The Embassy of the United States in Islamabad has launched construction work on its new eight-storey multipurpose compound over 43 acres of land. “The work has been started. The construction machinery has already landed there at the site,” US Embassy Spokesman Mark Stroh told APP.
The Capital Development Authority had approved the layout plan of new embassy complex in mid-November, giving go-ahead to the construction of the embassy.
Once completed, the new US Embassy compound would be one of the biggest across the world, said a senior CDA official. The layout plan was approved in a meeting of the Design Vetting Committee chaired by the then Member Planning and Design Tahir Shamshad. Under the plan, the existing US embassy would be demolished in phases as the new building is constructed. Under newly approved Floor Area Ratio (FAR), the CDA has allowed construction over an area of 1.73 million sq ft while the allowable FAR area is 5.627 sq ft. The new compound will be equipped with latest technology and solar heat system and the project also consists of sewage treatment plant as well as water treatment plant.
The contract for construction of the compound has been awarded to BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama on design and build basis while design partner of the BLHI is the architectural engineering firm of Page Southerland Page of Arlington, Virginia. The project comprises two phases and will be completed by June 2017.
According to a fact sheet issued by the US embassy on the project, the new compound will replace all existing facilities and infrastructure on the current embassy ground. The new US embassy will maintain all operations throughout the six years period in which the project would be executed. “The NEC will provide an attractive, functional and secure facility for embassy employees and for US, Pakistani and third country citizens who use embassy services including visa applicants,” says the fact sheet. Besides, two-phased construction program will also provide construction and related jobs to for thousands of Pakistani workers. On embassy’s request, the CDA has also allowed a road to link the embassy with Kashmir Highway; however the construction cost would be borne by the beneficiary. However, the embassy spokesman said they have not yet received any objection regarding height of the project as the security agencies had expressed apprehension that the surveillance devices may be installed at the building to observe activities in nearby located high profile buildings on Constitution Avenue. “The CDA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already given go-head to us for the project. No one has ever approached us in this regard,” Stroh said. After objections raised by the security agencies, the CDA was confused as how to deal with the issue because the embassy could drag the Authority to International Court of Justice, if they called for reducing the height after giving approval. He said opposite to the under-construction US embassy, the CDA is also planning construction of Media City that would comprise two ten-storey towers to house print and electronic media organizations. Moreover, a 25-storey Grand Hyatt Hotel is also under- construction near Convention Centre falling very close to the Construction Avenue, but so far, the CDA has received no such objection on height of these projects.
Parliament’s guidelines set new foundation for foreign policy: Fazal: The JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday said that the parliament had set new foundation for independent foreign policy to safeguard national interests and sovereignty. Talking to mediamen, he said JUI(F) had played important role in omitting objectionable recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security. Maulana Fazlur Rehman said in the past imported foreign policy was implemented but now for the first time the parliament had given guidelines for chalking out foreign policy reflecting aspiration of people. He said now Pakistani territory would not be used for transportation of arms and ammunition , adding, it was JUI-F recommendations that no private security contractors and intelligence operatives would be allowed to operate in the Pakistani territory. He said JUI-F would resist if the authority did not implement parliament’s guidelines in letter and spirit.
US embassy starts work on new eight-floor compound
