City council’s planning committee approved revised plans for a new Iraqi Embassy in Centretown on Tuesday.
The current embassy, located at 215 McLeod Street, will be demolished and a new embassy that reflects Iraqi culture will be built in its place.
“The embassy will reflect Mesopotamian culture, and one of the first monumental buildings that were built in Mesopotamian culture were ziggurats,” says Julian Jacobs, the architect of the new embassy.
Ziggurats were massive step pyramids built in the Mesopotamian valley in Iraq. These buildings are the inspiration for the embassy design, and are embodied in various elements of the plans, says Jacobs.
The embassy walls will be made of stone and glass. These walls will slope inwards towards the top of the building, mirroring the ziggurat pyramid design, Jacobs says.
The entry of the embassy will be designed like the Ishtar Gate, one of the most famous city gates of the Mesopotamian period. Like the Ishtar Gate, the embassy's entry will have traditional images carved into it, Jacobs says.
The building will also have vignettes featured on its walls. These will record Iraq’s great battles and farming scenes, says Jacobs.
The newly approved building plans modify a previously approved proposal for the new embassy. The new plans maintain a similar style to the original plans, but replace some of the glass with more stone and brick, reports the Ottawa Citizen.
Construction on the new embassy will begin this summer, says Jacobs.
In addition to the revised plans for the new embassy, the planning committee approved plans for a new residence for Iraq’s ambassador, which will be built in Rockcliffe.