Chinaís Big Slice of Pei World-Renowned Architect to Design Huge Chinese Embassy by Tim Deady The International Drive embassy complex could be closed to further development because China wants to acquire its remaining lots to construct an embassy that would dwarf the areaís existing chanceries. One of the worldís best-known architects, I.M. Pei, has been hired to design a new Chinese embassy that would be more than 250,000 square feetótwo and a half times the size of the areaís largest existing embassies. Meanwhile, three new embassies are near completion at the complex, and construction on a fourth property is scheduled to begin shortly. Peiówho is Chinese-Americanósaid he has agreed to a request from the Chinese government to come out of retirement to personally work on the proposed project. He said he will work as a part-time consultant on the design of the proposed chancery, but his companyóPei Partnershipówill do most of the planning. "Weíve had our first meeting but there really isnít much I can tell you," said Pei. "Iíve agreed to work on it, but you should really be talking to the company." Pei Partnership, which is based in New York, is headed by C.C. Pei, so n of I.M. Pei, who is known for his grand and enduring structures, such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the controversial addition to the Louvre art museum in Paris, the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York and the Bank of China building in Hong Kong. "Itís early in the process so there arenít too many details. We have made some preliminary comments on the proposal and are looking at the guidelines we must follow for the site," said C.C. Pei. He did note, however, that China wants to build an embassy of at least 250,000 square feet. The largest structures at the International Drive complex are the embassies of Nigeria and Malaysia, which are currently under construction and when completed this summer will each have 100,000 square feet of office space. All of the other 15 embassies at the complex are less than 100,000 square feet. Han Jiekung, an official in the construction office of the Chinese Embassy, confirmed China is in negotiations to acquire from the United States government the three remaining available building lots to construct a new embassy. She also confirmed Pei has been hired to design the building. She noted, however, that nothing is final, and it could be several months, maybe as long as a year, before the actual work on the building begins. Jiekung declined to comment on the potential cost of the building or on how much the embassy will pay Pei. Jiekung commented that the primary reason for the possible move is that the current embassyówhich has a staff of 300, is one of the largest in Washingtonóhas outgrown its present facilities at 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW. C.C. Pei said China wants an embassy that reflects Chinese culture. All the embassy buildings at the International Drive complex are unique in that they attempt to showcase through design their respective countryís architecture, history and traditions. Pei said he has visited the site of the proposed building and has completed some rough sketches. He declined to reveal any details because everything is subject to change and no final decision has been made to go ahead with the project. China, through the U.S. Department of State, has submitted preliminary plans for the embassy to the National Capital Planning Commission, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior that regulates public building construction in Washington. The plans call for construction of a chancery complex on three lots along Van Ness Street between the Singapore and Israel embassies. The three lots are the last remaining building sites at the International Drive complex. However, an NCPC spokeswoman said there has been some general discussion about making new lots available in the area but declined to give her opinion as to the chances of that happening any time soon. No other chanceries at the International Drive complex have taken more than two building sites. Malaysia took two sites for its new embassy. As is the case with most of the embassy buildings at the site, the NCPC has changed some of its building requirements to allow construction of a new Chinese Embassy. Those changes include an increase from 30 percent to 45 percent proportion of the entire lot size that can be occupied by a building. The rest of the land at the building site must remain open. Another waiver granted by the NCPC increases the permitted height of a portion of the proposed embassy from 48 feet to 60 feet. An NCPC study said the increase in land-use density "would provide flexibility in both site and building design Ö an increase in height would result in providing the further flexibility that is desired, if not required, to articulate the design of the building in the context of this prominent site." The site of the proposed chancery would give the Chinese Embassy the centerpiece location on the International Drive. As visitors come off Connecticut Avenue onto Van Ness, the first and most dominant embassy they would see would be the Chinese chancery. The NCPC spokeswoman, Denise Liebowitz, declined to discuss the China proposal. China wants to build a new embassy as part of a bilateral agreement with the United States, in which both countries would construct new foreign chanceries in the capital cities of Washington and Beijing. Officials at the State Department did not return phone calls for comment on the matter, but Pei said the plans