Building Ties Rooted in Sustainability

An artistic rendering of an aerial view of the New U.S. Embassy New Delhi campus. (Courtesy newusembassynewdelhi.state.gov)

The iconic Embassy of the United States in New Delhi is the physical embodiment of the importance of the relationship between the United States and India.

Commissioned during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, the Chancery building was designed in the 1950s by American architect Edward Durell Stone as a symbol of the United States’ commitment to India following its independence. Nearly 60 years later, the U.S. Embassy New Delhi campus is set for a refresh, incorporating greater functionality, environmental resilience and sustainability.

The U.S. State Department commissioned architectural firm Weiss/Manfredi in 2015 to breathe new life into the embassy compound, in line with the evolving requirements of the diplomatic mission.

Currently in the construction phase, the project recasts the 28-acre compound into a multifunctional campus, inspired by traditional Indian architecture and landscape. It includes a new building with three levels of office space and consular services for the public, a support annex, and a garden promenade, with nearly 40 percent of the compound covered in greenery.

Nature and architecture

The co-founders of Weiss/Manfredi, Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, are known to balance and utilize natural elements in projects. Their approach to the New Embassy Compound project is no different. The compound will feature cooling areas, greenery and gathering spaces by combining traditional architecture with sustainable practices.

The landscape will be covered by 100 percent native and resilient plant species like plumeria, monstera deliciosa, royal palm trees, gulmohar trees, pinwheel-jasmine and petunia shrubs. “The challenge of balancing a secure environment with a sense of openness is an opportunity for us to look at the traditional Indian architecture of walled compounds and gardens, which slowly reveal a sequence of spaces that go from the very public to the very private,” explains Manfredi, who is also a senior urban design critic at Harvard University.

An eco-conscious future

The historic Chancery building, recognized by its latticed stone walls, will be refurbished to offer a greater sense of openness and resource conservation. One of the key changes, says Weiss, who is also the Graham Chair professor of practice in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, will control how sunlight enters the building, reducing the pressure on internal air conditioning systems. “We know the [latticed] screen was making it very difficult to see outside of the office windows,” she explains. “So we thought about combining the transparency of the columns and the laciness of the jali to create a new, effective jali screen to fuse the landscape of light and control the direct sun.”

The new office building, explains Weiss, will be no higher than the current Chancery building, “as an act of humility” and deference to Stone’s creation. It will, instead, occupy underground space that will use earth’s natural cooling and natural light from its courtyards to stay energy efficient.

The reflecting pool outside the Chancery will retain its honorific quality while being integrated into the new stormwater management system. “Water, we recognize, is no longer just a reflective, honorific tool, but also precious as a resource,” says Weiss. “This reflecting pool will now collect a million gallons of water that can be utilized throughout the year.”

The new stormwater management system will collect and reuse “every drop of water that lands on the site,” including non-potable and recycled water. The reflecting pool will have a storage tank below with a capacity equivalent to “four Olympic-size swimming pools.”

The new office building and support annex buildings will feature shading ribs on the glazing to reduce solar heat. The new office building’s window-to-wall ratio will be 41 percent, with fewer windows on the east and west sides to block low-angle sun. Additionally, titanium dioxide coatings on the building facade will help clean the air by removing particulates.

Energy savings will be further enhanced by improved lighting power density and extensive renewable energy systems. Targeting 20 percent of annual building electricity and thermal energy consumption to be offset by on-site renewable energy generation, the campus will include large roof-mounted solar panels.

An artistic rendering of the planned green walkway at the New U.S. Embassy New Delhi campus. (Courtesy newusembassynewdelhi.state.gov)

Blueprint for a deeper relationship

The Embassy current architecture, explains Manfredi, is “a shining example of how America used architecture to foster openness and diplomacy. Edward Durell Stone’s design fused American Modernism and the traditional motifs of Indian architecture.”

Weiss and Manfredi, too, drew inspiration from ancient Indian architecture. “For us, the idea of layering and carving within the land to create protective precincts, like at the Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal, or even the step wells (baolis), really resonated with the program,” says Weiss. “We felt very fortunate to be able to draw deeply from that culture that has found the magic of that relationship [between nature and building].”

One of their biggest goals while working on the design, says Weiss, was to bring together a landscape and a campus that could connect older structures with incredible history, like Stone’s Chancery building, with newer construction, and view it all together as a connected setting for deeper diplomacy. “Our idea was to strengthen the connection with this idea of a green carpet. And the green carpet, in a way, becomes one of the most important unifying devices,” she adds, referring to the covered pathways connecting various buildings on the new compound.

Robert T. Jeter, division director of Overseas Building Operations at the U.S. Embassy New Delhi, underscores the project’s significance. “This project really represents the relationship between the United States and India,” he says. “Our investment in this facility brings together the long history we have had and really shows for the future where we are going and what our commitment is.”

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