Chinese Embassy in the UK

The site occupies an important location adjacent to the Tower of London. It contains several existing structures, many of which have great architectural merit including the original UK Royal Mint and Cistercian abbey. The brief for the new Chinese Embassy development calls for themes of innovation, coordination, sustainability, openness and sharing.

Working on a historically significant site on a prestigious project for one of the most decorated global architects made this project hugely exciting and rewarding. The project is a great example of how we can bring numerous Cundall disciplines together to work across both Chinese and UK offices. This was our first net zero carbon project of this kind and has been a learning experience for all involved.

Julian Sutherland, Partner at Cundall said "The input of our security team was pivotal in developing a safe, secure, and accessible public realm for the Embassy and general public."

Key fact

The project includes the integration of the remains of the Cistercian abbey of St Mary Graces (constructed in 1350)

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Key fact

The project's theme has been retention and reuse of existing buildings

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This has been a very successful project, demonstrating high levels of collaboration and design integration. Covid-19 restrictions meant that the team never met in person from the initial bid interviews all the way to the planning application. We made extensive use of online collaboration platforms, parallel video meetings, BIM and interactive design tools.