Blast engineering for new office building and MSGQ, including atrium with clerestory windows. LEED certified.

Weidlinger Associates provided blast engineering services for a new $60 million US embassy complex located on a 10-acre site in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The 4-story 135,000-square-foot New Office Building (NOB) and the Marine security guard quarters (MSGQ) were strategically positioned to satisfy security requirements and to provide required on-site parking. The design was influenced by both contemporary and classic Bulgarian architecture.

The embassy received LEED certification for the incorporation of sustainable design elements. The NOB has two 3-story wings separated by a 4-story atrium with clerestory windows. The atrium extends to outdoor terraces for staging large functions and its clerestory windows allow natural light to penetrate to all areas of the building. The complex provides contiguous, energy-efficient facilities for embassy departments that were formerly scattered among 20 different city buildings.

Completion Date: 2003
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Owner or Client: Department of State, OBO
Prime Consultant(s): Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership