The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has recently opened the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. The design by Ennead Architects aims to balance transparency and openness with security, according to a press statement. The design also seeks both to honor Turkey’s architectural traditions and to meet OBO’s goals of sustainability, resiliency, and stewardship.
“By reinterpreting Turkish design history in a contemporary way, we’re proud to deliver a civic-minded and purpose-driven facility that reflects U.S. values of transparency, openness, and accessibility,” Felicia Berger, Ennead principal and project manager, said in the statement.
On the sloped, nine-acre site, the project’s series of courtyards draws inspiration from Turkish courtyard design. The inclined procession eliminates the need for stairs, creating a direct path from the public way to the front door.
The Embassy’s main arrival plaza serves as the first courtyard. Set back from the street, the landscaped courtyard, with trees and other plants, blurs the boundary between the Embassy and the city, while offering a respite from the surrounding business district.
![The recently opened U.S. Embassy in Ankara reflects U.S. values while honoring Turkish architecture](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221012_1973_B.jpeg)
Internal courtyards bring light into the building. They also create outdoor spaces for both large, formal gatherings and quieter diplomatic exchange.
Ennead selected regionally sourced materials that reflect the history of masonry in Turkey. Materials also were chosen for their low embodied environmental impact, high recycled content, durability, and responsible sourcing. In addition to stone, the Chancery façade’s concrete screen offers daylight and views of the outside, and security and privacy on the inside. Referencing Turkish materials, the interior and exterior incorporate marble, travertines, native wood varieties, and local ceramics.
The Embassy is a LEED Silver Certified building. Energy demand is reduced with highly insulated exterior walls; efficient mechanical, electrical, and lighting systems; and solar thermal water heating. Water consumption is minimized with ultra-low flow plumbing fixtures, climate-appropriate landscaping, and harvested rainwater.
On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO)
Design architect and architect of record: Ennead Architects
Local architect: Emre Arolat Architecture
MEP engineer: Mason & Hanger
Structural engineer: LERA
Protective design engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
General contractor: B.L. Harbert International
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221013_2497_B.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221014_3090_B.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221012_1784_B.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221013_2764_B.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221013_2778_A.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221014_3364_A.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221015_3645_B.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221014_3243_A.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221014_3169_A.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221014_3129_B.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221012_2087_A.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221012_1784_B_0.jpeg)
![U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, designed by Ennead Architects Photo: Scott Frances](/sites/default/files/inline-images/U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20Ankara%2C%20Turkey%2C%20designed%20by%20Ennead%20Architects_221012_1374_A.jpeg)
Related Stories
| Aug 18, 2016
LOCAL GOVERNMENT GIANTS: A ranking of the nation’s top design and construction firms in local sector work
HOK, Stantec, Turner Construction Co.,Clark Group, AECOM and STV top Building Design+Construction’s annual rankings of the nation’s largest local government sector AEC firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 18, 2016
STATE GOVERNMENT GIANTS: A ranking of the nation’s top design and construction firms in state sector work
CannonDesign, Stantec, Turner Construction Co.,Mortensen Construction, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff and AECOM top Building Design+Construction’s annual rankings of the nation’s largest state government sector AEC firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 18, 2016
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIANTS: A ranking of the nation’s top design and construction firms in federal sector work
Page, EYP, Fluor Corp.,BL Harbert International, and AECOM top Building Design+Construction’s annual rankings of the nation’s largest federal government sector AEC firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 15, 2016
MILITARY GIANTS: Cross-laminated timber construction gets a salute from the Army
By privatizing the construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and ownership of its hotels the Army expects to cut a 20-year timetable for repairs and replacement of its lodging down to eight years.
| Aug 15, 2016
Top 40 Military Engineering Firms
Jacobs, AECOM, and Burns & McDonnell top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest military sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 15, 2016
Top 40 Military Construction Firms
Fluor Corp., The Walsh Group, and Hensel Phelps top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest military sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Jun 20, 2016
Fire resistive blast and ballistic glass walls in high security facilities
For federal courthouses, embassies, government facilities and other high profile buildings, building materials are chosen based on their ability to mitigate or minimize the injuries and fatalities to occupants during an attack.
Building Team Awards | May 27, 2016
Big police academy trains thousands of New York's finest
The Police Training Academy in Queens, N.Y., consists of a 480,000-sf academic/administration building and a 240,000-sf physical training facility, linked by an aerial pedestrian bridge.
Government Buildings | Apr 22, 2016
Public-private partnership used to fund Long Beach Civic Center Project
Arup served as a lead advisor and oversaw financial, commercial, real estate, design, engineering, and cost consulting.
Architects | Mar 16, 2016
PGAL acquires Dallas-based Pro Forma Architecture
The merger adds a firm that has specialized in municipal projects.