In the foot­s­teps of Le­s­ca­ze

In 2006, the new residence of the Swiss Embassy in Washington was completed, based on the design by Steven Holl Architects and Rüssli Architekten. In keeping with the spirit of the times, the building was constructed to environmentally sustainable "Swiss Minergie standards", which is equivalent to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). 

Ten years later, while setting the goals for the refurbishment of the chancery, the idea of making it an environmentally exemplary building, a showcase for green technologies, was considered and promptly abandoned in favour of prioritizing issues of heritage and highlighting the quality of its construction. The building, developed in the 1950s, was designed by a Swiss-born American architect whose name appears prominently in most books on 20th-century architecture: William Lescaze (1896-1969). Despite some alterations to the original project, the chancery still retains its original features and qualities.

Acknowledging the historical relevance of the original architect, the Swiss Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FOBL) believed that refurbishing the building could provide an opportunity to set an example of effective heritage preservation. However, the building is anything but an icon; it stands out mainly by its modesty. During the inauguration speech, the architect went as far as declaring "Simplicity is the keynote".

Architecture at the service of diplomacy

To assess the best strategy to adopt, the FOBL commissioned Jürg Graser and Bruno Maurer, specialists in the history of modern heritage, to carry out a historical study. They submitted a 60-page report, based on their investigations of the federal archives, the embassy archives and the William Lescaze collection at Syracuse University, and confirmed the chancery's importance as a heritage site, not only in Lescaze's career, but above all in the development of Swiss architecture in the 1950s.

The Chancery building in Washington (1957-1959) was only the second project to represent Switzerland abroad.

Their view was that the relevance of the building was to be understood against the backdrop of the (geo)political context, by studying this particularly important decade for the consolidation of a certain image that Switzerland conveys abroad - and especially in the United States - by relying heavily on art, design, but also architecture: modest, but always meticulous. A program dedicated to architecture was supported by a touring exhibition organised by Pro Helvetia in 12 North American cities between 1953 and 1955, followed by the construction of exhibition pavilions attesting the rigor and quality of Swiss construction. In this context, the conception of a diplomatic building in Washington was of crucial importance. After the Swiss embassy in Ankara (1936-1938), the chancery in Washington (1957-1959) was only the second building representing Switzerland abroad.

A Geneva-native at MoMa

That William Lescaze (1896-1969) was chosen to commission the project is no coincidence. Although little-known in the United States, he played an interesting role in the emergence of the International Style in America and became to a certain extent the main intermediary in the relationship between the two countries in the field of modern architecture. Born in Onex (Geneva), William Lescaze studied at the Beaux-Arts in Geneva and then at the Polytechnic School in Zurich. He received his degree from Karl Moser, the "godfather" of modern architecture in Switzerland, and forged a friendship with his son, Werner Moser (Haefli Moser Steiger architects) and Alfred Roth, other figureheads of the so-called "heroic" period of modernism. 

Lescaze moved to Philadelphia in 1920, where he enjoyed an impressive career, most probably because he was one of the first to import the principles of what would soon be known as the "International Style", notably with his skyscraper project, designed with George Howe, for the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS), completed in 1932. That same year, the influential exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) that was to establish this new avant-garde included models of Lescaze & Howe's designs. From then on, Lescaze was regularly commissioned to represent Switzerland in the United States, notably to design the Swiss pavilion at the 1938 International Exhibition. It is therefore hardly surprising that he was appointed to design the new embassy chancery building. 

Conceived with care between 1957 and 1959, it was practically his last project. Already far removed from the heroic modernism of the 1920s, with its brickwork, rounded facade and open staircase, it takes on "Aaltian" accents, reminiscent, for example, of the Baker House built by Alvar Aalto in 1949 on the Boston campus. But the building’s sobriety and structural grace could also be likened to the pavilion designed by Bruno Giacometti for the Venice Biennale (1950-1951): a humble architecture whose discreet luxury lies in its high degree of precision, its openness and transparency, and the care given to the use of its materials.

Drive-through chancery

After being selected as the lead consultants, the CDAO and DLR Group team won over the committee of experts through their understanding of the site and their strategy for restoring the building's relationship to it.

It was designed for a society that travelled exclusively by car.

