Started: 2007
Completed: 2007
Client: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

In an open competition to design the new British Embassy in Nigeria, Jordan+Bateman Architects came second.

See Also
British Embassy DohaBritish Embassy BahrainBritish Embassy CairoBritish Embassy Pyongyang

Started: 2007
Completed: 2009 – On hold
Client: FCO

The British Embassy in Dubai was originally a residence that has grown in a piece meal fashion. Jordan+Bateman Architects was commissioned to provide a further extension and took the opportunity to provide a new entrance and simplified circulation to unify this part of the Embassy for staff and the different types of visitors.

Our long experience with the climate in the Middle East led us to create a courtyard to provide a heavily shaded outside area and create a formal entrance route. Sheikh Saeed House, an early residence of the rulers of Dubai, influenced the architecture of the building. The restrained elegance of this nineteenth century building inspired the arched doorways and sculptured windows of the new extension, while changes in circulation and function were expressed by deeply recessed windows.
DownloadBritish Embassy Dubai Extension – Project data sheetSee AlsoBritish Embassy Dubai – Gatehouse

Started: 2006
Completed: 2009 – Awaiting Planning
Client: Royal Norwegian Goverment

Jordan+Bateman Architects was asked by the Royal Norwegian Government to produce feasibility studies to refurbish their existing Embassy. The Grade I listed building needed special consideration to resolve the expanding needs of the Embassy’s Diplomatic and Visa processing responsibilities. The client wanted to remain within the historically significant building and the solution provided additional workspaces, increased the waiting area plus secure interview facilities. The opportunity was also taken to make the building fully accessible to all floors, for both the public and staff.

Jordan+Bateman Architects looked at options to extend the property, and rationalise the internal spaces, while respecting the original fabric and style of the building. The proposals were discussed with Westminster Council, the English Heritage Conservation Officer and Grosvenor Estates, through all stages. This helps to secure approval for Listed Building Consent, Planning Approval and Landlords consent.
DownloadRoyal Norwegian Embassy – Project Data SheetSee AlsoBritish Embassy Cairo

Started: 2004
Completed: 2007
Client: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Govt.

Two floors of the historic British Consulate were converted from residential flats to modern offices. A new Visa interview building and guardhouse were also constructed. This upgraded the facilities and speed for applications to visit and work in the UK.
The main consulate building, was originally designed in Italian Renaissance style by Sir Charles Barry, the architect for the British Houses of Parliament. The conversion was sensitively carried out, respecting the many period features and grand rooms. The new Visa building provided six interview guichets and secure search facilities for a diplomatic mission that had been attacked in 2003. All work was also designed to be resistant to earthquakes, as Istanbul lies on major seismic fault lines.

See AlsoBritish Consulate General PortimaoBritish Consulate General Alexandria

Started: 2009
Completed: 2009 – Awaiting Planning
Client: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

As Dubai has emerged as a global city and business hub, the number of visitors to the British Embassy, and the services it offers, has grown dramatically. The UK Foreign Office has taken the opportunity to improve the level of service and security for visitors to the mission by upgrading the existing guardhouse.

The new entrance buildings will combine two vehicle routes and four separate entrances and exits for pedestrian visitors to the visa and consular section. These routes are independent and do not cross, while the security guards are brought together to increase their effectiveness. The visual design unifies the collection of six new buildings and accentuates the vehicle entrance, giving a strong image to drivers speeding along the main road.
DownloadBritish Embassy Dubai Gatehouse – DatasheetSee AlsoBritish Embassy Dubai – Extension

Started: 2009
Completed: 2010 – Awaiting Planning Permission
Client: Royal Norwegian Goverment

The Royal Norwegian Government ran a limited competition to design an extension for their embassy in Beijing, China. Jordan+Bateman Architects made the short list and went on to win the competition to design the new extension. Our proposal created a distictly new and complimentary extension, that successfully linked the three existing structures. We added a new floor to one of the buildings and created a new entrance space. The new structure is wrapped in a perforated zinc facade, which compliments the brickwork of the existing compound and unifies the old with the new.

