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Man of concrete ideas

Patrick Sullivan, Clerk of Works at the British Embassy, believes every building he's worked on is the best one, till the next project comes along

BUILDINGS GIVE HIM SATISFACTION Patrick Sullivan PHOTO: R. RAGU

Patrick Sullivan may supervise the construction of British Embassies, High Commissions and Residences across the world, from Khartoum in Sudan and Lusaka in Zambia to Islamabad in Pakistan, but his office is nothing more than a little shack. When you ask for Patrick Sullivan, Clerk of Works at the British Embassy, every mason, every labourer will tell you, "Pat sir? He was just here."

That's because for the last three years, Sullivan has been around, checking cement and sand, staff convenience, and granite quarries. "This is the best!" says Sullivan. But then he admits the last one is always the best one, till he starts work on the next project.

The new British Deputy High Commission, on Anderson Road, at first may seem strangely un-ambitious for an embassy building. It is confident architecture, with just that right amount of quirkiness to give it personality. Sullivan, however, insists, "a building needs occupying to have character."

He, of course, Sullivan never has the luxury of working on a vacant High Commission. His special talent lies in breaking down walls and doing flooring and still making sure High Commissions can continue to stamp passports and grant visas, hold cocktail parties and do all the other important things that they do.

That means working 50 to 70 hours a week, much of this with people who speak a foreign language. "There's always sign language," he says.

"When I go into a country, I observe how it's done there, and do it their way. And then maybe suggest a different style. I don't go into a country saying I know better."

In Pakistan, it was the board finished concrete, in India what he has discovered is highly skilled women labourers. "They may still use a wheelbarrow, but the kind of work they can do with basic tools is amazing."

Features of the local architecture are incorporated where possible. Here it's the carved granite pillars that line one side of a covered pathway. "It's fairly classic, and has a bit of the southern India, the Mahabalipuram touch."

However, the undulating blue wall would have to be the `central feature.' It's a wall that waves its way through the length of the building, with all the blues of a tropical summer sky and sea, stroked on with palette knives before being smoothened and wax polished to an almost lyrical finish. A kernel shaped opening allows daylight to flood the interiors, saving precious electricity.

Every outer wall is insulated, so is the roof. "As a government department, we try our best to be environmentally conscious. The timber we use is from plantations which have been replanted and we are even making arrangements to reuse all the grey water in the building," says Sullivan. "And with this Deputy High Commission, I can say we have succeeded."

The building does not overshadow the High Commissioner's residence, which is behind it. In fact, when Pat walks us round, there's a charming little courtyard, with some clever landscaping around a stately old golden carpet tree. The new and the old lie comfortably on either side.

Embassies are a matter of pride, but there are government budgets that won't allow the world's tallest tower or gold domes. "I am a taxpayer too. And I work with the government; we can't be seen wasting money. If we started importing material or skills that we could easily find here, people would definitely want to know why the foreign office was doing this," says Sullivan.

The only thing imported here are copper sheets and the expertise to set it on the domelike roof, the second of the two main features of the building. Earlier, says Sullivan, cheap was good. Now they have worked out the lifespan of each High Commission to about 60 years, but this figure takes into consideration maintenance. And having to set guidelines for maintenance to be carried out is not only part of Sullivan's responsibilities but also a requirement of the health and safety law of the U.K.

"Representing the Government is an incentive, and I can't cut corners. I have to remember that my actions will be a reflection of my country," says Sullivan. He may never work on his own designs but he won't grudge the architects the praise they get. "It's extremely difficult to start with a blank paper and get a design on it. I start with an empty space and finish with a building, and that is the most satisfying thing for me. But to start with a blank sheet of paper... I accept I couldn't do it."

MEERA MOHANTY

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