many considerations that need to be taken into account.

Posted by Bill Klene | January 17, 2008 10:04 PM

Posted on January 17, 2008 22:04

Tim Hansmann:

Having done my thesis (too) many years ago on embassy design, I spent a great deal of time studying the notions of reflecting the country an embassy should represent (hopefully without making a caricature of that culture) and being sensitive to the country it is being built in. Every case is so different, and the very nature of our country so varied, I cannot see how a template could be anything other than a starting point to set minimum but also important standards for security or energy performance.

Posted by Tim Hansmann | January 18, 2008 9:09 AM

Posted on January 18, 2008 09:09

R. Allan Christianson:

Who would design the template? And, what committee would modify it? Requiremnts and guidelines are helpful but templates are not architecture. Templates might work for "facilities" which are things like bathrooms, boiler rooms, processing plants and box stores. The best that architecture can bring, its spirit, includes, always, intuition. How does one profile that?

Posted by R. Allan Christianson | January 18, 2008 1:42 PM

Posted on January 18, 2008 13:42

Howard Wong, AIA:

When experiencing government buildings, one finds palpable evidence that security and democratic architecture are not mutually exclusive. The Lincoln Memorial and Supreme Court in Washington DC, for example, embody an engaging strength. Conversely, the prominent US Embassy in Ottawa, although extremely well-crafted, portrays an insularity that emotionally contrasts with the adjacent historic Parliament Buildings and the bustling Byward Market. The imagery of a medieval castle hovering over a village connotes an ineffective message---that of a fiefdom rather than a partnership.

Posted by Howard Wong, AIA | January 19, 2008 3:43 AM

Posted on January 19, 2008 03:43

Alexander I Oumov,AIA Emeritus:

Any Embassy building must reflect the US itself in some way,and at the same time reflect local conditions,building methods, as well as understanding prevalent political uncertainties,(which include porential acts of terrorism).Designing to reach a balance of closed "fortress" and open "Hope and Freedom" is a huge challenge never able to be achieved by a "template" type design. This writer has roamed alone the streets of Cairo, Moscow and Paris in complete immunity and been taken for granted by their respective citizens due to a command of language,dialect and culture. In designing projects in Russia, the Baltics and the Middle East, I have always understood that an Architect's "Client/User" overseas is an amalgam of two components: the US staff and the local population who will not only view the Embassy from the outside (and be attracted or repulsed),but also have access to certain offices. In the initial stage of Space/Concept planning, it is essential to understand the reqiurements of the US staff (space efficiency, security,safe rooms, Marines' quarters,etc) snd Spaces that accomodate local population needs (meetings with US staff, visa interviews etc). A US Embassy in Australia, will perforce be different from one in China, and different from one in Baghdad because the political climates and cultures are so different. An Embassy is the outpost for the different aspects of our country's Foreign Policy, Trade and useful relation with the host country. It is so important that its dedicated staff be successful in its operation, that it must be recognized that a "template" design can only contribute to a potential political disaster detrimental to US interests.

Posted by Alexander I Oumov,AIA Emeritus | January 21, 2008 4:51 PM

Posted on January 21, 2008 16:51

John LaMonica, AIA:

I copy Bill Klene’s statement that architectural design should reflect the climate and construction materials and methods prevalent in the vicinity, and agree that The OBO should not follow a template. Like any good custom residential design with open/welcoming public spaces but also strong, secure and private areas, it must follow guidelines for security and safety. Templates and the Design-build process tend to limit freedom of expression. It should reflect our values for freedom, democracy, respect of the environment, local culture, a new political environment in a crowded world, not the perception of elitism, arrogance, defense, domination and strength. Intelligent design will show true strength.

