subject: Iraq Sets Ottawa Embassy Makeover [print this page] Officials of the Iraqi embassy in Ottawa recently filed a request for a rezoning of their McLeod St. lot to enable a complete building makeover of the embassy. The embassy is currently housed in a two-story, circa 1950s structure that went into disrepair when the Canadian-Iraqi diplomatic ties soured in the 1990s as a result of Iraqs invasion of Kuwait in 1991. The planned complete facelift of the embassy comes on the heels of a failed bid to demolish and rebuild the Rockcliffe residence of the Iraqi ambassador to Canada, which has also deteriorated following a decade-long frigid relationship between the two countries.
With the improving status of Iraq in the world community, the country now wants to give its embassy, which is located near the Museum of Nature, a fresh look.What the Iraqi diplomats envision is a four-story complex with building features that recalls the grandeur of a Mesopotamian ziggurat. The floor space of the new building will be five times that of the current structure. A glass penthouse at the rooftop is also on the buildings blueprint, along with an angled faade that gradually tapers inward with each rising floor.
Why the Rezoning Tweak
This plan would take up more space of the present buildings site than city zoning regulations allow, thus the request for a rezoning. The new embassy is also planned to be 19.5 meters in height, while buildings in its area are allowed up to only 18 meters high. Moreover, the new embassy is configured for a floor space index just a shade below 2, while the current regulations specify an index of just 0.5. Under this unusually strict rule, the total floor area of a building in the zone is limited to half its lots square footage.
The new Iraqi embassy, once completed, will sport features in harmony with the Museum of Nature across it. The diplomatic enclave will incorporate a flash of glass echoing the glass lantern of its neighbors faade. With this harmonious setup, drivers from the Queensway bound north on Metcalfe Street will pass under a charming gateway. The new embassy also hopes to create a new city landmark with its elaborate central entrance. It will feature a commanding bas-relief reconstructing the famous lion hunt scene from the palace of the Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal II. The design for the Iraqi embassy came from the Toronto drawing boards of Julian Jacobs Architects.