Jordan+Bateman Architects is using its extensive experience of diplomatic buildings including upgrading security measures and structures against seismic activity. The Norwegian Embassy in Beijing had to be structurally reinforced against the threat of earthquakes, resulting in an innovative solution of wrapping external columns in carbon fibre sheets and resin.

See AlsoRoyal Norwegian Embassy London

Started: 2009
Completed: 2012 – Completed
Client: FCO

Gatehouses are the first and often the only part of an Embassy that a city’s population sees. The functional security requirements for these buildings can result in a utilitarian crude design.

Jordan+Bateman Architect’s design for the British High Commission New Delhi creates a piece of architecture for these buildings, that provides a welcoming presence as well as providing a secure entrance to the site. The new gatehouses will provide improved facilities, which will screen staff, visitors and vehicles in a swift, polite, and secure environment.

DownloadBHC New Delhi – Gatehouses project data sheet
See Also
British Embassy Dubai – Gatehouse

Started: 2012
Completed: 2012
Client: Office fédéral des constructions de la logistique (OFCL) – Suisse

The Unite scheme is a result of looking at the site and requirements as a whole. This began by looking at different types of spaces to express the many functions of the Chancery and Residence. Walls were used to frame the available vistas and the site boundaries were used to give a flow of intimate and generous spaces internally. Externally this flow of spaces continued with extensions of walls, plus a series of external terraces and gardens at different levels, to give linked semi-private and semi-public spaces. This also gives a sense of place to a low rise building surrounded by generic high rises, while addressing the issue of overlooking.

The Architecture follows the strong tradition of modern Swiss Architecture with its clean restrained forms and materials, with detailing inspired by the elegance of Korean craftsmanship, in particular taking references from the nearby Gyeonghuigung Temple. The language of UNITÉ continues to borrow from the Korean tradition, with construction rising from a stone sub-foundation, to a lightweight console structure above. In the Swiss Embassy, the stone plinth is re-interpreted as the boundary wall, with glimpses of the lighter-weight structures behind. The language and form of the buildings is intentionally simple with a limited palette of materials.

The entrances into both building led directly into multi storey glazed spaces which run completely through both buildings. These spaces are initially used for greeting and a sense of arrival and continue through the buildings to provide circulation, informal meeting spaces, the library for the chancery and a centre to the buildings. They visually continue outside of the buildings and connect to the interlocking external spaces.

Started: 2011
Completed: 2013
Client: FCO

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is a Grade I Listed building designed in 1861 by Sir George Gilbert Scott and Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt, and completed in 1873. The building was originally planned as four separate buildings, housing the four Government Departments of The India, The Foreign, The Home and the Colonial Offices and the entire building is of National Significance. Jordan+Bateman Architects were commissioned in early 2012, to access the feasibility, and provide options for a large scale consolidation of the FCO’s London estate, and improved facilities at the main FCO building on Whitehall.

The requirement for an in-house Language Training Facility for FCO staff, a function currently performed by private language schools around London, was initially addressed at feasibility stage. The FCO required 40 acoustically rated teaching spaces of varying size and layout, arranged around a flexible and easily adaptable space, incorporating auxiliary facilities such as library, quiet areas and multi-media spaces. The core of the new language training facility is located in the former in-house reprographics room, a 20th Century addition, formed by covering over the central courtyard in what was the original Foreign Office building.

The project successfully transforms a significant but underused space at the core of the FCO’s London Estate into a modern and innovative teaching environment with the capacity of training 1000 full and part time staff per year in over 80 different languages. The architecture is intentionally modern, with teaching rooms divided with glazed partitions, carefully designed to stringent acoustic standards. Each area is thoughtfully designed to make full use of its limited space, with informal breakout areas and borrowed spaces within corridors adapted into meeting booths. However the project adopts a soft touch approach to building restoration, at all times respecting the heritage of building – new roof lights offering improved views of the surrounding Victorian fabric and glazed manifestations referencing the historical architectural elements of the Fine Rooms within the main building.

The project was opened on 19th September 2013 by The Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon William Hague, and has been extremely well received by all user groups associated with the project.