In 1986, in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Julián Santamaría bought some land on Foxhall Road on which to build a new residence for Spain’s ambassadors to the United States, but the project was shelved when his successor, Jaime de Ojeda, deemed the site inappropriate. It was in 1996, after the ten-year period during which the site was not taxable, that the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to go ahead with the project, which had already been assigned to Rafael Moneo. It was indeed a complicated site, long and narrow, with an over 30-meter drop between the entrance on Foxhall Road and the other side. Besides, the building was to serve not only as the ambassador’s residence, but also as accommodation for visiting dignitaries. It also had to provide diplomatic reception areas, which made the project even more demanding. What the architect did was take advantage of the drop, arranging things in such a way that the reception areas and the dignitaries’ accommodations would be on the higher level, while the lower levels would contain the ambassador’s residence (with its own road access), the official dining room, and service rooms. The building’s intention was to recall but not imitate the atmosphere of some Spanish houses. The lively fine brick volumes are accompanied by a series of gardened terraces that allow one to penetrate the site into its lowest parts, which offer an interesting view of the vault over the reception area.
Foxhall Road NW, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ambassador Residence
Rafael Moneo
Associated architects
Moneo Brock Studio: Belén Moneo, Jeff Brock
Structural engineer: LeMesseurier Consultants
Mechanical Engineer: Altieri Sebor Wieber
Landscape Architect: Gail Wittwer
John J. Doyle Builder & Co.
3. 909 m2
Commission: 1989
Project: 1995-1999
Ground breaking: 1999
Inauguration: 2004
