Embassy of Qatar in Washington
Encyclopedia
The Embassy of Qatar in Washington, D.C.
houses Qatar
's diplomatic mission
to the United States
. The chancery
is located at 2555 M Street NW
on the western edge of the West End near the Georgetown
neighborhood.
, and tourism
centre and this created a need for a larger embassy. So too did the growing strategic partnership between Qatar and the U.S. that has seen large numbers of American forces based in the country. In 2001, Qatar purchased the current building for $13.6 million from Castleton Holdings. The building had previously held law offices. The current ambassador is Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri
.
, as the lead-architect to fully renovate the building.
In keeping with applicable regulations, the project required statutory reviews and approval by
several U.S. governmental agencies including the Office of Foreign Missions
, United States Commission of Fine Arts
, the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
, and the Advisory Neighborhood Commission
.
After all the necessary permits were obtained by The Georgetown Design Group, the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), which was then financing the project, considered reducing the project’s scope of work. The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, opted to implement the project in accordance with Mokhless Al-Hariri's design.
The Embassy moved to its new building in early 2005.
According to the architect, Mokhless Al-Hariri, “the renovated building’s design is intended to reflect Qatar’s dynamic growth and expending diplomatic and economic role.”
Additional design input can also be credited to Maria Midani and Barbara Mullnex. The new exteriors incorporate Arabic design motifs that harmoniously express Qatar’s cultural heritage within Washington, D.C.’s urban fabric. The fully renovated interiors include plush office suites, state-of-the-art conference-rooms, special-event spaces, and "highly customized finishes."
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
houses Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
's diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The chancery
Chancery (diplomacy)
A 'Chancery' is the type of building that houses a diplomatic mission or embassy. The building can house one or several different nations' missions....
is located at 2555 M Street NW
M Street (Washington, D.C.)
The name "M Street" refers to two major roads in the United States capital of Washington, D.C. Because of the Cartesian-coordinate-based street-naming system in Washington, the name M Street can be used to refer to any east-west street located twelve blocks north or south of the dome of the United...
on the western edge of the West End near the Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
neighborhood.
Background
Until 2005, the embassy was located in an office building at 4200 Wisconsin Avenue N.W. For many years the embassy consisted of only two diplomats and a handful of staffers. In recent years, however, Qatar has been working to make itself a banking, businessBusiness
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
centre and this created a need for a larger embassy. So too did the growing strategic partnership between Qatar and the U.S. that has seen large numbers of American forces based in the country. In 2001, Qatar purchased the current building for $13.6 million from Castleton Holdings. The building had previously held law offices. The current ambassador is Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri
Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri
Ali Bin Fahad Al-Shawany Al-Hajri , is a Qatari diplomat who currently serves as the Qatar Ambassador to the United States, Canada and Mexico...
.
Architecture and construction
The Qatar government retained the professional services of The Georgetown Design Group, Inc. (GDG) with Mokhless Al-Hariri, Ph.D., AIAAmerican Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
, as the lead-architect to fully renovate the building.
- The first phase of work consisted of the due-diligence evaluation of the 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) building.
- The second phase comprised the fast-track development of the project’s programmatic requirements as well as the accelerated space planning and integrated architectural and engineering design services required by the complete gutting and full renovation of the building.
In keeping with applicable regulations, the project required statutory reviews and approval by
several U.S. governmental agencies including the Office of Foreign Missions
Office of Foreign Missions
Mandated by Congress, the Office of Foreign Missions provides the legal foundation to facilitate secure and efficient operations of U.S. missions abroad, and of foreign missions and international organizations in the United States...
, United States Commission of Fine Arts
United States Commission of Fine Arts
The United States Commission of Fine Arts , established in 1910 by an act of Congress, is an advisory agency of the Federal government.The CFA is mandated to review and provide advice on "matters of design and aesthetics", involving federal projects and planning in Washington, D.C...
, the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA)
The District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs is a District of Columbia agency that issues licenses and permits. It falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia and its operations fall under the responsibility of the mayor, delegated to an...
, and the Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Advisory Neighborhood Commission
thumb|right|upright|The District of Columbia is divided into 8 wards, each of which is further divided into local ANCs.Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are bodies of local government in Washington, D.C...
.
After all the necessary permits were obtained by The Georgetown Design Group, the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), which was then financing the project, considered reducing the project’s scope of work. The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, opted to implement the project in accordance with Mokhless Al-Hariri's design.
The Embassy moved to its new building in early 2005.
According to the architect, Mokhless Al-Hariri, “the renovated building’s design is intended to reflect Qatar’s dynamic growth and expending diplomatic and economic role.”
Additional design input can also be credited to Maria Midani and Barbara Mullnex. The new exteriors incorporate Arabic design motifs that harmoniously express Qatar’s cultural heritage within Washington, D.C.’s urban fabric. The fully renovated interiors include plush office suites, state-of-the-art conference-rooms, special-event spaces, and "highly customized finishes."