Foreign embassies eye new missions
By : Will Hobbs
A touch of home: A flag decked tree in the entrance way of the new Canadian Chancery.
As bilateral relations have changed over the past decade, many countries are finding their existing embassies no longer meet the demands of expanding commercial, trade, consular or visa programs. This has spurred a mini-boom in building and renovation for many embassies.
Within the past year, Japan and Australia have opened new embassies, France has relocated pending the start of a major renovation, and the United States is continuing an ongoing renovation program. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, South Korea and Germany are planning projects of varying sizes, and Canada has almost completed the redevelopment of its site on ulica Matejki.
On Feb. 16, almost six months after the demolition of its former chancery began, the Canadian Embassy staff, contractors and guests celebrated the topping-off of the new zl. 66 million ($15 million) building. At 3,721 square meters, it will almost double the space of the previous structure opened in 1970. The site, opposite the Sejm, is held in perpetuity from the government.
Welcome to your new office: Canada's political counselor Michael Wooff examines the floor plan of the unfinished embassy.
All phases of the project design, contracting and relocation had been open to public tender, and Toronto's Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden won the design competition with a Polish-Canadian, Wojciech Garczynski, as chief architect. The tender for general contractor was advertised in Polish newspapers, with five of the six bids coming from Polish companies. The contract was awarded to Bilfinger + Berger Polska with sub-contracts going to Polish firms.
While rebuilding, the embassy relocated to a 1,560-square meter space in Reform Plaza on Aleje Jerozolimskie. An embassy spokesman said that the length of the lease was a major factor: the deadline for construction had been set at 14 months altough the standard length of a lease in Warsaw is three years. At the topping off ceremony, Canadian Ambassador Donald McLennan said work was on schedule and that plans were being made to move into the new building in late October.
After a five-year tenancy in the Atrium Tower, the Japanese Embassy moved into its new home on ulica Szwolezerow in August last year. Work on the 3,700 square-meter building began in November 1998 with Takenaka Netherlands as general contractor. The land, adjacent to Lazienki Park, was purchased from the Polish government. The structure was built according to a Japanese design with engineering by a Polish firm. Yoichiro Yamada, consul at the embassy, said the design had a Japanese flavor to it, but was also meant to harmonize with the surrounding parkland. The embassy has also kept some of the Atrium Tower office space as a cultural office.
For a smaller embassy it is often more practical to arrange long-term leases in existing buildings rather than start from the ground up, according to David Hardy of the Australian Embassy. The former chancery in Saska Kepa, leased from Dipservice, had outlived its purpose and the location was considered inadequate for an expanded presence in Poland. A study into suitable space in the city center provided a short list of possible complexes. The final choice fell on ulica Nowogrodzka's Nautilus. The 1,556-square-meter chancery opened in mid-June 2000 and comprises 1,265 square meters on one floor and 291 square meters on a second. Its outfitting was completed by Denton Corker Marshall Group, an Australian company whose European headquarters are in Poland.
The Netherlands plans to build on a site close to the Japanese Embassy. The Dutch press office confirmed that design considerations are under review, but felt it was too early to comment further as the tender process has yet to start. Meanwhile, work will continue at its ulica Chocimska location.
In the longer term, Germany is planning to centralize its chancery's activities. The embassy is housed in several buildings on both sides of the Wisla river. Though plans are in the preliminary stages, an embassy official said the intention is to build at their ulica Jazdow location.
