The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

60 SEPTEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL a visitor comes to visit the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. in his new office, I want that visitor to exclaim how wonderful it was to come to the new embassy, how the security was efficient and reassuring but not overwhelming, and how he or she recognized the tra- ditional welcoming nature of the American people as they made their way into the building that represents the United States. In the designs they submitted, the three architectural firms competing for the project appeared to take to heart the advice about making the embassy a secure yet welcoming place. Within the strict guidelines demanded by the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, all three presented designs that were open and welcoming in different ways. All three used inno- vative architectural and landscaping features to achieve security goals. I was standing beside James Timberlake (partner in the Phila- delphia firm KieranTimberlake) at the 2010 unveiling of their winning design when The Guardian ’s architectural critic asked him, “Where is the fence?” The response: “There is no fence.” The design success- fully integrated security into a welcoming and impressive structure—not Fortress America. Security of our diplo- matic facilities is, of course, a fraught topic, and will only become more so with the recent terrorist attacks in London. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and there is no perfect security. Our diplomats know that their workplace can never be completely invulnerable, and they accept that they run risks in the normal course of living and working around the world. Risk can be managed effectively with the right combination of physical security, intelligence cooperation and good judgment. But security must never be the only objective. Our diplomatic missions need to reflect the open society they represent. The innovative design of our new presence in London will need to be combined with well-thought-out training for staff on how best to welcome visitors in a secure and friendly manner. Too often, the design of our human interactions at embassy entrances The old U.S. Embassy London on Grosvenor Square, viewed from Brook Street. GEOGRAPH.ORG.UK/IANS/CC-BY-SA2.0 The building will supply and reuse its own water. It will not only conserve power but also be able to sell surplus energy to its neighbors.