The Foreign Service Journal, December 2012

20 DECEMBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL BEYOND THE FORTRESS EMBASSY State’s new “Design Excellence” initiative is intended to improve America’s presence abroad by embracing all elements of embassy construction. BY JANE C . LOE F F L ER FOCUS EMBASSY SECURITY D uring the past decade, as the State Department built look-alike embassy compounds that were compared to citadels and high-security prisons, diplomats complained of isolation and impaired diplomacy; critics in and out of government objected to the negative image being conveyed by placeless and undistinguished architecture; and host govern- ments protested the dismissive attitude that emanated from such facilities. All the while, the one-size-fits-all Standard Embassy Design was touted as the only viable option. Few critics expected change, let alone a full-scale course correction. But in a move that has surprised and pleased critics, includ- ing this author, the department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations has recently announced a sweeping “Design Excel- DavisBrodyBondArchitectsandPlanners