Throughout his career, Williams has had his share of supporters and critics. But he says he is not concerned with popularity. "When I complete an embassy on time and on budget, that is as popular as I want to be," he says.

Williams was born nearly 65 years ago in Sawyerville, Ala., a rural town not far from Tuscaloosa. His formal education earned him a bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee Institute and a master’s in business administration from Atlanta University. But Williams recalls that his real education, the core values that have been his greatest influence, were learned from his paternal grandmother. She was insistent that "you do your very best [and] don’t feel sorry for yourself, particularly if you were a different color," he says. His grandmother also taught the young Williams to always be prepared for any opportunity. Her mandate was "that we go to school and we go to church," besides being courteous to others, honest and trying to do one’s very best, he adds.

Those lessons have "carried over to my professional life," says Williams. Another great influence is his military training. "The bedrock of what I use today came from the military," he says. He stresses discipline, punctuality, quick decision making and instant feedback to staff. "Those who have worked for me will say, he’s fair, he’s tough, he’s demanding, but if you stay the course, he’ll help you get across the finish line," says Williams.

Says one associate: "You do not get close to Williams if you are not loyal. Loyalty and honesty are two things he values most, and they are related." Williams "is always a general, you never disagree with him in public," adds the associate. "You have to understand that....His speech is exact, he is aware of being in command, he dresses impeccably; you will never see a speck on him."

Williams is married and has three adult children. He admits he is not "a jokester," but claims a few "vices." A self-proclaimed "football nut," he says he roots for the Washington Redskins at every home game. Williams also enjoys golf, but admits that his 18-handicap translates to, "I love to play 36 holes," enjoying the conversation over the competition.

The U.S. embassy under construction in Beijing is special. It doesn’t use the standard embassy design prototype common to most of the new buildings in the program, and it’s not a design-build job although the vast majority of the work is now being done that way. It’s being handled by the "special projects" division of the State Dept.’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, meaning it has what staffers describe as "unique" security requirements.

Compound will consolidate 20 different U.S. agnecies doing business in Beijing.

The embassy compound is the largest in the world. It’s being built in a new embassy area on the upper east side of Beijing with South Korean and Indian embassies right next door and more on the way.

Bagchi

Because a new Chinese embassy also is under construction in Washington, D.C., every aspect of project planning was negotiated as part of a bilateral agreement. "It involved permitting, fees, what status to give construction workers and how to bring materials into the country," says P.K. Bagchi, OBO’s project director for the Beijing complex.

The project consolidates 20 different U.S. government agencies doing business in Beijing from 11 different locations. All non-sensitive work will relocate to the new three-story administrative operations center. A two-story consulate will house ambassadorial functions, another building will house Marine security guards, and a three-story garage will offer parking. The eight-story high-rise is where "the most sensitive work will take place," and where most security comes into play, says Bagchi. The advantage of the compound is that it brings all the agencies and functions into a "protected environment," he adds.

The San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill won a design competition for the commission. "The challenge of designing an American embassy is to create a work of architecture that respects the local context but also reflects American culture and values," says Craig Hartman, SOM design partner. Like an archeologist digging through layers of history and culture, Hartman says he created layers through the design–traditional Chinese gardens, courtyards and pools, followed by "unabashedly modern buildings with no false historicism."

Chinese subcontractor is building the foundations for what will be an eight-story high-security building, but the structure will be built by American crews using all-American materials.

The project’s general contractor is Zachry-Caddell, a joint venture of Houston-based Zachry Construction Corp. and Montgomery, Ala.,-based Caddell Construction Co. Inc. In phase one, subcontractor Beijing Construction Engineering Group is framing the administration building and building foundations for the high-rise.

"Then we will sterilize the site, removing all foreign workers and materials" to get ready for the two-year-long phase two, says Bagchi. "We will take extraordinary care to make sure foreign and American materials don’t get mixed up."

Back in the states, Zachry-Caddell has been screening candidates for its force of 300 construction workers with top secret security clearance. Even so, specialty teams will install certain items.

"You wouldn’t believe how many workers you have to screen," says CEO Kirby Caddell. Bagchi describes "construction worker SWAT teams" who have clearance and go from project to project around the world. But with so many embassies, the pool is not big enough. He says Zachry-Caddell has used open houses to "draw new blood." But Bagchi acknowledges that it’s an "expensive process" for the government and the contractor. It may take up to 5,000 interviews to clear a pool of 1,200 candidates. After they arrive on site, workers must maintain their clearance and can be sent home if they violate any strict behavior standards.

After the sensitive construction is finished, phase three will see a return of Chinese construction workers for finishing work, landscaping, and construction of the perimeter buildings and garage.

New to the Chinese workers have been safety measures that follow U.S. standards. Each worker was provided with steel-toed boots and eye protection. Working with architectural concrete was also a first for Chinese crews.

The embassy will open before the Olympics in the summer of 2008. Delay is not an option.

(Photo top and bottom left by Janice l. Tuchman for enr; photo top right cortesy of Gerald Ratto/Som)