United States Embassy in the Hague

Dan J on November 16, 2023

The new U.S. Embassy for the Netherlands is set within a historically significant location along a green swath of large, privately owned country estates between the cities of The Hague and Wassenaar. It replaces an earlier building by Marcel Breuer located in the town center. The site characterized by a polder landscape featuring low, sandy ridges, also incorporates an existing network of canals, which the plan augments with a new reflecting ponid that faces the front of the property.

Following a locally approved master plan, the Chancery, entry pavilions, marine house and service buildings are maximized within their allowable zoning envelopes. A small ceremonial entry plaza celebrates arrival alongside the pond. This space is framed by sculpted panels of bright white granite that seemingly float over a glassy ground floor. The public spaces of the Chancery– the lobby, café, multi-purpose room and a grand stair to the executive suite – are all located at the front of the building. This arrangement ensures that the embassy community is easily accessible from the approach and entrance, creating a welcoming and visible presence.

The Embassy’s architectural forms and profiles quietly modulate horizontality and verticality across the watery landscape. Red brick cladding provides texture and identity with unique bond patterns, linking to Dutch architectural heritage.

In terms of sustainability, the embassy is at the forefront, being one of the first U.S. embassies to utilize ground source heating and cooling technology.

United States Embassy, Berlin

Dan J on November 16, 2023

This competition-winning design for the U.S. Embassy in Berlin adds a well-mannered statement of American presence and partnership to a context that is both potently historic and recently rebuilt. The building serves simultaneously as supportive urban framework and a harmonious companion for the nearby Brandenburg Gate. It occupies a focal position at the symbolic and political center of a reunified Germany.

The entry sequences through the main lobby on Pariser Platz meet strictly-prescribed security criteria while maintaining an air of grace and openness.  A glass-roofed rotunda offers an open courtyard and an inviting entry experience. The grand cylindrical niche in the north-facing limestone façade allows direct and reflected sunlight to break through to the flag hanging just over the front door. With a narrow building section wrapped around a spacious courtyard garden, the embassy workplace is opened to light and views of landscape.

The glass lantern of the rooftop State Room presents an architectural statement of democratic ideals and provides a venue for luncheons and other high-level receptions, with spectacular views of the Reichstag and the new government center. Using only soft interior lighting at night, the lantern joins the Reichstag’s dome and the Quadriga sculpture on the Brandenburg Gate as part of the civic district’s collection of skyline landmarks.

Santa Monica Main Library

Dan J on November 16, 2023

This new main Library reflects the character of Santa Monica as a place and as a community, supporting a well-informed public in the comfort of the inviting coastal climate of Southern California. Seeking to enhance community awareness and encourage public use, the design presents a building of approachable scale and civic proportions, opening in all directions to access, daylight, and views into and out of the building.

Designed through a series of community meetings, the library is planned to function flexibly as a place of culture, learning, and discovery. At its heart lies a spacious enclosed garden court containing a small café with wireless connectivity. The north court and central garden/café along with a 200-seat auditorium and multi-purpose rooms, create a dynamic venue for a wide  array of public activities. With flexible, moveable shelving, its main reading space can alternately accommodate exhibitions and informal presentations.

With its street-facing large, sun-shaded windows and colorful pocket gardens, the building serves as an urban oasis at the center of its residential and commercial surroundings, earning its title as the “Living Room of the City.” Noteworthy sustainability features include an inverted “impluvium” roof and underground cistern to collect rainwater for landscape maintenance, making the Library the City of Santa Monica’s first LEED Gold public building.

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