Designing an embassy that meets the needs of one country while respecting the context of another would be a challenge for any architect; add an existing landmark building, such as Edward Durell Stone’s 1958 Chancery Building, to the mix, and the stakes become even higher. Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi address this challenge with their design for the forthcoming U.S. Embassy in New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri. Their scheme for a cohesive new campus on the 28-acre site uses forms, materials, and landscape to link existing historic structures (namely, the Chancery) to contemporary ones.
Envisioned as a two-phase construction plan lasting seven to eight years, the project will break ground this spring on a new support annex, housing functional facilities such as a health unit and offices. After that, a second phase will see the construction of a new office building (NOB), to contain offices for the Ambassador and staff, as well as space for ceremonial functions. “A wandering garden path joins the two precincts to create one legible campus,” says Weiss. “The idea of this connective landscape became our thesis, to not make one garden pavilion after another, but one unified diplomatic campus.” The firm has also designed five small entry pavilions.
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