U.S. Embassy, London

OLIN’s landscape design is a synthesis of the U.S. government’s goals for sustainability, security, accessibility and design excellence; with a team led by KieranTimberlake, OLIN crafted an embassy design that gives form to the core beliefs of democracy—transparency, openness, and equality—in a way that is at once secure, welcoming, and sustainable. OLIN’s competition winning landscape is a contemporary approach to the English tradition of urban parks and gardens as the context for civic buildings. The design’s spiraling walks and sculpted meadow terrains form the Embassy grounds, winding into the lobby and promenade overlooking a freshwater pond and the Thames to the north. The landscape design expresses these ideas formally but also through the selection of landscape materials. The spiral continues up through the building in interior gardens based on six significant American landscapes. Plantings chosen for the project were selected on the basis of commonalities between species common to the United Kingdom and the U.S.—a result of their being brought by English settlers and explorers to the New World. The result is a true embodiment of the United States’ deep bond with the U.K., the embassy’s connection to the city and people of London, and the fundamental tenets of American democracy.

Location
London, United Kingdom

Owner
U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Building Operations

Status
Completed 2018

Key Team Members
Hallie Boyce, Partner-in-Charge
Richard Roark, Managing Partner
Laurie Olin, Design Partner
Jessica Henson, Associate
Marni Burns, Landscape Architect
Anneliza Kaufer, Landscape Architect

Awards
2023, American Society of Landscape Architects, Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter, Honor Award in the General Design Category
2022, American Institute of Architects National Honor Award for Architecture
2020, The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Award of Excellence
2018, American Institute of Architects Pennsylvania Chapter, Silver Medal
2018, American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter, Gold Medal
2018, Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards, Finalist
2013, London Centre for the Built Environment, New London Architecture Award