ABA’s design for the rehabilitation and expansion of the US Embassy in Athens, Greece, renews the landmark Chancery and increases connectivity within the complex of buildings and landscapes. Designed by the internationally renowned Modernist architect Walter Gropius in 1961, the 112,000-square-foot Chancery is listed on the US Secretary of State’s Register of Culturally Significant Property. The Chancery is Gropius’s largest civic work, a visible symbol of US diplomacy abroad.

ABA’s design approach integrates historic preservation, campus planning, sustainability, and contemporary architecture, and includes the creation of a new vehicular and pedestrian entrance to the compound, a new central entrance to the embassy complex, and a 65,500-square-foot addition. New workplace, landscape, security, and access unify the complex, supporting the changing needs of this important diplomatic mission.

A new curtainwall for the historic Chancery has been designed to meet envelope performance and security criteria while maintaining the original appearance of the original facades. Additionally, a full restoration program was developed for existing historic marble, terrazzo, and ceramic finishes. The project improves security while promoting community, collaboration, and design excellence throughout. A unified 242,000-gross-square-foot complex creates a sense of place for more 600 members of the embassy community with new landscapes, modern workplace settings, and spaces for gathering, ceremony, and diplomacy.
Gensler is the Associate Architect for this project.

Location: Athens, Greece
Project Size: 178,000 sf (renovation); 65,000 sf (new construction)