Posted by John LaMonica, AIA | January 23, 2008 10:40 AM

Posted on January 23, 2008 10:40

Shawn Emmons, Assoc. AIA:

What is the background of the circumstances that led to the development of SEDs? Standard Embassy Design p.3 Toward the end of the 1990s, the State Department’s capital building program had been dramatically reduced by years of cutbacks in resources. After the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Congress restored the capital program, intending to replace 180 facilities with substantial security defects. Under the leadership of President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, the State Department embarked on an overseas construction program on a scale unprecedented in its history. To accomplish this program, in March 2001 the Secretary of State upgraded the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations (FBO) to the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), reporting directly to the Undersecretary for Management. He also appointed Major General Charles E. Williams, USA, retired, as the Director/Chief Operating Officer (Assistant Secretary equivalent) of OBO. General Williams crafted a framework for performance and completely restructured OBO to support the project life cycle concept by allocating staff resources to the primary functions of Planning & Development, Design & Engineering, and Construction & Commissioning. The new management focus is “Results Based” and the new organization structure supports the basic concepts of full accountability, top performance, and a clear understanding of OBO’s mission. SED was developed under the reorganized OBO structure as a tool to enable OBO to plan, award, design, and construct new embassy projects more efficiently than in the past; to simplify the building process; and to provide economically feasible facilities overseas. What are the benefits or results of using SEDs, such as cost or time savings or organizational efficiencies? • Assurance that safety, security, and functional requirements are met, since the SED incorporates these standards and precepts. • Reduced time in preparing Requests for Proposals, due to standardized requirements. • Reduced time to prepare contract documents and negotiate with contractors, due to the SED use of the D/B method of delivery. • Reduced time for Integrated Design Reviews, since SED project submittals should be more correct and complete than those submitted in the past. • Less room for error or omission, since the SED is based on established design prototypes, specifications, and minimum requirements developed and implemented by OBO. • Simplified budget process, since SED project costs should be easier to estimate. • Organizational efficiencies were incorporated into the SED, including shared use of conference areas, standardized building entrances, and flexible-use public spaces. • The SED is designed to minimize the impact of operational security requirements for cleaning and maintenance personnel. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations anticipates that this will have a positive impact on employee productivity as well as operating costs at a post due to a lessened need to escort uncleared cleaning and maintenance personnel. In addition to schedule savings, the price proposals received for the six SED projects bid in FY 2002 resulted in savings of over 13 percent or $63 million in the estimated cost of these projects. This savings allowed OBO to add one additional NEC to the FY 2003 projects.

Posted by Shawn Emmons, Assoc. AIA | January 28, 2008 5:50 PM

Posted on January 28, 2008 17:50

Shawn Emmons, Assoc. AIA:

Source for the previous post: http://www.state.gov/obo/c13075.htm $63 million (and more) is an expensive indulgence of your, or my, particular philosophy of design. Sometimes, I think, architects are enchanted with a baseless and exaggerated notion of the value of design and the supposed utopia it will yield. Some think this indulgence makes better architecture. I think it makes bad government. Architecture is circumscribed by larger considerations. Citizen Architect? Or Architect Citizen?

Posted by Shawn Emmons, Assoc. AIA | January 30, 2008 5:12 PM

Posted on January 30, 2008 17:12

J. Christopher Kirk, AIA:

Embassies and consulates exist to act as formal cultural, business, diplomatic, and symbolic representative of the United States to foreign countries. To do their job, they must both express American ideals and respect local traditions, and they must be open to the local people and environment. Where this is impossible they should not be built in the first place. I was a designer of the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, and the stated goal at that time was that embassies should act as "the dignified guest." Now, instead, the goal is a standard design based on a business model. I suppose if we have declined to the point where McDonald's is symbolic of the best America has to offer, the current plan is entirely appropriate, and the world should look elsewhere for quality and inspiration.

Posted by J. Christopher Kirk, AIA | February 3, 2008 7:24 PM

Posted on February 3, 2008 19:24

Shawn Emmons, Assoc. AIA:

From the post dated January 28, 2008 17:50: 'Architecture is circumscribed by larger considerations.' HEADLINE: US furious over Belgrade Embassy Attack Now the ephemeral quality of architecture is self-evident in Belgrade. The power of architectural metaphor pales in comparison to the strength of the righteous indignation of the Serbian people. “The AIA calls on members for year-round advocacy…” Let your government know you think it is a mistake to support Kosovo’s declaration of independence. Stand with our Serbian brethren to protect Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Posted by Shawn Emmons, Assoc. AIA | February 22, 2008 9:54 AM

Posted on February 22, 2008 09:54

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