There were plans to move the embassy to Baabda few years back but they were dropped and the new embassy will be built close to the existing one in Awkar. It will include a chancery, support offices, staff housing and a community centre.

I once went inside the embassy few years back and it’s freaking huge. In fact, it looks more like a small village than an embassy. I am intrigued to know how it’s going to look like but I don’t think there are any pictures or maps online.

Morphosis Architects has been selected from a shortlist of three to design the new U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) chose Morphosis over Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Mack Scogin Merrill Elam with AECOM after conducting a series of presentations and interviews in the third round of the international competition.

“Morphosis presented a strong, cohesive team with over 50 years of collaborative experience. Their presentation demonstrated the management and design approach required to successfully execute this project, as well as a thorough understanding of the importance and impact of an American Embassy in Beirut. [Link]