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Demysifying American
Diplomacy
The approach to the embassy is through the harsh
concrete gate structure dressed in the cold gray of
granite knitted along the equally resistive
impressions of the barricaded boundary. As you walk
along, you are confronted by the irksome security
checkpoints and guards with guns, vigilant and
imposing, making anyone walking in, apprehensive.
Although the openness of the garden compound that
lies before the entrance of the chancery building
softens the impact of high security, tension is,
always and forever, impending in any embassy
architecture; where security defines every aspect of
design. And why not! With the history of terrorist
bombings of the American Embassy in Beirut in 1983
followed by the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in
East Africa, the call for security cannot be denied.
As noted by Sharon Hudson, the former deputy
director of the American Center, “The protection of
the American and Nepali employees and mainly, the
visitors who are mostly locals, is the primary
consideration.” Even the interiors with its
mechanically controlled ventilation, heating and air
conditioning are proof of the security laden
fortress. The security demands of the embassy make
it almost impossible to pursue a naturally
ventilated solution.
According to Jane C. Loeffler, historian and author
of ‘The Architecture of Diplomacy: Building American
Embassies’, the exorbitant security of U.S.
embassies is the “undesired visual cues of strength
and impenetrability that can transmit aloofness,
anxiety and an absence of goodwill.” Security should
not be so stringent that the building becomes a
bastion, where the atmosphere of caution is
heightened by the constricted and controlled
environment of the interiors stripped of day light
and a view. That said, the atrium that divides the
chancery building into two blocks provides a much
needed sense of relief from the cautious air of the
embassy and comes as a breath of fresh air, letting
maximum natural light pour into the offices. This
intrusion of natural light combined with the
illusion of depth, caused by the narrowness of width
in relation to the length of the atrium, manifests
dramatic presence: it is indeed a point of
encounter, where two contrasting ideas collide and
blend, where tension of formality dissolves and
dynamism of interaction is born. This is what can be
termed as ‘logical security.’
Further traces of the new embassy’s ‘logical
security’ can be seen in its openness. For any visa
seeker and other visitors to the embassy myself, the
garden compound which lies in between the
domineering gates (with its imposing guards) and the
chancery building reasonably softens the tension
factor and the impact of the high security that is
initially felt when walking in from the front gates.
The waiting area located in the huge porch extending
towards the lush landscape of local plant species
and the Consular Section, furnished in cozy touches
of wood, fabric paneling and a naturally lit
interior with huge design windows overlooking the
indigenous and endemic soft-scapes, provides for a
relaxed and open atmosphere.
Yet, the tangible example of openness is the
building’s discernible ‘visual link’. In other
words, the best spectacle of the embassy and the
compound is from the surrounding buildings, making
the compound remarkably exposed. According to the
Construction Manager, Owen J. Dunn of OBO (Overseas
Building Operations), permission is often sought
from neighbouring locals to photograph the panorama
of the embassy architecture and to observe
construction progress from neighboring terraces. In
light of this information one can even be so bold as
to say that the embassy is an architecture of
resolution where stringent security requirements are
waived in favor of ‘logical security’ that allows
openness to prevail. Really, what can be a more
tangible metaphor of clarity than the visual link
that allows transparency and public inspection?
Another symbol of openness is expressed in the
embassy’s efficiency and accessibility. In addition
to providing improved work environment for its
staff, the embassy also offers better public
services. ‘Openness as functionality’ is
perhaps the most
important message of transparency the new embassy
propagates. Ambassador Moriarty was said to be
adamant on introducing the American Library in the
Chancery Building, accessible to visitors. His point
being that the library, in addition to providing a
wealth of information on American culture, would
also serve as an excuse for people looking forward
to stepping into the embassy compound. This view is
shared by the Embassy’s new leadership as was
evident by Ambassador Nancy J Powell’s comments at
the Library’s recent opening ceremony. Ambassador
Powell emphasized the Library’s long history of
providing access to information to Nepalis.
Such a suggestion of transparency is an exception
amongst U.S. embassies. In the case of equating
security and openness, it is as relevant as the
highly praised Ottawa’s chancery designed by David
Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Gordon
Giffin, the ambassador of Ottawa Embassy, pleased
with the quality of his workplace environment, had
commented “Security ought to be the primary
consideration, but not the sole consideration.” On
that note, even the gate architecture of the new
Embassy becomes notable. Although the design of the
gate suggests high security (as previously
suggested), upon closer inspection of these
structures we notice that its image of
impenetrability is broken by the introduction of the
visually vulnerable length of slit. This detail
gives glimpses of the garden compound and beyond,
linking the inside and outside, again blending
security with openness.
Furthermore, the building follows LEED (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design) which might be
the most significant feature of this embassy. A
standard United States Government (USG) requirement,
LEED design is based on a series of elements which
promotes the use of sustainable energy and an
overall green building. LEED Green Building Rating
system is the accepted benchmark for the design,
construction and operation of high performance green
buildings in the U.S. It also promotes a whole
building approach to sustainability by recognizing
performance in five key areas of human and
environmental health: sustainable site development,
water savings, energy efficiency, materials
selection and indoor environmental quality.
The green technology incorporated into the design of
the embassy includes sensors that turn office lights
off in the room when un-occupied, sun shades to
reduce temperature on exterior windows and laminated
glazing on its glass along with heavy insulation on
the walls to reduce heat transfer, saving on heating
and cooling, the use of day lighting to save on
electricity, energy efficient HVAC chillers and
light fixtures and an on-site waste water treatment
plant to treat water before being released into the
municipal sewer system.
The concept of sustainability in hi-tech buildings
may be new to Nepal; nevertheless, the idea can be
propagated for transition of our buildings to
sustainable design. After all, the technology of
green building is prophesized to be the identity of
21st century architecture and it also serves as an
inspiration towards sustainable architecture in
Nepal.
In conclusion, if one anticipates the new U.S.
Embassy to be the dramatic architectural wonder that
symbolizes the spirit of the new century which goes
beyond convention in articulating innovative
possibilities of civic architecture, then the
building is indubitably disappointing. In fact, the
design makes no attempt to be anything more than a
relevant diplomatic outpost. It neither represents a
propagandistic nature of architecture as Rem
Koolhaas’s transparent embassy of the Netherlands in
Berlin nor does it stand for a cultural symbol like
the Finnish Embassy in Massachusetts. As if to
demystify complexities of diplomatic affairs and to
moderate criticisms and controversies surrounding
the whimsical designs, the new Embassy pertinently
simulates the humble modernistic demeanor that
intelligently communicates the humility of America’s
diplomatic presence in Nepal.
In that respect, the new U.S. Embassy is a success
story. It embodies sustainability and tackles the
vital issue of ‘balancing security and openness’. It
presents a secured workplace environment with well
fortified construction, yet has a harmonious
presence amid its surroundings. Rather than through
architecture, the embassy projects tangible form of
openness in functionality. This, one can say, could
also be the kind of ideology Nepal policies and
politics should follow - a sustainable and sensible
form of diplomacy that leads to a secure and bright
future of Nepal and the Nepali way of life.
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