Located at the corner of the large (27,000 m²) plot housing the embassy and its garden, the building consists of two pavilions linked by a glass hall. A public wing contains a remarkable conference and reception room. The two-storey office wing runs along 29^th street and creates a cantilever that acted originally as a shelter for the cars below. It was designed for a society that travelled exclusively by car, literally in the manner of a drive-through restaurant, where you place your order directly from the comfort of your Chevrolet. The entrance sequence is marked by the elegant marquee that greets visitors being dropped off, then by the façade that curves at the north-east corner, as if to accompany the movement of the cars heading towards the public parking area.

Restore

Over the years, transformations have been made that have altered the building, such as the addition of a secure vestibule on the west facade, changing the character of the entrance and with it the relation to visitors. The system of the façade was also modified, with the introduction of mechanical ventilation and the replacement of the original windows that pivoted on their axis of symmetry. Finally, the space beneath the cantilever was closed to house new office spaces.

The renovation project consists of modernizing the building while restoring its original character and boldly exposing the façade facing the street, when other Washington embassies are shielded behind impressive barriers. Structural analysis revealed the advanced ageing and lack of seismic resistance of the brick facades dating from the 1950s, weakened by the 2011 earthquake. The thermal insulation had to be improved so the layer of brick was ultimately replaced in its entirety. The new bricks are shifted outwards by the thickness of the insulation, thus increasing the building’s volume. Yet, because the new windows replicate those of the original wing and are placed on the same alignment as in the initial façade, the increase in size is barely visible from the outside. Finally, the entrance is equipped with a new double security portal, enabling access for visitors and public alike. These two essential interventions are conceived in the spirit of Lescaze's architecture - everything else is a restoration or restitution.

In the footsteps of Lescaze

To understand and immerse himself in Lescaze's architectural thinking, Christian Dupraz made several trips to New York and Philadelphia, documenting through photographs and sketches the details of some of Lescaze's iconic buildings: the PSFS tower in Philadelphia, of course, but also Lescaze's house, a small building that the architect built for himself in New York, a modern reinterpretation of the typical urban dwelling, with its glass blocks and band windows. For the chancery wing Lescaze is designing, a marquetry wall motif takes inspiration from the glass-block openings of his New York home. As for the counters designed for the chancery visitors, they are directly inspired by the one at the PSFS tower.

What fascinates Christian Dupraz in the consular building is Lescaze's highly methodical and scrupulous approach. The brick outer skin of the chancery conceals a rigorous constructive system: a reinforced concrete frame (with hollowed-core slabs, to achieve a greater span). This simple and austere grid organises all the spaces and enables the staggered arrangement of the windows, which contribute to the building’s individual character.

With restoration in mind, CDAO's architects will have to meticulously observe the work carried out in the 1950s: the details, the joints and even the special profiles, identically reproduced to house new windows and preserve their slender proportions. Finally, the original materials were used for all the reconstructed elements: Albarene soapstone for the windows, dark oak and walnut for the panels and cabinets, and the buff-coloured brick typical of Washington.

Gold beneath the patina

During a site visit, a decisive detail of Lescaze's project was rediscovered by the architects. The black-and-white photographs of the time gave no indication of what the oxidation and subsequent work during the 1980s had finally concealed: the window frames and other metal parts had originally been made with an alloy (bronze and aluminium) as shiny as gold. Shortly after the inauguration, the chancery was criticized in the Swiss press for its ostentation. This might be the reason why Lescaze insisted on the modesty of his project. 

The black-and-white photographs of the time gave no indication of what the oxidation had concealed.

Intrigued by the descriptions in the press and with sandpaper in hand, Christian Dupraz uncovered the building's secret by rubbing a grate on the ground floor. This rediscovery would radically alter the expression of the restored building, turning a relatively modest object into a shining little icon of post-war modernism.

The care taken by the FOBL, by historians, by CDAO and its American partners, DLR Group, for the restoration project was finally recognised in 2024 and awarded the AIA Heritage Prize in the Historical Preservation category. It also puts a spotlight on the most little-known of American "heroic" modernists.

Restoration and conversion of the Swiss embassy chancery in Washington DC, USA

 

Client: 
Swiss Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FOBL), Bern

 

Architecture (1957-1959) : 
William Lescaze

 

Architect of the transformation and renovation: 
Christian Dupraz architects FAS SIA, Geneva (currently Christian Dupraz Architecture Office - CDAO)

 

In collaboration with: 
DLR Group, Washington D.C.

 

Invitation to tender for the selection of a service provider (Planerwahlverfahren) : 
2016

 

Project duration: 
2020-2023

 

Distinction: 
WDC-2024 / AIA DC Chapter Award, 2024 

 

The Swiss Embassies column is produced in partnership with the Swiss Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FOBL) - Construction Department.