The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was a project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State known as Diplomacy Lab. Students were challenged to design an embassy while also creating an urban complex, implementing an extensive program, and abiding by strict security limitations.
Design began with laying out the embassy complex with program including residential, service, and government buildings. The site design was a collision of two grids separating the program by service and residential. The footprint of the embassy derives from where the two girds overlap, making it the center point of the entire complex. A separate sector is implemented on the south end of the complex for the ambassador’s house to give a more sense of privacy.
The design of the embassy building took the same concept as the site design by colliding two grids and creating an irregular shaped courtyard where they overlap. This main courtyard can be seen from all floors of the building. Throughout the building there are multiple courtyards to provide communal gathering spaces and connect different parts of the program.
Because of the intense, arid weather in Saudi Arabia direct sunlight in the building is a large concern. To prevent this from happening, metal fins were installed where there are long spans of glazing. The angle of the fins restricts direct sunlight from entering the building as the sun moves throughout the day.