EYP/ Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kelly Donahue, Principal and PR Manager
EYP Architecture & Engineering
518.795.3925 or kdonahue@eypae.com
EYP-DESIGNED U.S. EMBASSY IN OSLO, NORWAY
CELEBRATES GROUNDBREAKING
WASHINGTON, DC – August 9, 2012 – U.S. Ambassador Barry B. White, along with other honored
guests and foreign dignitaries, recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the EYP-designed U.S.
Embassy in Oslo, Norway. Situated on a 10-acre site, the multi-building complex will include a
chancery, underground support annex, three entry pavilions, and Marine security guard quarters. When
completed in the spring of 2015, the new facility will provide a state-of-the-art workplace to
approximately 200 employees.
The new Embassy will incorporate numerous sustainable features, including a restored stream that will
become a key landscape feature and contribute to storm water management. Other sustainable features
include a green roof on one building, use of natural daylight for energy savings, and a ground-source
heat exchange system that will allow the Embassy to meet nearly 100% of its heating load. The new
site is also located within 300 meters of public transportation and includes more than 45 bicycle
parking spaces. The facility is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)
Silver Certification by the Green Building Certification Institute.
The northeast corner of the building is truly its public face, visible from the adjacent prominent
roadway, Sørkedalsveien, and containing a two-story cafeteria that doubles as an events space.
Traditional tall Norwegian windows will take full advantage of the abundant summer sun while
capturing as much light as possible during the dark winters. Metal fins further emphasize this
verticality at significant locations. Combining landscape planting with linear stone paving as used in
the landscape, a roof terrace directly above the main entry space will be accessible from the cafeteria
during the summer months.
EYP
Architecture & Engineering
NanoFab East / 257 Fuller Road – 1st Floor / Albany / NY 12203
T 518 795 3800 / eypae.com
EYP/ Press Release
The main façades are to be clad in white Norwegian granite with grey fieldstone encircling its base,
giving the impression that the building grows organically from the rocky site. Each of the above
ground buildings will have a copper cornice, with the Marine Residence having extensive grey
fieldstone and copper roofing. Copper becomes a design thread that both connects all of the elements
of the compound and expresses a special bond between America and Norway – the copper for the
Statue of Liberty was mined near the Norwegian town of Visnes.
Commented EYP Federal Government Sector Leader Ed Kohlberg, “This impressive building will
serve as a symbol of the strong diplomatic relationship between the United States and Norway. We are
thrilled for the opportunity to showcase our extensive government design expertise in producing this
sustainable, forward-thinking U.S. Embassy.”
EYP Lead Designer Paul King, AIA, LEED AP, said, “Norway is home to some of the world’s most
advanced sustainable design. Both the Oslo civic government and the local neighborhood are holding
us to a very high environmental standard. We wanted the building not to command the site but to exist
in deep harmony with the site.”
EYP Architecture & Engineering is the expertise-based, integrated architecture and engineering firm
that specializes in sustainable design for government, higher education, and corporate clients. EYP
Energy is a division of EYP that delivers comprehensive energy and sustainability services. Located in
Albany, Boston, Greenville, New York City, Orlando and Washington, D.C., the firm is ranked among
the largest A/E firms in the nation by Building Design & Construction magazine and recently ranked in
The Architect 50, Architect Magazine’s annual ranking of top architecture firms.
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EYP
Architecture & Engineering
NanoFab East / 257 Fuller Road – 1st Floor / Albany / NY 12203
T 518 795 3800 / eypae.com