The 5.3 acre development will be centred around an 11 storey cube-shaped building which will be named 'The Chancery'. It will be largely glazed on its north side, whilst the remaining sides will have a self-cleaning outer shell made from a transparent lightweight polymer.
The scheme will also have new public open space, including landscaped gardens, a plaza, walkways and a large pond. The upper floors of the building will have six internal gardens, each with a different theme representing the variety of the US landscape.
Entrance to the building will be via three single storey entrance pavilions located on the perimeter of the site. A linear park will run along the south of the site from Vauxhall Cross to Battersea Power Station.
It is the aim that the completed building will attain the 'outstanding' grade from its BREEAM environmental assessment, whichis the highest rating available..
"This remarkable building will be a fitting centerpiece for the new Nine Elms and could be among the highest performing buildings in the world in terms of energy use and sustainability," said Wandsworth Council's planning chairman Nick Cuff.
"The Embassy's move is already acting as a magnet for new investment in this part of London, which has started to change on an enormous scale. Once it opens its doors the complex will attract more than 1,000 visitors everyday - boosting the local economy and bringing new life to this stretch of the South Bank," he said.
"The new US Embassy is pivotal for the redevelopment of the Nine Elms area and the opportunities this project offers for this part of London cannot be overstated. We support the proposal and think it could become a successful piece of architecture," said design watchdog CABE in their response to the council's consultation on the scheme.
The US Embassy has been located in Grosvenor Square in London's Mayfair since the 1960s. The move to the new building in Nine Elms is expected to take place in 2017.
