America unveils its new hi-tech fortress on the Thames
BRITAIN: For a state-of-the-art fortress, the new United States embassy in London features one security measure that is distinctly old-fashioned - the first moat to be built in England since the 19th century.
Costing US$1 billion (NZ$1.43b), the 12-storey cube in Nine Elms, which was shown off for the first time yesterday, is the most expensive embassy ever built.
It boasts some of the most hitech defences in the world, including triple-glazed and blast-proof glass walls, raised terraces and sunken trenches instead of a wire fence, and a Faraday cage - a mesh of conductive material - to prevent electronic eavesdropping. There is also a barracks for a contingent of US Marines, and a medical facility for treating local staff as well as any American officials injured in the Middle East.
The 30-metre by 150m moat guards one side of the building and is designed to stop truck bombs.
The embassy, which was supposed to have been completed by the time President Barack Obama left office, has not been without its critics. Nicolai Ouroussoff, of The New York Times, was scathing about the design by US firm Kieran Timberlake, which won a competition in 2008. ‘‘It’s hard to think of a project that more perfectly reflects the country’s current struggle to maintain a welcoming, democratic image while under the constant threat of attack,’’ he said.
US President Donald Trump is expected to inaugurate the facility during a visit to Britain next year, although it will officially open for business on January 16.
The new embassy is a 33m blast zone away from the nearest road a requirement for overseas US State Department buildings.
The existing embassy in Grosvenor Square has been sold to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund and is being converted into a luxury hotel.
The new embassy is designed to be extremely environmentally friendly, and is carbon-negative. There are solar panels (in preference to a helipad) on the roof, and rainwater is captured for irrigation and flushing the toilets.