Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Ottawa (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: ') is

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The building is located at 201

Sussex Drive Sussex Drive (french: Promenade Sussex), also known as Ottawa Regional Road93, is an arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital of Canada. It is one of the city's main ceremonial and institutional routes. Travelling roughly parallel to the Ott ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, overlooking the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

. Prior to 2005, it was located in an office in the Clarica Centre on Bank Street.

Planning and construction

The Saudis bought the prime land in 1978 for $900 000 and top Canadian architect

Arthur Erickson Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Engineering at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is known ...

was hired to do the design. It was many years before construction began; however, as Saudi cut backs in the 1980s halted the lavish scheme. Plans to build a somewhat smaller structure were announced in 1989. In the meantime, the

National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...

had striven to turn Sussex Drive into a ceremonial boulevard and it balked at the Saudi design, threatening to take back the land. The project again came to a halt. In 1997 a new design was developed, but neighbours complained vigorously about the number of armed guards that would surround it and the loss of green space. The plan was approved by Ottawa City Council, except for the guard houses and access road. The Saudis stated that without them the embassy could not function and shelved the $25 million project. The city and embassy negotiated and the Saudis made compromises on the size of the

guardhouse A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have historically been dormi ...

s and in other areas and city council, to the displeasure of local residents, approved the plan in May 1998. The exterior of the building was completed in 2001; however it remained empty for some time, reportedly due to the strained Canadian-Saudi relations over the case of William Sampson. The Saudi embassy reported that its staff were too busy with diplomatic matters in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to take time off to move to new quarters. Work on the interior resumed in March 2004 and was opened in August 2005.

References

External links

Official site
{{Use dmy dates, date=July 2019

Arthur Erickson buildings Canada–Saudi Arabia relations Sussex Drive

Planning and construction

See also

References

External links