
Designed by noted U.S. modernist architects Ralph Rapson and John van der Meulen, the chancery at the U.S. Embassy Copenhagen was purpose-built for the United States government in 1951. It opened in 1954 and exemplifies the Modernist style embraced by the foreign building program during the postwar period, the precursor to today’s U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO).
The BBB team was tasked with identifying and resolving select safety, security, and operational issues to support the existing chancery to bring the facility in compliance with current OBO standards and requirements. BBB completed a Cultural Significance Study (CSS), Project Development Study, and full design documentation for improvements to life-safety, security, mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and telecom systems impacting all parts of the chancery and site. BBB completed the final design in 2018 and continued working in Construction Administration on the project through 2023; currently, BBB is completing a phase 2 (SIP-2) project which shall include additional upgrades to the chancery and site.