Feature Story:

A New Chancery for Ottawa

he symbolic importance of a new chancery and a major art work commemorating our special relationship with Canada produced what is probably a historic first: back-to-back visits to the same post by an American President and First Lady. For our relationship with Canada, Mr. Clinton's dedication last October of the new chancery demonstrated a strong, cross-border friendship. For the Department and post, it culminated a long process to locate, finance and construct the fine and greatly needed facility.

Not that the new chancery is without controversy. In Ottawa, some have dubbed it a "steamship" and "fortress." More thoughtful reviewers, however, have echoed the headline of an article in the Washington Post--"An Inviting Embassy With a Sense of Security." The chancery, in fact, represents a successful response to the difficult, complex challenge of designing and constructing, in a unique downtown setting, a structure that is functional, aesthetically pleasing, diplomatically appropriate and secure.

The downtown setting has the chancery facing four diverse areas. On the eastern side is the "town," a mostly small-store business district. On the western side is the "crown," the Parliament and other government buildings, as well as a park and the Ottawa River. On the ends are the Peace Monument to the north, with the adjacent Ceremonial Parade Route, and the York Steps to the south, with its corridor between the town and crown.

This diversity, plus the site's extreme, seven-meter grade differentiation, required special efforts by the designer--a U.S. firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Collaborating with the Canadian National Capital Commission, the firm used numerous techniques to make the building a unifying focal point, such as completely different faces on the east and west sides. Dominated by tempered glass, the western side establishes an appropriate identity as the ceremonial approach, while blending in with the nearby, glass-clad National Art Gallery. Stone and windows make up the eastern side, reflecting the architecture of the neighboring Byward Market town.

Functionality and style were well achieved, especially with the four bars of double-loaded office space along a building-length atrium crossed by a short central atrium area marked by a tower. Access to daylight in a northern climate was a high priority, resulting in the large opening in the central tower, skylights in the atrium, polished aluminum mirrors to catch and reflect sunlight deeper into the atrium spaces, continuous window transoms for light to enter interior office spaces and exterior windows on outside offices for their natural light.

Security has been a constant concern during this project's site selection, design and construction stages. The challenges of a downtown location on a site without a 100-foot setback from adjoining roads created special challenges. A perimeter fence, bollards, forced-entry and ballistic steel doors and windows and thick walls are the more obvious security features. Less obvious is that behind the western side's glass is a wall and windows structure similar to the eastern side's facade.

The western side of the new chancery.
Photo by Raul Alferez

Yet, despite the critical need for such security measures, the chancery is not, as some claim, a bunker or "Fortress America." Rather, it's an impressive balancing of security with open diplomacy: a cooperative achievement of the U.S. designer, the Canadian planners and builder, the post, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations.

Moreover, there are no arguments about the need for the chancery. The previous chancery, built in the 1930s, was entirely too small, housing only 62 employees. Last October's move into the new chancery, a 150,000 square-foot structure (including garage space), allowed for consolidation with 102 additional U.S. officials from eight other buildings. Furthermore, the previous chancery was on a half acre of Parliament Hill that the Canadian government wanted for its own operations.

So a move was inevitable. Still, even in a country with unique historical, economic and geographical ties to the United States, the process was difficult. Deciding on a site was arduous, obtaining funding was not easy with a $67 million project such as this one, and design and construction added more years to the effort. Thanks to the exceptional cooperation, hard work and creativity of many contributors, however, the result was outstanding.

A bit more controversial is Joel Shapiro's sculpture on the southern lawn of the new embassy compound. Mrs. Clinton dedicated the sculpture last September, and it, too, is meant to symbolize our friendship with Canada. The artist described his 40-foot bronze sculpture as a way "to use common language that all could understand... to represent the close historical ties and relationship between our two nations."

This work was commissioned by the Friends of Art and Preservation in Embassies, or FAPE, as part of its millennium project, "Gift to the Nation." A nonprofit foundation established in 1986, FAPE augments the representation of American culture in U.S. Embassies. Working closely with the Department, FAPE contributes works of art to embassies and provides funds for restoration activities at some of our country's more historic properties abroad.

The millennium project is the group's commitment to purchase and donate as many as 200 major works of American art--including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photography, objects, crafts, tribal art and folk art--to U.S. Embassies by the end of the year 2000.

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