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PROJECT REPORT: HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & BARS
IMPROVED CONNECTION
Connection with the street has been improved by removing all the existing traffi c regulation and external security measures accrued over the years Photos © Simon Menges
of openness and accessibility. The security threat continued over subsequent years until, in 2017, operations were moved to a new modern embassy building in Nine Elms, Battersea. The decision to reinvent the building as a luxury hotel dates back to 2015, when DCA, in collaboration with structural engineers AKT II, won a design competition run by client Qatari Diar, an arm of the Qatar Investment Authority. ReardonSmith Architects was later appointed as executive architect and work commenced on site in 2018. Chipperfi eld’s proposal sought to strengthen the qualities that made Saarinen’s original design so special, and enhance the dialogue between the adapted building and its context. Improving the ground fl oor connection to the street, by removing the existing traffi c regulation order and all external security measures accrued over the years, including the perimeter defensive sloping
stone bank, makes the building more open and accessible.
The existing entrances at the front and sides are retained and the ground and fi rst fl oors feature a range of new public uses including restaurants, bars, lounges and meeting rooms overlooking Grosvenor Square.
Despite the Grade II listing, many aspects of the embassy were not considered worth keeping. Over the years, it had been modifi ed for different offi ce uses, partitions, fi nishes and furniture had been removed, changed or covered leaving only small areas that remained faithful to their original design. The fi rst fl oor grand rooms, originally including a library and consular offi ces, had completely lost their original architectural value with spaces sub-divided by partition walls and original features removed or covered by carpets, banners, blinds, etc. Elsewhere, the fountain in the main lobby, the auditorium ceiling, offi ce
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF SEPTEMBER 2026
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