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House of Sweden , Washington, D.C.
October 11th, 2006, 4:15pm by Ryan - 0 Comments
“Scandinavian Minimalism & Transparent Security at the House of Sweden”
In today’s discussion on the website Trollhattan Saab , there have been a number of references to Scandinavian Design, & Minimalism with the design approach of “less is more”. It seemed most appropriate to provide an example of Swedish Minimalism in their new Embassy of Sweden here in Washington, D.C. I begin with a quote from the former Ambassador of Sweden to the United States with my own take on the Embassy.
“We are very proud and happy to be the first to build an embassy on the Potomac. I am a former Navy officer and so it is very exciting to be on the water. With the terrorist threat, embassies tend to be fortresses today. We have seen violence in my own country. But we still want to be open and transparent and not be provoked by violence from terrorists. Having our embassy on the water is perhaps a risk, but it’s important to send a message.â€
Jan Eliasson, former Sweden Ambassador to the United States (2000-2005)
In today’s post, September 11th world, there is a new type of threat and we know that the all to often after-the fact reactive security measures simply do not work. This new threat needs to be mitigated with a proactive solution, which would be a new type of security process. Security by definition is a process and not a result. This type of security will need to embody a new security methodology. This methodology will need to encompass all areas from logical security (internet, e-mail, cell phones and wifi), physical security (social engineering, workplace security, information sharing policies including architecture and design of interiors and exteriors of facilities) to perimeter security (monitoring systems, access control, cameras, scanners, and the use of a facilities boundaries). This type of security must look back and consider all of the failed reactive security methodologies and associated historical threats by preparing for the new threat, which in today’s environment is virtually unknown and can compromise many of the areas mentioned at any given moment. This new type of security must include the “security by obscurity†concept, by also providing security in the most obvious installations without the would-be perpetrators having the knowledge of such security measures. If the perpetrators cannot understand the obstacle, they cannot create ways of overcoming that obstacle in any sense of the word. The new Swedish Embassy clearly embodies this new type of thinking in terms of physical security.
It seems clear that this new type of security methodology is embodied in the new Swedish Embassy where it provides that “transparent security†in the built environment. Through living in Washington, D.C., a place that some would consider the headquarters of the new move towards a more secure society, it has become clear that Sweden is staking its place in the realm of security by placing their new Embassy in the hub of commercial activity in the Washington, D.C metro area. By placing the Embassy away from the more traditional avenue (literally) of Embassy Row, in a more visible and prominent area, Sweden is able to highlight its own ideals of architecture, security and design.
- Ryan Emge
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