JEDDAH: The US is building the most expensive embassy building in London at a cost of $1 billion, a British newspaper reported on Friday.
The building looks like an impenetrable fortress immune to possible terrorist attacks.
The embassy was due to open at the end of 2016, but the construction was not completed on schedule and so the date was postponed until the spring of 2017, the Daily Mail reported.
The photos published by the British newspaper show that the building still has a long way to go before construction work is fully completed.
At first glance, there was a 100-foot, half-moon moat placed in front of the building to withstand any terrorist attack, but US officials insisted it was just a “water feature.”
Photos of the under-construction building show that it was surrounded by a metal barrier that protects it in the case of a possible explosion from outside, while external barriers were placed to block any possible car attacks.
The new US Embassy is located on a street overlooking the River Thames in the Nine Elms area of London.
High perimeter walls are being eschewed for “a welcoming urban amenity, a park for the city that fuses the new embassy to the city of London. Alternatives to perimeter walls and fences are achieved through landscape design,” the embassy was quoted as saying
The large development project called Embassy Gardens was approved by Wandsworth Council to be located in the same district with 2,000 apartments, retail businesses and restaurants, a 100-room hotel and playgrounds.
It is also reported that the US architect firm Kieran Timberlake is one of the contributors to the building’s design.
In 2008, the embassy announced the project, which was faced with criticism because of the high cost and design. The neighboring residents also voiced their concerns over the possibility of any damage caused by terror attacks.
The current London-based, old-fashioned embassy is located in Grosvenor Square and was built in the 1950s. The premises is very small compared to the new building and has been the target of terror threats in the past.