for a new China Embassy have not been affected by the recent crisis over the collision of a U.S. Navy spy plane with a Chinese fighter in the South China Sea. If the Chinese do indeed go ahead and build a new embassy at the site, it could put an end to development at International Drive. By just about all accounts, the 15-year U.S. government project to develop the area as an alternative to the traditional Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue NW has been a success. "Oh, I would say International Drive supplements not supplants Embassy Row," said Charles Atherton, secretary to the Commission of Fine Arts, which reviews the design of public buildings in Washington for the U.S. Department of the Interior. "It will never have the tradition and history of the buildings along Embassy Row, but at the same time it has given countries an opportunity to design buildings that reflect their country. I donít think there is anyone out there that thinks International Drive takes a back seat to Massachusetts Avenue or anywhere else in the city," he said. The newest tenant at the International Drive complex is the Slovak Republic, which completed work on a new chancery in early June. The building, with 32,000 square feet of space, is one of the smallest embassies at the complex. Slovak Embassy officials like to say it cost $1 for each one of the 5 million citizens of the republic to build the embassies. In other words, the new embassy cost $5 million. The new building sits at the end of a cul de sac across the street from the Austrian Embassy. Like many of the embassy buildings, it went through a design competition in the home country, and then was handed over to American architects and builders. "The idea behind the design was for the building to represent a traditional Slovak village where a visitor is greeted at a central gateway, which is the entrance of the building," said James Wang, the buildingís chief U.S. architect. The structure has two wings connected by this central gateway area that is covered by a curved, and partially glazed, roof. Many of the interior finishes and lighting were imported from the Slovak Republic, said Wang. The United Arab Emirates opened its striking new embassy just a few weeks before the scheduled completion of the Slovak Embassy. The building is across the street from the Slovak Embassy and next door to the Austrian chancery. On a sunny day, the domed, 48,000-square-foot building glistens. Its colors, classical Arab design and exterior finish make it almost glow in the mid-day sun. "We wanted to make a statement about our country," said Ambassador Alasri Al-Dhahri. "We wanted to pay homage to our rich Arabic, Islamic heritage and to incorporate UAE tradition." The building cost about $25 million, said Al-Dhahri. Just up International Court from the new UAE and Slovak Republic embassies are big chanceries being constructed by Nigeria and Malaysia. The new structures face each other across International Court. At the end of International Court, between the Nigeria and Malaysia buildings, is the site of the planned new Embassy of Pakistan. Rashid Chaudhry, head of chancery at the Pakistan Embassy, said the new building is needed because the current structure at 2315 Massachusetts Ave. NW is too small for the 100 staff members. He said the new structure will be a four-story building that reflects "Islamic architecture with a dome, arched windows and decorative tiles. We want it to be representative of our country." Construction on the building is expected to begin in July with a tentative completion date of early next year. The new Embassy of Nigeria, which is expected to open in early July, sits atop a hill along International Court. The roadway wraps around the embassy, giving it a prominent position. Because it is on a hill, the embassy has a lot of windows, which are lacking in most embassies on International Drive. "The windows are there because the building has some good views and because people like to look outside. There really isnít any great significance to them," said Robert Sponseller, the lead architect on the building. Like many other buildings at the complex, the building is designed to represent village life. It is designed with a communal feel with a central courtyard that is surrounded on all sides by the building. "This traditional building type is concentric in plan, consisting of individual structures arranged beneath a common roof covering, surrounding a central courtyard," said a written description of the building by Shalom Baranes Associates, the architects for the building. Like its neighbor Nigeria, the new Malaysia Embassy on International Court is a big structure. Malaysia wanted a big building to signify the importance the Southeast Asia country places in its relations, particularly in trade with the United States, said building architect Bruce Sanford. He said construction of the building was delayed for several years because of economic uncertainty through much of the 1990s in Malaysia. "Malaysia was colonized by the English who brought their architecture to the country. What the building does is combine Malaysian traditional design with English colonial design, which does have a certain grandness to it," said Sanford. The building contains a lot of wood, which is something that would be found in most buildings in Malaysia. Many of the interior fabrics and millwork were imported from Malaysia for the building, which is expected to be completed in the early fall, said Sanford. Tim Deady is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.