US Embassy, Beijing

As part of the US Department of State’s initiative to upgrade and expand the diplomatic presence of the United States globally, as well as improve security on such grounds, a new embassy complex was designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill with construction completed in 2008.  My role as a lead carpenter with design experience on the project gave me insight into one of the largest and most complicated foreign projects built by the US, coming with a price tag of $434 million for the 500,000 sf of conditioned space on a 10 acre plot.  A non-disclosure agreement prevents me from articulating specifics, but a letter of recommendation attests to my contributions there.