United States Embassy, Ankara, Turkey

Designed as a series of courtyards that rise up the steeply sloped site, the site plan creates a formal organizational structure for circulation of visitors and staff across the campus. The Main Arrival Court is generously landscaped with trees and lush plantings restoring green space to the urban streetscape.

Upon passing through the entry pavilions, visitors follow the visual and physical path that weaves through the gardens towards the chancery, a singular architectural structure with a series of internal courtyards. The courtyard provides secure, private outdoor spaces for the embassy community to gather.

The building design offers a strong presence for the new U.S. Embassy that balances transparency and openness with security. A monumental lobby highlights rich material traditions of Turkey including local Marmara marble, various travertines, native woods and local ceramics. The space was also designed to highlight the Art in Embassy program which offers an artist an opportunity to create a site specific art piece for the Diplomatic community and their visitors.

The main courtyard is the center around which community and shared programs are located. It is landscaped with native plantings and designed as several gathering spaces within the whole, larger ones for formal gatherings and smaller gardens for casual repose. The courtyard features an ultra-high-performance concrete screen based on traditional Turkish precedents.

The Chancery façade is built with local stone connecting the Embassy to its local context. The stone is also designed to create screens which provide the security and privacy an embassy requires while simultaneously providing solar control, daylight, and views to the city beyond.