US Embassy in London to go Carbon Neutral
After winning a design competition, Philadelphia architects KieranTimberlake have a $1 billion project on their hands in the shape of the new US embassy in London. Plans for the new “carbon neutral” embassy were put forth after the current embassy, built in the 1950s turned a bit inefficient for day to day work, and had neighboring residents up in arms against some security measures.
The new structure will be built on “core beliefs of our democracy – transparency, openness, and equality,” and should be ready by 2017. It is supposed to have security measures that won’t trouble neighbors, and a 30 meters wide moat seperating it from the main road and preventing any threat from car bombers. The embassy will also have a park that will be open to all residents.
There’s a lot of glass on the building, and supposedly, a lot of solar panels that would make it carbon neutral. That claim, however, is tough to believe; considering that the ever cloud filled skies of London do not work well with solar panels.
Source: TimesOnline, Gizmodo
