An elegant work of diplomatic architecture

An elegant solution to questions of security in Tony Fretton’s embassy building

Building an embassy is a complex act of diplomacy: like international relations themselves, such architecture demands “a negotiation between representation and security”, as the architect Tony Fretton puts it, projecting a national image of sophistication and cultural engagement, and integration into local context, at the same time ensuring the protection of those who work within and around it.

The bombing of the British consulate in Istanbul in 2003 radically altered the terms of reference for diplomatic buildings. Tony Fretton Architects had already been commissioned to build a new British embassy in Warsaw, not long before the events in Istanbul, but the original site in the centre of the city was abandoned as indefensible and a new site was chosen in a more conventional embassy quarter. The result is, I think, the most elegant work of diplomatic architecture in decades.