Four Design Teams Shortlisted for Major Rehabilitation of Gropius-Designed Athens Chancery

Four design firms have been shortlisted by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) for the major rehabilitation of the Athens Chancery project. The iconic modernist embassy building, designed by Walter Gropius with consulting architect Pericles A. Sakellarios, was constructed between 1959 and 1961 and is a protected architectural landmark.

The shortlisted firms are:

• Ann Beha Architects, Boston, MA
• DesignLab Architects, Inc., Boston, MA
• Machado Silvetti / Baker, Boston, MA
• Mark Cavagnero Associates, San Francisco, CA

Fifty-six firms were accepted for consideration to compete. The shortlisted submissions presented projects that were well-conceived and well-executed, displaying a sophisticated understanding of the issues involved in renovating historically significant buildings and experience with rehabilitations of complex modern structures. Each presented a diversity of projects which displayed a strong use of materials and context and demonstrated experience with design and construction of facilities in a campus setting. According to OBO, the shortlisted offerors also presented the design capabilities of their proposed lead designers, each of whom possessed exemplary credentials and a strong portfolio of relevant work experience.

The shortlisted firms will assemble their technical teams and submit detailed information on their organization and qualifications for the second stage of evaluation.