Occupying a 4.05-hectare site, the new United States Embassy Compound in Vallatta, Malta, is made up of eight buildings-the Chancery, three compound access control facilities, main residence, utility building, warehouse and recreation building-for a total of 98,274 square feet. Completed in May 2011, a primary goal of the project was to create a unified complex, which provides a state-of-the-art workspace for more than 125 American and Maltese U.S embassy employees. The space also features a collection of contemporary Maltese, American and Maltese-American art curated by the Office of Art in Embassies.
Designed by Washington, D.C.-based architectural firm Karn Charuhas Chapman & Twohey, the site plan was organized around Bronze Age and Roman archeological remains that were discovered during the excavation, and are featured in the central stone garden.
Welcoming visitors to the U.S. Embassy, a 1,000-pound bronze seal marks the entrance to the Chancery building, which is the largest single casting of the Great Seal in Bronze to date. The seal was designed by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, Washington, D.C., and fabricated by APCO Architectural Signs, Lanham, Md. While the original design called for the seal to be suspended from the entrance canopy, its final weight was determined to be too heavy to be suspended from the steel canopy, resulting in the seal being secured to a Maltese limestone plinth in front of the canopy.
Adorning the exterior of the Chancery are 68 aluminum sunshades from Shofield, Wis.-based Airolite, which serve a dual purpose of filtering sunlight to the interior spaces while complimenting the local Maltese limestone façade. The building design incorporates vertical and horizontal sunshades at windows for light protection.
The Chancery’s interior gallery connects two separate office masses, and feature stainless steel railings and stringers from Hegarty and Sons, Easton, Pa., ascend the stairwell to the second level and draw upon a contemporary aesthetic in line with the Sahara Beige marble from Egypt and Rojo Alicante marble from Spain.
The 6,800-square-foot warehouse is made up of a pre-engineered steel building with 10,602 square feet of formed insulated metal panels for the walls and roof, all from Oklahoma City-based Star Building Systems. The structure purlins were sized to accommodate future photovoltaic panels on the roof. The warehouse features high bay storage for the embassy supplies and maintenance shops. The LEED-certified project features drainage systems that collect rainwater in underground storage tanks used for irrigation and other non-potable uses, along with selected plant specimens that help minimize water consumption.
The $125 million design-build project took place over 24 months and generated jobs in both the United States and Malta, and at times, involved more than 800 workers in its construction.
U.S. Embassy Compound, Valletta, Malta
Owner: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, Washington, D.C.
Contractor: American International Contractors Inc., Arlington, Va.
Architect: Karn Charuhas Chapman & Twohey, Washington, D.C.
Bronze seal: APCO Architectural Signs, Lanham, Md., www.apcosigns.com
Fence: Hegarty and Sons, Easton, Pa., www.hegartyandsons.com
Metal building, roof and wall panels: Star Building Systems, Oklahoma City, www.starbuildings.com
Sunshades: Airolite, Shofield, Wis., www.airolite.com
