RTKL storms desert in Kuwait

RTKL Associates’ Washington office has completed stage one of the 27m US embassy in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert.

The first and biggest phase includes the main chancery, American club and marine headquarters. Meanwhile, phase two, the Ambassador’s residence, will be completed in July.

“Creating a strong architectural presence in the middle of an open desert can be a bit of a challenge,” says RTKL’s vice-president D Rodman Henderer, who is in charge of the project.

The embassy features courtyards and landscaped gardens and a pedestrian walkway based on the Middle Eastern street markets or “souks”.

Kuwait is donating the embassy to the US “in appreciation for its support during the Kuwait-Iraq war”, says an RTKL spokeswoman.