New U.S. Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands breaks ground

Over in The Hague in The Netherlands, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) celebrated the groundbreaking of the new U.S. Embassy earlier this week.

Located on a 10-acre site in the Wassenaar municipality, some features of the US$206 million project will include a chancery office building, a U.S. Marine Corps residence, a utility building, and multiple access pavilions. Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners of Santa Monica, CA will be project architect with Caddell Construction Company of Montgomery, AL for construction.

Full construction will begin this summer, while completion of the embassy is scheduled for 2017.

Take a peek of the project right below.

Project details

"Design: The buildings, while American in character, reflect sensibilities that are Dutch. The most important aspect of this is the use of brick for the building façades, which is prolifically used as a façade material in the Netherlands. Other buildings on the campus, including utility buildings, will be clad in brick to provide uniformity to the campus. The use of brick is not limited to the building facades, but extends to other site elements such as bridges, and even the pavers of the walkways throughout the campus.

The Chancery façade will also include the use of white granite at the entrance, which pays homage to important Dutch buildings. The Chancery interior will feature the use of wood veneer and blue glass. Although the facility will not provide Consular services, which are located in Amsterdam, a large multi-purpose space will welcome visitors and is situated with the most advantageous views of the landscape."

"Landscape: The new campus grounds respect the Dutch landscape of water, scrub, and field. The prevailing landscape of Wassenaar includes extensive use of waterways, including canals both small and large, and ponds. The new campus includes a newly designed pond, and other drainage canals that blend with this landscape while providing functional and ecological benefits. It will also include plantings and trees that are typically found in the Netherlands, and selected for resiliency in their location. The campus envelope features a green zone along the road that balances both openness and security, allowing viewers to catch glimpses of the buildings as one passes while conforming with the Department's security requirements.

Sustainability: The building is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification. The site has a high water table, as well as an abundance of rainfall. To take advantage of this abundance, the embassy captures rain, and reuses it for any irrigation needed to sustain the plantings. The embassy is projected to reduce energy costs by 30% compared against a conventional building. This saving is accomplished through the use of ground source heat pumps for both heating and cooling; light-emitting diode (LED) site lighting; electric traction elevators; and variable frequency drives from pumps,  fans, and motors."

"Art: The permanent art collection, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies (AIE), will feature works by contemporary American, Dutch-American and Dutch artists for both the interior and exterior spaces. Works will encompass a variety of styles and media, and include site-specific commissions. The collection will forge a dynamic cross-cultural exchange around shared themes between the United States and The Netherlands."

Images courtesy of the Department of State OBO