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New British Embassy
Warsaw, Poland
The practice was awarded first prize in an international design competition
for the design of a new British Embassy and Ambassador’s Residence
in 2003. The scheme, which is illustrated in the publication ‘Designing
the Warsaw Embassy’, had to be reappraised when the site was changed
following tightened security measures in the aftermath of the bombing of
the British Consulate in Istanbul. Our new scheme is for a larger embassy building on a vacant site in an area intended as a new embassy district. It has a serene and simple form and retains the glass façade of the original scheme.
The 4,300 sqm building is configured over three floors. The ground floor is reserved for public activities and features a large space for exhibitions and events in addition to a restaurant and bar, which open onto landscaped grounds. The remainder of the ground floor is occupied by the consular and visa section, accessible by a separate route through the grounds.
The administrative offices are located on the first and second floors. With two central courtyards and extensive glass facades, workspaces are amply lit by natural daylight and the second floor attic arrangement is bounded by roof terraces on both sides
The building’s glass facades, which are delineated with vertical mullions, function as the outer layer of a double facade that provides substantial thermal insulation in winter and relieves heat in the summer.
Status: Under construction, due for completion Autumn 2009
Client: Foreign and Commonwealth office
Visualisations: Hayes Davidson
Read about the ground breaking ceremony 4 April 2008
Download project details