U.S. Embassy in London revealed

Philadelphia architect KieranTimberlake has been selected to design the new American embassy in London. Construction is to begin in 2013 with completion set for 2017. The design emphasizes a sense of transparency, openness and at the same time, a sense of security the building must convey while honoring the English tradition of urban parks and gardens as the context for many civic buildings. KieranTiberlake’s design also addresses sustainable challenges in a number of ways, most notably in a faceted external solar shading and collection system that uses ETFE pillows on three sides of the building’s façade. Integrated into the ETFE system scrim are thin film photovoltaic’s that will convert solar gain into energy. In addition, the scrim’s pressurized air pockets insulate the building’s glazing from thermal transfer.