In a demonstration of the deep ties of friendship that underpin the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster, India’s Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia broke ground today on a new Chancery building for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
In remarks delivered at the groundbreaking event, Ambassador Juster stated: “The project we celebrate today is more than a series of buildings and infrastructure. It reflects America’s enduring commitment to the U.S.-India partnership and is a testament to the strength and longevity of that partnership.”
The new Chancery building will stand adjacent to the iconic original Chancery and the Ambassador’s Residence at Roosevelt House on the Embassy campus in New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave in Chanakyapuri.
Today also marks the 62nd anniversary of the groundbreaking of the original Chancery in 1959. Designed by world-renowned architect Edward Durell Stone, the original Chancery was celebrated for its fusion of modern American architecture with elements of traditional Indian design. Frank Lloyd Wright called the Chancery “one of the finest buildings of the past 100 years.” The original Chancery and Roosevelt House are now listed on the Secretary of State’s Register of Historically Significant Properties.
With a connecting central green space and a series of cast stone screens, canopies, and garden walls, the new Chancery will reflect historic and modern traditions in New Delhi, while introducing a resilient design that brings the campus into the 21st century, thanks to the work of the U.S. architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi.
Environmental sustainability is central to the design and construction process. The new Chancery will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards at the silver level. During the construction process, designers will also upgrade the entire Embassy Compound with a range of ecologically resilient strategies to create an integrated, sustainable campus. These improvements include photovoltaic arrays and solar hot-water heaters, a wastewater treatment plant to support irrigation, sustainable building and site designs, and a water-efficient fountain redesign with underground storm water collection.
When the new Chancery is completed, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi will join a long list of over 50 LEED-certified U.S. diplomatic posts, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to construct green buildings for a more sustainable future.
For more information about the new embassy compound and its design concepts, as well as the architectural history of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, please visit https://newusembassynewdelhi.state.gov/media/.