British Embassy in Moscow, Smolenskaya Embankment
About the project
The British Embassy in Moscow stands near the State Duma and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The approximately 0.9-hectare site was exchanged in 1960 for an equivalent plot for the Soviet Embassy in London. Construction of the new complex began in 1997, and Princess Anne officially opened the embassy on 17 May 2000. Our contribution was the stonework on the perimeter wall. Jura Beige was chosen for the outer courtyard wall to express the building's status and the restrained character of British architecture. Because the cladding is at eye level for people walking along the embankment, it had to remain both presentable and timeless. More than a quarter of a century later, the Jura stone continues to perform successfully. Installed by Finnish contractors at the end of the twentieth century, this is among the oldest modern Jura Limestone facades in Russia. Moscow's demanding climate and the elevated humidity of the riverside location make its condition particularly instructive. Visitors can also see the nearby monument to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, created by sculptor Andrey Orlov after actors Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin. Bavarian Jura Limestone forms a lasting part of this familiar cityscape.
